Christina Applegate's First Marriage Was Always Doomed To Fail

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Have you ever been in a situation that you knew wasn't right for you, but decided to see it through to the end because you felt like you were already in too deep? Well, "Married... with Children" alum Christina Applegate can relate. From 2001 to 2007, the beloved star was married to fellow actor Johnathon Schaech, known for his roles in movies including 1998's "Houdini" and the 2008 remake of the horror classic "Prom Night." And, while Applegate and Schaech now maintain a friendship as exes, the "Anchorman" star confessed that she saw the end of their romantic relationship coming from a mile away.

When it comes to testing compatibility, you may have heard of the viral "orange peel theory." If you're a fan of "How I Met Your Mother," you're probably even familiar with the "olive theory." However, Applegate has her own proposal: The "shoe theory." In her 2026 memoir, "You with the Sad Eyes," Applegate wrote, "I have advice for women. If you go on a first date with a guy and you don't like his shoes, run — shoes are a telltale sign of whether or not a relationship will last." As the actor recalled, Schaech showed up to their first date wearing a pair of boots that she did not find in the least bit appealing.

"I think they were supposed to look like a cowboy boot, but they missed the mark by a wide margin," she explained. Nevertheless, those boots walked all the way to the altar. Despite Applegate's gut feeling that their union was doomed to fail, she went through with it, rather than leaving Schaech at the altar. To be fair, it's not like they don't still care for each other.

To give Christina Applegate some grace, even if you realize the person you're marrying isn't right for you, walking out on the day of the wedding itself rarely goes over well. And that's something she clearly wrestled with when preparing to wed Johnathon Schaech in October 2001. As the "Dead to Me" star shared in her book, she actually had to talk herself out of it. "I was halfway down the aisle. I kept thinking, 'Don't be that guy. [...] You're sabotaging.' Because there I was in my custom gown, the center of this beautiful f***ing wedding filled with all the perfect that you could possibly imagine," Applegate revealed, even though, as she acknowledged, "I knew right then that this man was not it for me." 

The couple separated in November 2005, with Schaech formally filing for divorce the following month. It was finalized in August 2007, with both parties declining to pursue alimony. And, as Applegate predicted, their split was for the best, as they went on to find love elsewhere. In 2010, Schaech married country singer Jana Kramer. Their union legally lasted one year but actually only lasted about two weeks. However, he later married a woman named Julie Solomon in 2013, and the two have been together ever since. 

Coincidentally, Applegate wed her second and current husband Martyn LeNoble in 2013. Moreover, if you need further proof that there's no hard feelings in the wake of everything that happened, Schaech publicly voiced his support for his ex-wife amid Applegate's well-documented health struggles. "She's the toughest human being I've ever met! F*** MS! So proud of her! Go Christina!" the actor wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2024.