Jaime Pressly Defends 'Mom' Ensemble After Chuck Lorre Memoir Remarks

Jaime Pressly has offered warm praise for her former castmates on the CBS sitcom "Mom," offering a contrasting perspective to recent remarks by series creator Chuck Lorre regarding original lead Anna Faris.

In his recently published memoir "Sitcom," Lorre wrote that he had initially pushed back against casting Faris as Christy Plunkett, noting that her eventual departure in 2020 after seven seasons validated his early concerns. Lorre cited his past fallout with Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men" as part of his hesitation around casting choices at the time, according to excerpts reported by TheWrap.

Speaking to E! News, Pressly reflected positively on her time with the production, characterizing the workplace as collaborative and supportive across her tenure.

"I was there for seven years, but there [were] eight seasons," Pressly told E! News. "I came on in the second season, but I had seven wonderful years of working with an incredible crew and an incredible cast of women, who were, all of us, just as beautifully flawed as our characters on the show were."

Pressly joined "Mom" in October 2014 during its second season, portraying Jill Kendall, a wealthy divorcee navigating sobriety. After recurring during Season 2, the production promoted Pressly to series regular for Season 3 in 2015, where she remained through the series finale in 2021.

Pressly added that working with female peers was a highlight of the job, telling E! News, "I think I just really thoroughly enjoyed being able to go to work with girlfriends every day. All of us of a certain age, it was nice. It was refreshing."

As Hollywood Tomorrow notes, veteran multi-camera comedies often experience backstage friction as long-running contracts evolve, yet "Mom" managed to sustain critical acclaim and steady linear ratings for eight seasons largely due to the strength of its rotating female ensemble.

Faris served as the co-lead opposite Allison Janney from the show's debut in 2013 until her exit ahead of the eighth and final season, which concluded the series run on CBS.