For Jaime Pressly, working on Mom was not just another acting credit.
After the show’s creator Chuck Lorre dissed Pressly’s former costar Anna Faris’ casting in the show, the Not Another Teen Movie actress—who appeared on the sitcom across seven seasons—shared insight into her time working on the series.
“I was there for seven years, but there [were] eight seasons,” Pressly—who played Jill Kendall in the show—exclusively told E! News at the Alice + Olireast Cancer Research Foundation. “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.”
And it was those costars—which also included Allison Janney, Mimi Kennedy and Beth Hall—that made the experience so special.
“And I think I just really thoroughly enjoyed being able to go to work with girlfriends every day,” she added. “All of us of a certain age, it was nice. It was refreshing.”
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Inside Anna Faris’ Life After Mom: Marriage, Sobriety and More
But they haven’t been the only stars to leave a mark on Pressly over the years. Indeed, the My Name Is Earl actress also touched on her time working with costars Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts and Sarah Paulson in All’s Fair.
“I had the best time,” she explained. “Kim’s a sweetheart and working with Naomi Watts, who I worked with most, she’s a love. I fell in love with her and I know that when you watch the show, they’re all intimidating because that’s what they’re supposed to be, but they are all some of the sweetest, most generous women.”
Pressly’s comments come after Lorre wrote in his new memoir Sitcom that Faris’ departure from Mom in 2020 validated his initial doubts about casting her.
“I wasn’t sure Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material,” Lorre explained in his book. “Then I thought about how badly I’d bungled my working relationship with Charlie Sheen.”
“As the years went by, it became apparent that my initial reluctance to hire Anna was, in fact, correct,” he continued. “After six years, she left the show for mysterious reasons that were not mysterious to anyone on the show.”
Shortly after the revelation, Faris—mom to son Jack, 14, with ex-husband Chris Pratt—addressed his comments.
“Of course it hurts,” Faris wrote on Instagram Oct. 15. “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.”
And seemingly in response to Lorre’s comments about her struggling behind-the-scenes, the 49-year-old explained how she’s made personal strides after portraying recovering alcoholic Christy Plunkett on the show, which premiered in 2013.
“I’ve been sober for a year and a half,” she continued. “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.”
But Faris isn’t the only star to walk away from a hit show. Keep reading for more actors who shocked fans with their departures…
Disney/Eric McCandless
Greyback revealed his character died during the August 2026 episode, then his ghost filled in the gaps on what Alex has been up to in the years since his passing.
“You have a whole other life, Alex,” he told her. “You got married. You have a beautiful daughter. And she needs you. That’s the life that you’re meant to live. You have to go back.”
“We’re incredibly grateful for this experience,” Danny and Nia—who share son Asher, 4, twins Isabelle and Zariah, 3, and Adelaide, 15 months—wrote in their September 2026 statement shared to social media, “but our priority is protecting our peace and our family. We are fully committed to each other and our beautiful children.”
“To be clear, I did not want to leave The Voice as l love the show and really appreciate the audience. ITV made this decision—obviously a while ago, and I was told just recently,” Jones wrote on Instagram in September 2026. “They are offering a much-reduced role where I would make an appearance but without being actually involved from the start, and I’m not thrilled about that.”
“It was hard to say goodbye,” Gilford told Us Weekly of his exit. “It definitely was one of my favorite characters I’ve ever gotten to play and partially because what a gift. Every season I got to do a different side of this character. It wasn’t like I was just doing the same thing every year.”
So when the attorney met her end on an April 2026 episode, “I wasn’t surprised,” Regan noted. “I thought, ‘Fair enough.’ She’s had an amazing run, four years on this show. I’m only filled with gratitude.”
The exit isn’t so shocking to fans given that Ganesh’s character has been planning to take on a new residency program at another medical center.
Brooks, who joined the show in 2022, portrayed Detective Jalen Shaw for three seasons.
“The rumors …..Are true,” the former J. Crew Creative Director wrote on Instagram in November 2025. “I was grateful to be asked to join season 16 of RHONY ‘as a friend of ‘- knowing my personal life was not really available to be filmed, we agreed that made sense.”
The fashion icon—who joined the Bravo series for season 14 in 2022—explained that she later realized being a supporting castmember wasn’t for her.
“And after thinking it through I have made the difficult decision not return to the show,” she continued. “I would be the oldest and only openly gay woman on the show and feel like this is an opportunity for a new dynamic to emerge.”
“I’ve gotten to a place where I don’t need the show financially,” Chrishell announed in November via social media. “I’m lucky to have other forms of employment, because it’s no longer good for my mental health.”
“Right now, my focus needs to be on my sobriety, my mental health, and coparenting,” the Bravo star—who is embroiled in a nasty divorce from estranged wife Brittany Cartwright—shared in July 2025. “Taking this time is necessary for me to become the best version of myself—especially for our son, Cruz.”
Longfellow and Walker each spent three seasons on SNL while Wakim exited after just one season.
“It was an absolute privilege to play Dr. Heather Collins in such a groundbreaking season and piece,” the actress posted on Instagram July 10. “Thank you to everyone who has watched & supported Season 1 & shared their stories with me.”
Pascal, meanwhile, who also died onscreen in Game of Thrones and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, took his game over status in stride. “I get killed a lot,” he joked to Entertainment Weekly. “I like to die.”
“Bobby Nash was written in sacrifice, and he was built for this,” Krause wrote in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. “First responders risk their lives on the job so that others can see another day. His story arc honors them.”
Killing off the somewhat tormented, but beloved, firefighter was certainly a hot topic, showrunner Tim Minear acknowledged to Variety, “but after eight years, it just felt like, if we have any hope of creating stories going forward that have actual stakes, then someone’s got to die.”
Paige DeSorbo announced in June 2025 that she was walking away from the Bravo series after seven seasons.
“You’ve seen me grow up over these last 7 summers. I’ll always be grateful for the memories, the community, and the opportunities this wild ride has brought me,” the Giggly Squad podcast cohost shared with fans on Instagram. “But like all good things (and some bad decisions), it’s time for this chapter to close.”
“After an incredible journey, I’ve made the decision to step away from Emily in Paris,” she wrote in an April 23 Instagram post, alongside pictures of her and her former castmates on set. “It has been a truly wonderful experience, one filled with growth, creativity, and unforgettable memories.”
“College Girls moved me out to LA and introduced me to some of my favorite people,” she wrote on social media in July 2023. “2 and a half years later—it’s given me y’all and this community.”
The show’s co-creator Mindy Kaling also confirmed Rapp’s exit. “We love @reneerapp so much and of course will be so sad to say goodbye to Leighton Murray!” Kaling wrote on her Instagram Stories before referencing Rapp’s thriving music career. “We can’t wait to see our friend on tour!!”
“I gotta mix it up a little bit,” Pompeo explained on The Drew Barrymore Show in December 2022, though she has already returned for a May guest appearance and continues narrating the series. “I’m 53, my brain is like scrambled eggs. I gotta do something new. You can’t do The New York Times crossword puzzle every single day.”
But she’s not gone for good. Pompeo still pops in and out of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
View More Photos From TV’s Most Shocking Exits: Stars Who Left Hit Shows
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