Why Chuck Lorre Felt Vindicated After Anna Faris Left Mom

“As the years went by, it became apparent that my initial reluctance to hire Anna was, in fact, correct,” Lorre said in his memoir. “After six years, she left the show for mysterious reasons that were not mysterious to anyone on the show.”

Lorre did not expand on what those reasons were. 

E! News has reached out to Faris’ reps for comment but has not heard back. 

Still, Lorre was very proud of the show he and his co-creators made, noting, “The last few seasons, Mom found its true voice. There is hope and there is laughter in overcoming the seemingly fatal disease of alcoholism.”

However, he was disappointed that the show was unceremoniously cancelled after eight seasons, writing, “CBS decided they could live without a perfect cast led by a national treasure. They cancelled a show starring Allison Janney.”

As for Faris, the 49-year-old recently opened up about her decision to leave Mom, explaining she wasn’t prepared for how intense being on a show for so long could be. 

“I do think the intensity, towards the end, I think I started to lose my focus,” she shared on the Happy Sad Confusedpodcast in June. “I’d never had a job—besides waitressing—for over three and a half months before.”

Faris—who shares son Jack, 14, with ex ChrisPratt—also noted “it was a complicated time” in her life and that she is still “always hesitant to really chew into my experience on Mom.”

“Seven years is a huge chunk of time,” she reasoned, “and being a part of an intense, amazing project. I have people that come up to me—like there’s smiley face and then there’s Mom people. I feel really moved that I’ve touched lives.”

Faris had originally announced her decision to leave the show in 2020 ahead of its season eight premiere, which saw her character written off by saying she was studying law at Georgetown.

“The past seven years on Mom have been some of the most fulfilling and rewarding of my career,” she said in a statement to E! News at the time. “I’m so thankful to [Chuck Lorre], the writers, and my amazing castmates for creating a truly wonderful work experience. 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.”

Of course, Faris is hardly the first celeb to leave a series. Keep reading for more stars who said goodbye to their own hit shows.