Jaime Pressly Defends Her ‘Mom’ Co-Stars After Memoir Criticism

Jaime Pressly is answering the renewed debate around Mom by focusing on the ensemble she worked with for seven years. The actress described the CBS comedy’s women as an exceptional group and pushed back against a conversation that has centered on co-creator Chuck Lorre’s criticism of former star Anna Faris.

Pressly remembers the cast, not the conflict

Pressly joined the series during its second season as Jill Kendall, a wealthy divorcee navigating addiction recovery. The role began as a recurring part before becoming a series regular in Season 3. Looking back, she emphasized the pleasure of working every day with women close to her own age and said the actors were as complicated and imperfect as their characters.

Her comments followed the publication of Lorre’s memoir, Sitcom. In the book, the producer writes that he initially had doubts about casting Faris as Christy Plunkett and later believed those concerns were justified. Faris left the comedy before its eighth and final season in 2020.

The latest chapter in a public disagreement

Faris had already responded to Lorre’s account, saying she was surprised by his remarks and offering a different view of her departure. She said the decision was tied to her changing priorities as a parent and a desire to reconsider her career after years on the show. Pressly did not attempt to settle that dispute. Instead, she redirected attention to the work the cast completed together.

That distinction matters because Mom built its identity around an ensemble of women portraying recovery, friendship and relapse with a mix of broad comedy and serious consequences. Allison Janney starred as Bonnie Plunkett, Christy’s mother, while Pressly’s Jill grew from a self-absorbed newcomer into a central member of the group.

The sitcom premiered in 2013 and continued for one season after Faris exited. Its final year shifted the center of gravity toward Janney, Pressly and the remaining ensemble before CBS ended the series in 2021.

Pressly’s response does not erase the tension between Lorre’s memoir and Faris’s recollection. It does, however, add the perspective of a cast member who stayed through the final season—and who prefers to define the experience by the women on screen rather than the disagreement now surrounding them.