Anna Faris Is Leaving Her Sitcom ‘Mom’ & It’s A Pretty Shocking Announcement
When Mom returns for its upcoming eighth season, the show will be missing one of its main characters. If you've been following along, you might be wondering why is Anna Faris leaving Mom following reports the actress won't be reprising her role as Christy. According to the star, her exit is bittersweet as she plans to pursue "new opportunities."
On Sept. 4, Deadline reported that Faris — who's played opposite co-star Allison Janney for the past seven seasons of the CBS sitcom — will not be appearing in the upcoming season, which is scheduled to start production on Sept. 14. The show, which went on hiatus in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, still had one episode left to shoot from its seventh season.
According to the publication, the actress made the decision early on while production on the show was paused, and showrunners wrote the entire upcoming season without her character Christy in it. Christy's absence will reportedly be explained in the Season 8 premiere. However, Janney, who plays Christy's mom Bonnie Plunkett, will be returning.
The announcement might surprise fans especially considering both Janney and Faris signed two-year contracts for the show through Season 8 back in 2019. However, it sounds like the actress had a change of heart and is ready to hang up her long-running role as Christy in order to pursue different options.
"The past seven years on Mom have been some of the most fulfilling and rewarding of my career," Faris said in a statement. "I’m so thankful to [showrunner] Chuck [Lorre], the writers, and my amazing cast mates 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."
WBTV, CBS, and Chuck Lorre Productions confirmed that Faris was leaving on good terms and they had no plans to recast the role of Christy.
"From the inception of Mom, Anna was the first and only choice for the role of Christy," they said in a statement. "We are so proud of the stories we have been able to tell during Anna’s seven years with us. We wish Anna all the best, and we thank her for her beautiful portrayal."
Fans will have to wait until the release of Season 8 to see how the show works Christy's exit into a storyline, but it's safe to say that Janney will feature much more heavily in the upcoming season and the CBS comedy will look quite a bit different than previous seasons without the beloved mother/daughter duo carrying the plot.
