Christina Applegate’s Relationship History: Who She’s Dated and Married
At 54, Christina Applegate is poised to share the untold chapters of her life in her deeply personal debut memoir, You With the Sad Eyes. The actor is known for her breakout role as Kelly Bundy in Married … With Children. And she later had acclaimed performances in Dead to Me and Sweet Charity. Now, we’re looking back at Applegate’s relationship history, which has included big names in the entertainment industry. Here’s what to know about her past romances and current marriage.
Christina Applegate famously dated Brad Pitt from 1988 to 1989 before dating Sebastian Bach from Skid Row
Christina Applegate reflected on her brief romance with actor Brad Pitt in her 2026 memoir, You With the Sad Eyes. According to E! News, Applegate was just 17 when she found herself attracted to Pitt, 25. They went as each other’s date to the MTV Music Awards in September 1989.
“We had been platonic pals for the longest time,” Applegate wrote. “He’d often swing by my 750-square-foot row house with a tiny door, and we’d have barbecues and hang out, always part of a much bigger group.”
While the couple seemed to hit off, Applegate noted that another man caught her eye. And that was Sebastian Bach from Skid Row.
“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,” she noted. “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 noted that Pitt was “very mad” at her for her change of heart. He nearly got into a fight with gang members on the way home. “We didn’t talk for many years after that,” she wrote.
She then dated guitarist Nuno Bettencourt in the early ’90s
Christina Applegate and Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt reportedly dated for roughly two years, from 1990 to 1992, according to Who’s Dated Who. She was in her late teens at the time, while he was in his 20s. Neither ever spotlighted the relationship in great detail. However, music fans and biographers have long linked Bettencourt’s early songwriting, including tracks like “Song for Love,” to his time with Applegate, suggesting the romance left its imprint on his creative work.
Christina Applegate married Johnathon Schaech in 2001 and divorced in 2007
Christina Applegate and fellow actor Johnathon Schaech began dating in 1997, according to Entertainment Weekly. After four years of dating, they tied the knot in 2001. Unfortunately, Applegate wrote in her memoir that she knew the marriage wasn’t right for her.
“The whole wedding was a master class in anal perfectionism,” she wrote. “But that wasn’t the worst thing. The worst thing was the moment I walked around the corner and into the ceremony. One of my favorite songs was playing, and when I looked hard at the face of my husband-to-be, I thought, ‘Oh f***. F***, oh f***.'”
She then went on to describe how Schaech wore boots on their first date — and she hated them. Ultimately, she never considered calling the wedding off. Applegate thought she was “sabotaging” a good relationship. However, she knew he wasn’t right for her.
“We were just very different,” she wrote. “I’m scrappy. I tell f***ed-up jokes. I can be offensive and rough around the edges. He was none of those things.”
Schaech filed for divorce in December 2005, and their split was finalized in 2007.
She dated the late photographer Lee Grivas from 2006 to 2008
Christina Applegate previously reflected on her relationship with late photographer Lee Grivas, who died of a drug overdose in 2008. According to the New York Post, she met Grivas in 2006 when starring in the Broadway show Sweet Charity. When he died, she said in a statement that she was “profoundly saddened.”
“Lee was an incredible human being who was an extremely important and beautiful part of my life,” she said. “He is missed beyond words. He touched so many, and I feel much sadness for his mother, brother, and all of his family and friends.”
In 2025, she commented on Grivas while on her MeSsy podcast.
“I kind of don’t understand sometimes like with Lee — which people know about. You could Google it, whatever,” Applegate said. “My boyfriend who passed away, it was like I tried everything, right? And he still wanted to escape. When he passed away, it was just like, ‘F***, man.”
Christina Applegate married Dutch bassist Martyn LeNoble in 2013
Today, Christina Applegate is married to Dutch bassist Martyn LeNoble. According to People, the couple got engaged in 2010 and married in 2013. They welcomed a daughter in 2011.
Applegate previously revealed that she and LeNoble had been friends for over a decade before dating. They had a private wedding ceremony in Los Angeles with Neil Lane designing their rings.
The couple has gone through health difficulties together. When they were dating, Applegate was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy and surgery to remove her fallopian tubes and ovaries.
“I don’t think I would have been able to get through any of it without him,” Applegate told Women’s Health in 2009. “I laughed more in the hospital than I ever have in my life, making fun of all the weird things that were happening to me.”
Later, in 2021, Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. LeNoble has supported her through this as well.
