Christina Applegate's Memoir Reveals Shocking Rejection of Brad Pitt
In a surprising revelation from her newly published memoir, actress Christina Applegate confirms long-standing rumors that she once rejected Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt for a rock star. The story, detailed in her book You With the Sad Eyes, offers a candid look at a youthful decision that left Pitt feeling slighted and temporarily damaged their friendship.
The Fateful Night at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards
Applegate, who was a teenage television star at the time thanks to her iconic role as Kelly Bundy on Married… with Children, brought Brad Pitt as her date to the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. Despite their platonic friendship, which involved regular barbecues and group hangouts at her small row house, Applegate made a decision that would become legendary in celebrity gossip circles.
"I had spent all night staring at Bach, who was then a long-haired hunk fronting the band Skid Row," Applegate writes in her memoir, according to excerpts published by multiple entertainment outlets. "I felt so powerful and sure of myself for once that when the awards show was over, I left with Sebastian Bach, not Brad Pitt."
Pitt's Humiliating Aftermath and Eventual Forgiveness
The aftermath of Applegate's decision proved particularly embarrassing for Pitt, who was then a 26-year-old actor still working toward his eventual superstardom. According to Applegate's account, Pitt was left to drive her mother home from the event, nearly getting into a confrontation with gang members at a gas station along the way.
"I hate to put it like this, but Brad back then was still making his way as an actor, and he wasn't yet THE Brad Pitt, the man of so many people's dreams," Applegate confesses in her writing. "And it gets worse: Brad was left to sullenly drive my mom home."
The rejection stung Pitt enough that he reportedly shared the story with subsequent girlfriends, who would later ask Applegate if she was "the girl who left Brad behind at the MTV Video Music Awards." The two didn't speak for years following the incident, but eventually Pitt forgave Applegate, acknowledging she had been young at the time.
Additional Revelations from Applegate's Personal Journey
Beyond the Pitt revelation, Applegate's memoir delves into other significant aspects of her personal life:
- Regret Over the Bach Decision: Applegate expresses regret about leaving with Sebastian Bach after learning he was in a relationship and had a child at the time.
- Failed First Marriage: She reveals knowing her marriage to Johnathon Schaech was doomed from the moment she walked down the aisle in 2001, thinking "Oh f***. F***, oh f***" as she approached him.
- Body Image Struggles: Applegate discusses her difficult relationship with body image during her Married… with Children years, when she was a size 0 and costume designers regularly had to take in her clothes.
- Personal Challenges: The memoir also addresses her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, an abortion at age 19 during an abusive relationship, and childhood trauma.
Longstanding Rumors Finally Confirmed
This revelation confirms rumors that have circulated for decades, though Applegate had previously been coy about the details. During a 2015 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, she acknowledged ditching Pitt that night but refused to name who she left with, only confirming they never went out again.
Now, at 54 and married to musician Martyn LeNoble with whom she shares 15-year-old daughter Sadie, Applegate reflects on that youthful decision with both humor and regret. "Of course, Brad is now THE Brad Pitt, and Sebastian Bach … well, he still has long hair, I guess," she quips in her memoir.
The detailed account provides a fascinating glimpse into Hollywood's social dynamics during the late 1980s, when a teenage television star could dent the ego of a future Oscar winner who hadn't yet achieved his legendary status.
