Applegate likened “learning from that group of dudes,” including Ferrell, McKay, and Steve Carell, to a “master class.”

Christina Applegate says Will Ferrell and Adam McKay took pay cuts to boost her ‘offensive’ *Anchorman *salary

Applegate likened "learning from that group of dudes," including Ferrell, McKay, and Steve Carell, to a "master class."

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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on March 5, 2026 8:32 p.m. ET

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Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate in 'Anchorman'. Credit:

It takes a village to make a movie — and close the wage gap.

Christina Applegate learned the true value of allyship while in talks to star in the now-classic 2004 comedy *Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy*. The actress would ultimately sign on to play the forthright broadcaster Veronica Corningstone opposite Will Ferrell's titular Burgundy. But first, she had to maneuver around a shocking, lowball salary offer.

Speaking on Wednesday's episode of *The View *to promote her recently published memoir, *You With the Sad Eyes*, Applegate recalled being approached "with the initial offer, [which] was, you know, a little..." She trailed off, prompting cohost Whoopi Goldberg to suggest, "It was a light offer." But Applegate clarified that, in fact, it was downright "offensive."

It was then up to Ferrell and director and producer Adam McKay to show Applegate just how seriously they valued her participation.

Adam McKay, Christina Applegate, and Will Ferrell at the 'Anchorman 2' premiere in London in 2013.

Dave J Hogan/Getty

"I said, 'I can't. I know my worth, and I can't do that,'" Applegate recalled. "They wanted me bad enough and they said, 'Well, we're going to chip in,' and thank God they did, because it was one of the best experiences of my entire life."

* *has reached out to representatives for Ferrell and McKay for comment.

Applegate was no comedy novice prior to *Anchorman*. She cut her teeth playing the promiscuous, free-wheeling Kelly Bundy on *Married... With Children* across the sitcom's full run from 1987 to 1997.

But she still described the experience of *Anchorman *as "such a lesson. I had never done improv before, and learning from that group of dudes was just — that is the master class that people pay for, you know? Steve Carell taught it, and Adam McKay developed an entire new way of doing it with his group, so to get in there and have that happen was just absolutely magical. It's been invaluable to me and my career."

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*Anchorman* became a massive hit upon its release in the summer of 2004, grossing over three times its $50 million budget at the box office.

Almost a decade later, with the film as popular and quotable as ever, McKay, Ferrell, Applegate, and company reunited for the sequel *Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues*. Applegate reflected in a video special in advance of the film's 2013 release that "the first three days of work I was laughing so hard I thought I was going to burst something in my brain."

She singled out McKay in particular for praise, noting, "Adam McKay has a way of working that I don't know — I don't think there's anyone like him out there."

You can watch Applegate's full appearance on *The View *above.

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Source: “EW Comedy”