Anna Faris has shared new insight into her decision to step away from the hit sitcom Mom.
The 49-year-old actress starred in the CBS comedy from 2013 until 2020, exiting after season seven even as the show remained a strong performer in the ratings.
Addressing her shock exit on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Faris admitted that she took the role on Mom because she was looking for more career stability and was concerned about her longevity in Hollywood.
Looking back, Faris said the series began with major promise. “It was a really funny pilot, a really interesting pilot,” she said, adding that at the time she felt she was getting older and wondered if it was time to settle into something more stable, especially since film opportunities no longer seemed as open.
While Faris spoke warmly about her co-stars and praised creator and showrunner Chuck Lorre, she acknowledged that the role became increasingly difficult for her over time.
“I do think the intensity, like, towards the end, I think I started to lose my focus,” she said.
She added that the long-running nature of the job was a major adjustment, noting that before Mom, she had never held a position—other than waitressing—for more than three and a half months.
Anna Faris finally opened up about why she left her hit sitcom Mom in a new interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast
The 49-year-old said that she struggled to stay focused on the series after so long
She then cryptically alluded to further reasons behind her exit.
‘It was a complicated time and I think that I should work it out, probably on more podcasts,’ she joked.
‘I’m always hesitant to really chew into my experience on Mom because seven years is a huge chunk of time,’ she continued, before calling the show an ‘intense’ and ‘amazing’ project.
Faris confirmed her exit from Mom in 2020 in a statement, claiming at the time that she was leaving to ‘pursue new opportunities’.
‘The past seven years on Mom have been some of the most fulfilling and rewarding of my career,’ she said at the time.
‘I’m so thankful to Chuck, the writers, and my amazing castmates for creating a truly wonderful work experience,’ she continued.
‘While my journey as Christy has come to an end, allowing me to pursue new opportunities, I’ll be watching next season and rooting for my TV family.’
Mom followed Christy (Faris) and Bonnie Plunkett (Allison Janney), a dysfunctional, estranged mother-daughter duo who are both recovering addicts.
Mom followed Christy (Faris) and Bonnie Plunkett (Allison Janney), a dysfunctional, estranged mother-daughter duo who are both recovering addicts
Janney took over as the show’s lead character in its final season after Faris quit
The series documents the pair as they attempt to get their lives together and heal wounds from their past, while also dealing with raising Christy’s two children.
Despite being a sitcom, the series was critically acclaimed and was routinely nominated for major awards each year that it was on.
Although Faris was the lead character, it was Janney who walked away with two Critics’ Choice Television Awards and two Emmys for her role as Bonnie.
Janney took over as the lead in season eight after Faris left, which turned out to be the show’s final season.
After the show was canceled, Janney admitted that she was shocked by the network’s decision.
‘I wish that we’d had at least another year for the writers to have that much time to ramp up to the ending. We sort of found out sooner than we thought we would,’ she said on The Late Late Show.
It comes after Faris sparked concern with her behaviour on the red carpet while promoting Scary Movie 6 earlier this month.
The 49-year-old made a rare public appearance with her son Jack Pratt, 13, whom she co-parents with her ex-husband Chris Pratt.
She clung proudly to Jack at the premiere of her new film, the latest instalment in a franchise she has been part of since its original outing in 2000.
Faris raised eyebrows after a bizarre red carpet appearance at the Scary Movie 6 premiere earlier this month
The actress made a rare public appearance with her son Jack Pratt, 13, whom she co-parents with her ex-husband Chris Pratt
However when a video went viral of her appearing slightly jittery at the event and seemingly licking the inside of her mouth, alarm bells rang on social media
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However when a video went viral of her appearing slightly jittery at the event and seemingly licking the inside of her mouth, alarm bells rang on social media.
‘Love her, but really worried about her health here. I hope she’s okay,’ fretted one observer on X.
‘I really like Anna Faris,’ another said. ‘This doesn’t look like her normal self at all. Her eyes are dead and can’t focus. Her mouth is really weird. I really hope she is okay.’
‘I’m so sorry, I’m not trying to be unkind but I hope that Anna is doing well. She seems not all there,’ wrote another worried viewer.
The Smiley Face star also had a chorus of defenders who insisted that her behaviour was completely normal.
‘She looks fine,’ one snapped. ‘She’s aged. She’s not acting like a junkie. She was trying to make sure her teeth don’t have lipstick on them. You need to leave this woman alone and redirect your energy to that awful man she was married to.’
