Christina Applegate opens up about domestic violence and her 1991 abortion in a new book ‘You With the Sad Eyes: A Memoir’

Trigger warning: This article contains sensitive information regarding abortion and domestic violence. Reader discretion is advised.

Christina Applegate has opened up about a deeply personal chapter from her teenage years. The actor revealed that she had an abortion at age 19 while in an abusive relationship with a former boyfriend. Applegate shared the experience in her upcoming memoir, reflecting on the emotional turmoil she faced at the time and the difficult decision she ultimately made.

Christina Applegate reveals abortion in new memoir

According to People, Applegate wrote about the experience in her memoir, ‘You With the Sad Eyes: A Memoir.’ The 54-year-old actor said she discovered she was pregnant in April 1991 while dating an abusive partner, whose identity she did not reveal in the book.





Applegate explained that she documented the moment in her diary at the time. “In late April 1991, I fell pregnant. I want to turn away from what happened, but it’s all recorded in my diary,” she wrote. “There are moments in my life that are too painful to force into narrative or meaning, so I’ll let my voice from back then speak.”

The memoir includes excerpts from those diary entries. In one entry from 1991, Applegate described feeling overwhelmed after learning she was pregnant. She wrote that “too many emotions are filling my soul.”

At the time, the actor believed she already knew what she would do if she faced an unplanned pregnancy. “I always felt that if I ever got pregnant when I knew it was the wrong time, I wouldn’t have any problem having an abortion,” she wrote.

Diary entries describe difficult relationship

Applegate also wrote about the troubled relationship she was in during that period. In another diary entry, she reflected on the state of the relationship and the uncertainty she felt. “I don’t really understand my relationship anymore. It isn’t good,” she wrote. “Sometimes I don’t think it’s worth it.”

Shortly after learning about the pregnancy, Applegate wrote that the situation with her boyfriend took a “brutal turn.” She decided to end the pregnancy soon after.

One entry captures the raw emotions she experienced while making that decision. “I’m f–king pregnant and I’m killing my child on Thursday. I’m thinking where the f–k can I go to recuperate from murder,” she wrote in the diary. She also worried about how her boyfriend’s family would react, writing, “His family will hate me when they find out that I killed their family member because they don’t believe in [abortion].”

Applegate added that she felt she could not continue with the pregnancy at that time. “But I can’t have this baby because I have work to do to entertain this f–king world. Besides, I can’t…now.”

In a later diary entry written after the procedure, Applegate said she was physically recovering but still processing what had happened. “That gives me no time to realize what I have done,” she wrote. “Which is most likely the best right now.”

Applegate is now a mother to daughter Sadie, 15, and continues to share personal moments from her life in the memoir.

Disclaimer: If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, assault, or abuse, please seek immediate help. Reach out to a mental health specialist, NGO, or trusted individual. Several helplines are available to offer assistance.

Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”