Allison Janney opens up about filming Mom after Anna Faris’s abrupt departure

‘It was very odd’ to return to the set without her co-star, says Janney

Allison Janney on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (YouTube/The Ellen DeGeneres Show)

Allison Janney has opened up about the “very odd” experience of filming Mom without her co-star Anna Faris.

The Oscar-winning actor was asked about her return to the set during an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday.

Mom is currently in its eighth season. The first seven seasons featured Janney’s Bonnie Plunkett and Faris’s Christy Plunkett (Bonnie’s daughter) as main characters.

But that dynamic changed in season eight, after Faris surprised fans by announcing she was leaving the show to pursue new opportunities.

Asked by DeGeneres whether filming without Faris was odd, Janney replied: “Yes, it was very odd. She’s very missed. Anna is missed, and her character on the show is missed.

“We’re just happy that she’s doing what she wants to do now, and we’re happy even more so that we’re able to still tell these stories about these great women and recovery. ... People love the show, so we’re going to keep telling those stories as long as we can.”

Mom, a CBS sitcom, focuses on a group of recovering addicts who all attend the same Alcoholic Anonymous meetings. The current cast also includes Mimi Kennedy, Jaime Pressly, Beth Hall, Kristen Johnston, and William Fichtner.