It takes a rare level of poise to take an unexpected professional blow in stride, but Anna Faris just delivered a masterclass in dignity. After TV titan Chuck Lorre revealed in his new memoir that he believed his original instinct not to cast Faris in the hit CBS sitcom Mom was ultimately proven correct, the 48-year-old star took to social media to offer a deeply honest, profoundly vulnerable response.
In his book, Lorre candidly detailed his initial hesitation when developing the show, which followed a newly sober single mother navigating recovery alongside her estranged mother (played brilliantly by Allison Janney). Lorre wrote:
“I wasn’t sure Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material. Then I thought about how badly I’d bungled my working relationship with Charlie Sheen. Someone’s personal life is none of my business. The mom in Mom would be, and should be, Anna Faris.”
Faris starred as Christy Plunkett for seven hugely successful seasons before departing the series in 2020 ahead of its eighth and final chapter. Reflecting on her sudden exit, Lorre pulled no punches in his memoir:
“As the years went by, it became apparent that my initial reluctance to hire Anna was, in fact, correct. After six years, she left the show for mysterious reasons that were not mysterious to anyone on the show.”
Rather than launching into a public spat or firing back with defensive anger, Faris posted an extraordinarily candid statement to her Instagram account, addressing the hurt while shining a light on her own personal growth and recovery:
“Yikes. Yes, I read a few things. I really didn’t see that coming. Of course it hurts. Chuck gave me a job I loved, and for seven years I never took a day of it for granted. I’m proud of what we made together, and nothing changes how grateful I am for those people and those years. I’ve been sober for a year and a half. I was on a show about recovery and then I lived it. Now I’m healthy, I’m working, and I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. If anyone reading this is where I was, I hope that’s useful. It gets better. I’m proof.”
