Anna Faris shocked TV audiences around the world in 2020 when the actress decided to quit the popular TV sitcom “Mom” ahead of the show’s eighth season.
Now, in an interview with Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, she’s giving some additional insight into why she stepped away from the Chuck Lorre series.
Back when she first announced her departure, she called her time on the show some of the “most fulfilling and rewarding” years of her career. Her statement continued: “I’m so thankful to Chuck, 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.”
At the time, she didn’t give a reason for her exit, though Variety sources said she was hoping to pursue other opportunities.
Anna Faris Spills on ‘Mom’ Exit
When “Mom” came up on Horowitz’s podcast, Faris said she was initially interested in the “stability” being on a network TV show provides.
“It was a funny pilot, it was a really interesting pilot. I did think, ‘I’m getting older, maybe I should settle down,'” she continued of her decision to do TV. “I didn’t think the movie landscape looked wide open at all. I started to go, ‘Comedy, there’s Betty White, I can Betty White this.'”
While Faris had previously appeared on episodes of shows like “Friends” and “Entourage,” “Mom” was her first show as a lead. She appeared on the series opposite Allison Janney, Matt Jones, French Stewart, and Jaime Pressly
“Doing the show, ‘Mom,’ I loved the live audience,” Faris continued. “You do have to recognize that they are the happiest live audience you can imagine. And I loved the on-the-ground work, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, literally rehearsing without hair and makeup, putting the pieces together.”
After praising the “brilliant” cast and series creator Lorre, Faris then opened up a bit about her struggles.
“The intensity, towards the end, I think I started to lose my focus,” she explained. “I think the marathon, I’d never had a job besides waitressing for over three and a half months.”
When asked whether that was part of why she decided to leave the show, Faris said it was a “complicated time” in her life.
“I think I should work it out, probably on more podcasts,” she quipped. “I’m always hesitant to really chew into my experience on ‘Mom,’ because seven years is a huge chunk of time. Being part of an intense, amazing project.”
The “Scary Movie” actress then noted that she always has fans coming up to her, sharing their love for the show. “And I feel really moved that I’ve touched lives,” she concluded.
Faris quit “Mom” ahead of the show’s eighth season, and CBS announced shortly after that the show would also end following Season 8.
Janney—who played Faris’ mother on the show—took over as the show’s solo lead for the final season, later saying she wished the writers had more time to wrap up the story. “We sort of found out sooner than we thought we would,” she added.
