Mom's Anna Faris Reveals She's A Year And A Half Sober After Chuck Lorre's Memoir Comments About Her 'Not Mysterious' Exit From CBS Comedy

Anna Faris is opening up about her sobriety after "Mom" co-creator Chuck Lorre called out her abrupt exit from the CBS comedy in his newly released memoir.

"I've been sober for a year and a half. I was on a show about recovery and then I lived it," Faris revealed in an Instagram post, shared Thursday night. "Now I'm healthy, I'm working, and I'm happier than I've been in a long time. If anyone reading this is where I was, I hope that's useful. It gets better. I'm proof."

Her comments come two days after the October 13 release of "Sitcom," published by Dey Street Books. In it, Lorre attributes her exit to "mysterious reasons that were not mysterious to anyone on the show."

"Yikes. Yes, I read a few things. I really didn't see that coming. Of course it hurts," Faris wrote in response. "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." (Lorre had no comment when reached through a representative.)

Faris' departure was announced September 4, 2020, ahead of Season 8, which ultimately became the show's final season. (She and co-lead Allison Janney had previously re-signed for Seasons 7 and 8.) At the time, Faris framed her decision as an opportunity to pursue other projects, saying, "The past seven years on 'Mom' have been some of the most fulfilling and rewarding of my career."

In a "Sitcom" chapter devoted to "Mom," Lorre recalls initially resisting casting Faris as Christy Plunkett, a single mother working to get sober.

"I wasn't sure Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material," he writes. "Then I thought about how badly I'd bungled my working relationship with Charlie Sheen," referring to his falling out with the ousted "Two and a Half Men" star. (Lorre and Sheen would eventually reconcile, 12 years later, when Lorre approached Sheen about a recurring role on the HBO Max comedy "Bookie.")

In the book, Lorre says he ultimately reconsidered and told casting director Nikki Valko that he had changed his mind: "Someone's personal life is none of my business. The mom in 'Mom' would be, and should be, Anna Faris."

Later in the chapter, however, Lorre revisits that decision: "As the years went by, it became apparent that my initial reluctance to hire Anna was, in fact, correct. After six years, she left the show for mysterious reasons that were not mysterious to anyone on the show."

Lorre does not elaborate on those reasons in the chapter. Faris' Instagram statement, meanwhile, does not explicitly connect her departure to her sobriety disclosure. (Although Lorre writes "after six years," Faris starred in the show's first seven seasons.)

Following Faris' exit, "Mom" sent Christy to Georgetown Law School on a full scholarship. She did not return for the May 2021 series finale. Asked at the time whether Faris had been invited back, co-creator Gemma Baker told TVLine, "We felt that it was important to honor [Faris'] decision to leave the show." Baker added that Christy's pursuit of a legal career had given her story a satisfying conclusion.

In his memoir, Lorre also reflects on how "Mom" evolved into a comedy about women supporting one another in recovery, writing that its final seasons represented the series finding "its true voice."

"There is hope and there is laughter in overcoming the seemingly fatal disease of alcoholism," he writes.

He closes the chapter by criticizing CBS' decision to end the series: "They cancelled a show starring Allison Janney."