Actress Christina Applegate is grieving the loss of her father, Robert “Bobby” Applegate, sharing the heartbreaking news during a deeply emotional episode of her Messy podcast, released on April 29. The 53-year-old Emmy winner opened up about the pain she’s experiencing, revealing it’s the first time she’s fully allowed herself to cry since his passing.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m, like, crying right now. I’m sorry. My dad just passed away a week ago,” Applegate told her podcast co-host and friend JoAnna Garcia Swisher. “This is the first time I’ve really cried.”
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Still processing the grief, Applegate admitted she had kept herself too distracted to confront her emotions head-on. “I think I wasn’t allowing myself to have that yet. Too busy with this, too busy with that. We knew he was going to die. Is that an excuse for not feeling?”
Swisher, who has also experienced deep personal loss, responded with empathy, reflecting on her own journey after losing both parents in two years. “They are a tether. I felt very untethered,” she said. “I don’t know the relationship that you had with your dad. But my relationship with my dad is a soulmate, and my mom was my best friend.”
Applegate then reflected on her own family dynamics, explaining that although her parents separated when she was just an infant, her father remained in her life. “He and my mom separated when I was, like, 5 months old,” she shared, adding that her dad continued to be a presence along with her two siblings and stepmother.
While opening up about her father, Applegate also spoke lovingly but candidly about her mother, Nancy Priddy, a former actress and singer.
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“Your tools were a little off,” she said of her mom, acknowledging the imperfections in their upbringing. “But instinctively, as parents, you’re either going to right the wrongs… or take what they have. We’re doing such a better job.”
The moment was raw and heartfelt — a glimpse into the private sorrow of a public figure who has endured both health challenges and personal loss in recent years. Fans have rallied around Applegate, expressing support for her honesty and vulnerability during such a difficult time.
As she continues to navigate grief, Applegate’s openness has brought comfort to others facing similar pain — and offered a reminder that even in heartbreak, connection and understanding endure.
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