Christina Applegate Won An Award For An Iconic Show She Guest Starred In, But Never Watched

Sometimes artists just cannot handle taking in their own work, whether it be because they're too self-conscious to see their face or hear their voice, or because the volume of their work is simply too much to catch up on for personal viewing. However, for former "Married with Children" star Christina Applegate, neither was really the case after she guest starred on "Friends" in the early 2000s. Instead, she simply did not get around to watching the entire series until years later.

While discussing her TV viewing habits with her co-host, Hallmark star Jamie-Lynn Sigler, on their podcast "MeSsy," Applegate revealed it took her quite some time to get around to watching "Friends" in its entirety. "I'm on 'Friends' right now," she told Sigler in an episode uploaded on October 15, 2024. "Yes, I was on 'Friends' twice. Yes, I had never seen it before I was on it." 

Prior to 2024, Applegate had only seen her own episodes, albeit with little context surrounding the overarching narrative. The timing of her inevitable binge of the series marks 21 years since she won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Applegate seemed to have made up for lost time with little hesitation, though, considering she was already on the eighth season by the time the podcast episode aired after just three days of apparently marathoning it.

From 2002 to 2003, "Bad Moms" actor Christina Applegate made two guest appearances on the hit TV sitcom "Friends." Her character, Amy Green, was the sister of and self-centered foil to star Jennifer Aniston's Rachel Green. Although it took her decades to actually watch the show, that isn't to say Applegate didn't have fun making it. "It wasn't a hard job," she said on "Today." "It felt like I got to just hang out with a bunch of people and socialize for a couple of days. And then in the middle of it, we shot a show." She was also responsible for what Entertainment Weekly described as one of the show's most unforgettable jokes: The famous "Why does she keep making that noise?!" line.

Though they'll probably never see Applegate act again in light of her ongoing health struggles, some fans still fondly remember her roles in movies and series like "Friends." "I really don't [care] what people say, Amy was the best character outside the main cast," one Reddit user wrote in a subject line. "She is absolutely funny and entertaining." 

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences apparently had similar thoughts, and Applegate won the Emmy for her performance in 2003. She's since gone on to receive Emmy nominations in other categories, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performances in the series "Samantha Who?" and "Dead to Me." If she hasn't already watched these shows, perhaps her late exposure to "Friends" will convince her to take in more of the projects she acted in.