Jenny McCarthy Slammed For Bizarre Comment She Made To Christina Applegate On Emmys Red Carpet
Jenny McCarthy is feeling the heat after her hosting stint on Fox’s pre-Emmys red carpet. The Masked Singer star is being called out for her awkward interview with actress Christina Applegate.
McCarthy, already a controversial hosting figure due to her anti-vax stance, was blasted for being unprepared for her interviews. The former MTV star, who was dressed in full Cinderella style, came under fire after an especially awkward exchange with Applegate, who had an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her show Dead to Me.
During the exchange, McCarthy, 46, told Applegate, 47, that she wanted to be her when she grew up. Applegate shot to fame in the mid-1980s as a teen star on the Fox sitcom Married With Children when she was the same age as McCarthy. The two stars are a mere 12 months apart in age, with Applegate born in November 1971 and McCarthy in November 1972.
McCarthy also fumbled when she told Applegate that her 2019 Emmy nod was a first in the lead actress category. Applegate is actually a three-time lead-actress nominee.
“I know you were nominated for Friends, for being a guest star role, [and] tonight you’re nominated for your own show,” McCarthy said. “What does that feel like? First time, right?”
“Well, no, no… Samantha Who? a couple times, but that’s okay,” Applegate responded. “But we don’t have to talk about that.”
Applegate’s annoyance was apparent during the uncomfortable exchange. According to AOL, Applegate was not only nominated but actually won the Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series Emmy in 2003 for her guest stint as Rachel Green’s (Jennifer Aniston) sister Amy on Friends. She was also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series for her starring role in Samantha Who? in both 2008 and 2009.
In a final cringeworthy moment, McCarthy ended the interview by calling Applegate “sweetheart.”
On social media, Applegate’s fans slammed McCarthy for pretending that the Dead to Me star is so much older than her, and also for her assumption that a lead actress Emmy nod is a new thing for the frequently-nominated television star.
You can see some of the reaction to McCarthy’s red carpet interview with Applegate below.
Jenny McCarthy pretends she's years younger than the always stellar Christina Applegate (their ages are within one year of each other). Then she commends her on her first Emmy nomination, when in fact she was nominated for the show "Samantha Who." #Emmys2019 pic.twitter.com/xR5NDLEQYw
— Darcy (@MeAndNoArmy) September 23, 2019
Is Jenny McCarthy drunk? She just told Christina Applegate that she grew up watching her on TV and remembered thinking she wanted to be like her when she was older…but…she’s only 1 year younger than Christina.. ?? Christina seemed annoyed by the whole interview. #Emmys
— Liz (@SAKoffee_Kween) September 22, 2019
Jenny McCarthy's fact-checker for tonight's Emmy's Red Carpet is about as accurate as her fact-checker for the impact life-saving vaccines have on autism. #Emmys
— Lauren Huzy (@LHugh92) September 22, 2019
Jenny McCarthy (age 46) trying to make it sound like she "grew up" watching Christina Applegate (age 47) is so shady. #Emmys2019
— Amber Kennedy (@amberfi) September 22, 2019
The Cut notes that McCarthy’s interview with Applegate was not the only painful one. An awkward interview with Gwyneth Paltrow also ensued during which McCarthy gushed about her love for The Handmaid’s Tale. McCarthy also asked TV legend Julia Louis-Dreyfus to perform the Elaine Dance on live TV, to which the Seinfeld star smartly refused.
McCarthy, who also introduced “the one and only Thingamajig” when announcing The Masked Singer’s fuzzy monster character, was part of Fox’s heavy promotion of the breakout reality show during the high-profile Emmy Awards broadcast.
