Jamie-Lynn Sigler Feared Being Fired From “The Sopranos” Due To MS | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

Hi, I'm Jamie Lynn Sigler, and I feel. giddy about being Conan O'Brien's. friend. I like that. I like giddy. I like take. that. That's nice. That's very nice. Some people can get very mean, and I. know that you're not going to do that, Christina. I know you're not. Damn it. I was going to say I felt. really stupid being Conan. I won't. So, I will I will change mine. the nicer part of me. No, be you. it. Be you.

Okay. Hi, I'm Christina Applegate, and I. feel awesome to be Conan O'Brien's. friend. And you know what? I'm going to I'm. going to say something. Cone Bone. Never stuck. I I'm going to No, it it did. My wife. calls me Cone Bone. No, cuz Tom Hanks came around and then. did Coo Coo. Coo. Coo. Yeah, he did. became your thing. I was trying to make. Cone Bone happen. I'm kind of glad Coco won, frankly. Okay. I'm really happy. too late. Let's make it happen. Yeah. I was going to start by First of. all, thanking both of you for for being. here, and I have very distinct memories.

of both of you. I'm at that age now. where I get very sentimental, and I look. back. over, I don't know, just things that. I've done in the past, people I've met. Christina, I remember very clearly you. being. uh such a wonderful. uh friend to me on the show. You came on. the show so many times, and you were. always so funny and great and. miraculous, and I think I think you you.

might hold some record for coming on the. show. I think I might. You might. You might. It was like my favorite thing anytime I. got a call saying, "Hey, you know, even like sometimes we'd have like a. guest like fall out or something.". They'd be like, "Will you come in?" I'm. like, "Absolutely. I would love nothing. more." I really like you were my. favorite interview were ever. I had so. much fun there. That's sweet of you, and it helped that. you lived in an apartment right above. our studio in Rockefeller Center. If in a. You can call it an apartment. I had an. outside bathroom.

actually it was a it was a cleaning. closet. It was a cleaning closet. There was a cot and people were like I. can't believe Christina Applegate lives. And you guys charged me rent. It wasn't a lot of rent. But I just uh I wanted to start by. thanking you. um from the bottom of my heart for just. always being just this light. Always. such a great guest. Always so fantastic. And um my memory I have a very such a. very clear memory uh Jamie-Lynn. I.

remember when The Sopranos first came. out and it'd been on. for. I think it was uh a season one season. It was the new thing. Everyone was. talking about it. And uh it's nominated. for all these Emmys. And uh we're. nominated too. We're in New York. I I go. I get on my American Airlines flight and. I sit in this American Airlines flight. and and then the person sits down next. to me and it's James Gandolfini. Who I'd. never met. And we talked the whole way and he was.

just talking about like yeah, I don't. know what this is. This he had such a. like what is this? We're going to an. award show? And I went yeah, you're on. the biggest show on television. uh Jim and you're the star of it. Anyway, he talked about act we just had. a lovely time. Yeah. Oh, that's so cool. And and my memory is they put me up at. this hotel. I think it was the Four. Seasons Hotel. And I walk out at one point and you're. standing there with your co-star Robert.

Iler and you're just like both standing. there and you're. you're kids. I mean, how old would you have been? 17. Yeah, you're just you're kids and you. you were standing there right outside. where the cars pick people up and and. you just both looked like you had been. beamed to Mars. Like you're here at the. Emmys and I. chatted with you guys for a second and. remembered having this weird look at oh, you're this crazy ride is just starting.

for you and I'm getting a sneak peek and. I remembered you just seeming like I. think she's going to be good. She seems. like such a grounded nice kid. I think. you're going to be okay. That's so nice to say. Well, I can tell. you like. meeting you was like that you I probably. look like I'd just been beamed beamed to. Mars because that's how we felt seeing. you. That's how we always felt like. seeing people that we admired and like. Christina and actually and I have talked. about like you were our favorite show to. do because you just you set us up to.

talking to you, when we're talking to. Jimmy Kimmel, that's a whole other. Yeah, we were lying to Jimmy. I got generous. But I have a distinct memory cuz my. brothers and I bonded over your show. Right. Like the bits in your show, we would. talk about it all the time and the first. time I did your show, I was able to get. my brother, my oldest brother Adam in. the front row there and that was like. you know, it's one of those like I made. it moments that you're able to share. with the people that were there with. you. So that was one of those.

Well, it's nice for me I I to it's so. funny I have. I don't know if it's the Irish in me or. whatever, but I get very nostalgic for. all of us floating along on this journey. and then I see these people along the. way and so to get to check in with both. of you uh is very nice. I mean, yes, this is a podcast and we're doing this. and there's going to be an ad or. something, but. I don't I don't care about that. I feel like I'm talking to you guys. I'm.

checking in. Both of you have been. through. so much and you're doing a beautiful. thing which is you're sharing it, you're. talking about it very frankly. You have. your own podcast, Messy and it's all. about. MS, which you're both dealing with, and. everything that happens. And I know that. it's I'm you're helping a lot of people, but the strange thing I found about.

doing a podcast, and I'm not struggling. I'm struggling with uh just inherent. craziness, but but not MS, but what I have found is that it's. healing for me to talk to people. And um. I'm. it's I imagine there's a component of. doing this podcast where both of you. are. maybe doing some healing for yourselves. about having this problem, that you're. being able to talk about it openly in. this forum is probably helpful to you.

Well, absolutely 100%. I mean, that's. how this all came about was when I was. came out with my diagnosis in 2021, our. friend Lance said, "You got to talk to. Jamie, cuz I'm sure you feel like you're. on an island, and you don't understand. what's happening, and that's the person. to talk to." And I had met Jamie a few. times over the years, and. it was like we got on the phone, and we. were on the phone for hours, and I felt. like so less alone. Yeah. Sorry. I get I get teary when I talk.

about my James, but um. Yeah. It help It healed me in that moment, and. that's how this happened, was it was. like we're talking about so much. information and so much stuff that. so many people newly diagnosed, or even. people who've been diagnosed for years, might not know about, or or want to say. the things that we say, like the brutal. honesty about how painful it can be, how. lonely it can feel, how awful it is. And then, you know, that's only coming. from my mouth, cuz I'm Negative Nelly, and then Jamie will be like, "But let's. breathe." You know, and I love you,

Jamie. No, She gets pissed off about it, too. Here's the interesting. Here's the interesting thing is it's. it's. it's not that one way to go is wrong, and one is right. They're both. No, no, no. That's I was totally. kidding. You know that I am. by the way. It's like. We We have helped each other in the. sense that I I get to see some a. different side to all of this because of. her and she gets to be honest about how. she feels sometimes about in ways that. you didn't, right? I don't want to speak. for you, but that's.

Jamie-Lynn, you got. diagnosed much earlier than even I I. knew. I was familiar with your diagnosis, but. then I was shocked to find out. that you got your diagnosis when you. were on The Sopranos. You were also. working on Broadway at the time. and I just assumed that this came, you. know, 10 years later because you didn't. talk about it. You were afraid to talk. about it because you thought You thought. you could get fired. Is that right?

Yeah, I think there was a lot of. reasons. I think the initial, you know, drive to keep her to secret and protect. me was the fear of being fired, the fear. of not being hireable, not you know, the. the fear of what people would think. about this and me with this. I also. think it allowed me to live in a state. of denial for some time um because if I. didn't talk about it with anybody, then. maybe it wasn't real.

But then, you know, over the years as. the disease started to manifest into. what it would be for me physically and I. started to have to make up excuses and. lies, it it it was really difficult and. as much as I could. like regret that choice, I think it's. really. informed a lot about me and my life and. you know, now what's so beautiful like. with Messy and having Kristina and what.

I've learned about myself through this. process is, you know, when you find. community and when you when you talk to. somebody else, you can almost witness. yourself a little bit and you can kind. of take a step back and and really. acknowledge what you're going through. and acknowledge that it's hard and that. it's that it sucks and that it can be. unfair and all of those things, but also. really see the catalyst of it being the. catalyst for a lot of growth and. self-reflection and you know, I've lived. with the disease for almost 24 years.

now. I was diagnosed when I was 20 and. so I'm. I'm I'm finding my way through and. finding sort of the the. the purpose from this pain and I feel. like you know, that's all you can do. with situations like this and messy is. really what's propelled me into that. like. way of thinking now.