Christina Applegate has shared the story behind why she left Brad Pitt at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, despite attending the event with him as her date. In her new memoir, You With the Sad Eyes, Applegate explains the events that led to her walking away with another man, revealing details about the strained feelings that followed.
The actress, who was just 17 at the time and famously starred in Married… with Children, recounts inviting Brad Pitt to the awards show when they had been friends for years. That night, she wore a Ceil Chapman gown that made her feel exceptionally confident, a feeling that influenced her decision after the ceremony ended.
The Night Applegate Chose Sebastian Bach Over Brad Pitt
Applegate admits she left the MTV VMAs with Sebastian Bach, the lead singer of Skid Row, instead of Brad Pitt. Reflecting on that moment, she says,
“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.”
This choice came after she had been watching Bach throughout the night, drawn to the rock star’s presence.
At the time, Brad Pitt was still building his acting career and had not yet become the household name he is today. Applegate notes,
“[He] was still making his way as an actor, and he wasn’t yet THE Brad Pitt, the man of so many people’s dreams.”
Pitt’s breakout role in Thelma & Louise would not come until 1991, two years later.
The Fallout and Years of Silence Between Applegate and Pitt
Following the awards ceremony, Applegate says Brad Pitt was left to drive her mother and a friend home, while she had already left with Bach. She reveals the aftermath in her memoir, stating,
“Not surprisingly, [he] was subsequently very mad at me. We didn’t talk for many years after that.”
Over time, they reconciled, with Applegate reflecting,
“Eventually, we agreed that I’d been a kid, and though he’d deserved much better, it was time to forgive the child who dumped him for the lead singer of Skid Row.”
Applegate’s Past Comments on the Incident and the Mystery Man
In 2015, during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Applegate was asked about rumors surrounding the night she left Brad Pitt. When Cohen pressed her to name the man she left with, she replied playfully,
“How many fifths do I get? … I have to say it? I don’t have to do nothin’!”
She confirmed the mystery man was famous but not an actor, and clarified that she did not date Pitt afterward, nor did she continue a relationship with the rock star after that night.
Insights into Applegate’s New Memoir and Personal Journey
Applegate’s memoir, You With the Sad Eyes, explores more than just this MTV VMA event. It covers her childhood, past abusive relationships, motherhood, and her battle with breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. In an interview, she emphasized the book’s honest tone, saying,
“We all have come from somewhere, some places more painful than others, and it’s what you do with it, I guess.”
Adding,
“This is not an inspirational book by any means. But it can inspire.”
The memoir is currently available for purchase at bookstores and online.
