Christina Applegate Says Ed O'Neill 'Raised Her': 'If You Don't Like Anything About Me, It's His Fault'

O'Neill guest-starred on the Tuesday, Aug. 27 episode of his TV daughter's podcast, 'MeSsy with Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler'

According to Christina Applegate, Ed O'Neill didn't just play her dad on TV — he was a father figure in her real life too.

O'Neill, 78, guest-starred on the Tuesday, Aug. 27 episode of Applegate's podcast, MeSsy with Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, where the two discussed their time working on the classic sitcom Married... with Children. During their conversation, the Dead to Me actress, 52, revealed that O'Neill basically "raised her."

While introducing her TV dad on the podcast, Applegate said, "I don't even know how to explain this person. He raised me, so if you don't like anything about me, it's his fault."

She then joked, "If you do like anything about me, also his fault." Applegate added, "Years years of my life spent with this man and he's an incredible actor, he's an incredible human being."

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Applegate and O'Neill played Kelly and Ted Bundy respectively from 1987 to 1997 on Fox's Married... with Children. The series also starred Katey Sagal as Ted's wife, Peggy, and David Faustino as the couple's son, Bud.

During the podcast, Applegate revealed she almost missed out on starring in the unconventional family comedy because she thought the script for the pilot episode was "gross."

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"This is toilet humor and I don't do toilet humor," she recalled thinking at the time. However, once she saw the original pilot — which didn't star her or Faustino — she recalled both she and her mother thought it was "f— hysterical."

After being cast in the show at the age of 15, Applegate revealed that she and O'Neill bonded even though she had her "armor up" during filming.

"I mean, he went through everything with me. My mom's cancer and other things," she said of her costar.

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As for O'Neill, he told Applegate's co-host, Sigler, "She was just, a pro. Yeah. It was great to work with her. It's hilarious. So that was, it was always fun to work with Christina."

The former costars also shared how much they enjoy the way their relationship has matured over the years. Applegate noted that she loves talking to O'Neill on the phone, even though she hates talking on the phone under normal circumstances.

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"I love our relationship now, Eddie," she said. "Like, our relationship now of me being 52 years old and the fact that you and I can talk on the phone for hours and giggle and talk about everything. Like, we talk a lot. I talk to you more than I talk to anyone else on the telephone."

O'Neill added that he's "very proud" of Applegate, and even shared that she has something in common with his other TV daughter, Julie Bowen from Modern Family.

"You're completely different people," he began, before adding, "the thing that you both have that I really like is, good hearts. You know, you're good-hearted."

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