Anna Faris Reacts to Mom Creator Chuck Lorre’s Diss About Casting Her

Faris—mom to son Jack, 14, with ex-husband Chris Pratt—added a bit of encouragement, too, writing, “If anyone reading this is where I was, I hope that’s useful. It gets better. I’m proof.”

Before Faris was cast on Mom, Lorre admitted in his memoir, “I wasn’t sure Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material.” 

However, after the showrunner—who also created Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory—thought about how he “bungled” his working relationship with Charlie Sheen, he had a change of heart.

“Someone’s personal life is none of my business,” he wrote. “The mom in Mom would be, and should be, Anna Faris.” 

But after Faris unexpectedly departed the show in 2020 ahead of Mom’s eighth season, Lorre shared he felt vindicated about his initial qualms. 

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

And after just one season without Faris—and despite Janney’s two Emmy wins for Supporting Actress in a Comedy for the show’s first two seasons—the network chose to sunset the show.

“CBS decided they could live without a perfect cast led by a national treasure,” Lorre shared. “They cancelled a show starring Allison Janney.”

Still, Lorre took pride in what the show was able to accomplish, especially in its final years.

“The last few seasons, Mom found its true voice,” he explained in Sitcom. “There is hope and there is laughter in overcoming the seemingly fatal disease of alcoholism.”

Of course, Faris isn’t the only star to make a surprising exit from their TV show. Read on for more actors who had shocking departures.