Christina Applegate Tells Katey Sagal She Was a 'Safe Space' for Her onMarried... with ChildrenSet

Mar. 15, 2025

Christina Applegate and Katey Sagal on Married With Children.Photo:Alamy

Alamy

Christina Applegatehas a special place in her heart for her on-screen momKatey Sagal.On the March 4 episode of Applegate’sMeSsypodcast, which she cohosts withJamie-Lynn Sigler, Sagal joined them to discuss the ups and downs of their personal and professional lives. Reflecting on her 11-season run onMarried… with Children,Applegate said Sagal meant more to her than she knew.“You were a safe space for me,” the 53-year-old actress gushed. “What made you so comforting to me is that you had lived. You had lived a lot of life and a lot of scarring and things had taken place and now you were on that side of strength, and I needed that. I needed that so badly in my life: a stable person. And you were that stability to me always. I always knew if I came to you with something or I cried that you would comfort me, that I’d feel safe.”Christina Applegate and Katey Sagal on Married With Children.FoxSagal, who saidshe was “newly sober” when the sitcom debutedin 1987, confessed that she was “was truly doing the fake it till you make it” method.“It’s so interesting because I was so new to my own inner journey because I was new to my own recovery journey, but along with that, I was learning very rapidly how to be honest with myself and to how important that is for all of us to be that way,” Sagal, 71, explained. “And I did have that sense that there was nobody really for you to — I guess what I’m saying is I became very forthright with my journey, which I think opens the door for other people, i.e. you, Chrissy, to be forthright with yours.”“And, you know, as you’re saying I provided a safe space for you, you were also providing that for me,” she continued. “Because I was learning so much about myself as a person that you would think would be a mature person.”The singer revealed she had been using drugs and alcohol since she was 15 years old, and because Applegate was just 16 when they met, they understood each other on a deeper level.“I had sort of a youthful [mindset],” Sagal noted, telling Applegate: “I could relate to you. I could absolutely relate to the pieces of you. And so I wanna say that the safety you were feeling was also the umbrella of recovery. That’s kind of what you were feeling because that was the umbrella around me. I was terrified.”L-R: David Faustino, Christina Applegate, Amanda Bearse, Ed O’Neill, Ted McGinley and Katey Sagal.Columbia Tristar/Fotos International/GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Sagal described her on-screen daughter as an “old soul,” which she was grateful to have around on set. At the same time, she said she often wished Applegate could’ve had more of a traditional childhood.“I always felt very much like Christina grew up very quickly and had a sense of maturity about her that was beyond her years,” Sagal noted. “There was part of me that felt like, ‘Oh, I want her to be a little girl too.’ And I think sometimes around me, she could feel that way.”Looking back, theDead to Mestar said she had no idea how much Sagal was struggling. In fact, Applegate admired everything about her, down to her outfit.“I remember the first day I met you, you were wearing these jeans, the way you looked in these jeans and this white t-shirt that was tucked in,” she recalled. “Everything about you was just cool. I was like, ‘She is f—ing cool and knows who she is and damn, I want to be her when I grow up.’”

Christina Applegatehas a special place in her heart for her on-screen momKatey Sagal.

On the March 4 episode of Applegate’sMeSsypodcast, which she cohosts withJamie-Lynn Sigler, Sagal joined them to discuss the ups and downs of their personal and professional lives. Reflecting on her 11-season run onMarried… with Children,Applegate said Sagal meant more to her than she knew.

“You were a safe space for me,” the 53-year-old actress gushed. “What made you so comforting to me is that you had lived. You had lived a lot of life and a lot of scarring and things had taken place and now you were on that side of strength, and I needed that. I needed that so badly in my life: a stable person. And you were that stability to me always. I always knew if I came to you with something or I cried that you would comfort me, that I’d feel safe.”

Christina Applegate and Katey Sagal on Married With Children.Fox

Fox

Sagal, who saidshe was “newly sober” when the sitcom debutedin 1987, confessed that she was “was truly doing the fake it till you make it” method.

“It’s so interesting because I was so new to my own inner journey because I was new to my own recovery journey, but along with that, I was learning very rapidly how to be honest with myself and to how important that is for all of us to be that way,” Sagal, 71, explained. “And I did have that sense that there was nobody really for you to — I guess what I’m saying is I became very forthright with my journey, which I think opens the door for other people, i.e. you, Chrissy, to be forthright with yours.”

“And, you know, as you’re saying I provided a safe space for you, you were also providing that for me,” she continued. “Because I was learning so much about myself as a person that you would think would be a mature person.”

The singer revealed she had been using drugs and alcohol since she was 15 years old, and because Applegate was just 16 when they met, they understood each other on a deeper level.

“I had sort of a youthful [mindset],” Sagal noted, telling Applegate: “I could relate to you. I could absolutely relate to the pieces of you. And so I wanna say that the safety you were feeling was also the umbrella of recovery. That’s kind of what you were feeling because that was the umbrella around me. I was terrified.”

L-R: David Faustino, Christina Applegate, Amanda Bearse, Ed O’Neill, Ted McGinley and Katey Sagal.Columbia Tristar/Fotos International/Getty

Columbia Tristar/Fotos International/Getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Sagal described her on-screen daughter as an “old soul,” which she was grateful to have around on set. At the same time, she said she often wished Applegate could’ve had more of a traditional childhood.

“I always felt very much like Christina grew up very quickly and had a sense of maturity about her that was beyond her years,” Sagal noted. “There was part of me that felt like, ‘Oh, I want her to be a little girl too.’ And I think sometimes around me, she could feel that way.”

Looking back, theDead to Mestar said she had no idea how much Sagal was struggling. In fact, Applegate admired everything about her, down to her outfit.

“I remember the first day I met you, you were wearing these jeans, the way you looked in these jeans and this white t-shirt that was tucked in,” she recalled. “Everything about you was just cool. I was like, ‘She is f—ing cool and knows who she is and damn, I want to be her when I grow up.’”

source: people.com