Christina Applegate has lived nearly her entire life in the spotlight. She first gained fame playing the onscreen daughter of Ed O’Neill and Katey Segal on the beloved 1980s sitcom Married…With Children; she was 16 when the show premiered. Though she’s been in countless television shows and films since (Friends, Anchorman, the Broadway revival of Sweet Charity), the actress has kept many of her life’s moments to herself — until now. Applegate will publish her first memoir in March 2026, The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively announce.
You With the Sad Eyes will cover Applegate’s life and legacy, starting with her tumultuous childhood in Laurel Canyon in the 70s, her earliest years on set, and the struggles (abuse, body dysmorphia, and more) that plagued her meteoric rise.
“I decided to write this book when I was forced to slow down,” says Applegate. “I’ve had a career in TV and film since I was three years old, and I loved it. But with MS, all the things I thought were important shifted. For a long time, it felt impossible to find the meaning in everything I’ve been through, but for the first time in my life I’ve been able to stop and reflect. I’ve packed a lot into these 50-something years. It’s scary—not gonna lie—to finally decide to tell it all. But no matter how dark it gets, I wrote this because I truly believe that books can make people feel less alone. I promise, You With the Sad Eyes won’t be some big violin scratching for my life. But it will be real. It will be filled with the ups and downs, the humor and grief of life. So here I am. Real me. Lots to say.”
The memoir was acquired from CAA by Little, Brown and Company in a pre-empt for World Rights and will be edited by Executive Editor Bryn Clark. “As an editor, I’m always chasing the elusive feeling of ‘I have to have this.’ You only know it when you see it, and I knew Christina’s book was it the second I read her opening words,” says Clark. “Christina speaks to the power of embracing the messiness and temporality of life instead of hiding behind the plastic veneer of our modern world. We have no time to waste on falsehoods and perfection.”
Applegate follows the story of her earlier years with her health journey, and coming to terms with the repercussions of her 2021 Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis; searching for her identity and her joy in the face of the loss of her ability to act. Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, will publish the memoir. Applegate is repped by CAA.