Jaime Pressly Reflects on ‘Seven Wonderful Years’ on ‘Mom’ After Chuck Lorre’s Anna Faris Comments

A beloved sitcom is back in the headlines, but not entirely for the reasons its stars might hope. While a tell-all memoir has reopened old wounds, one former cast member is choosing to focus on the good times.

Jaime Pressly looks back on her time on "Mom" with pride and warmth. The actress recently opened up about the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the sitcom during her appearance at the Alice + Olivia breast cancer event on Friday, October 16.

"I was there for seven years, but there [were] eight seasons," Pressly, who played Jill Kendall on the show, said. "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."

According to Pressly, it was her costars, including Anna Faris, Allison Janney, Mimi Kennedy, and Beth Hall, who 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."

Pressly's comments follow claims from "Mom" co-creator Chuck Lorre, who wrote in his new memoir, "Sitcom," that Faris' 2020 exit from the series proved his initial hesitation about casting her had been justified.

"I wasn't sure Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material," Lorre explained in the 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."

Faris, 49, addressed the claims on Instagram two days after the book was published, admitting that the comments stung. "Yikes. Yes, I read a few things. I really didn't see that coming. Of course it hurts," she wrote.

"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," she said, reflecting on her time on "Mom."

"I've been sober for a year and a half," Faris 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. If anyone reading this is where I was, I hope that's useful. It gets better. I'm proof."

Justin Long, who guest-starred during the show's first season, was among many who showed Faris support in the comment section.

"I loved doing those episodes with you. You really helped me navigate what was a very different medium for me with patience and so much humor. It will forever be such a fun memory, thanks to you. I miss you," he wrote.

When she first announced her exit from "Mom" in 2020, Faris said in a statement that she was "so thankful to Chuck, the writers, and [her] amazing castmates for creating a truly wonderful work experience" and described her time on the series as "fulfilling and rewarding."

However, a source later told People that Faris' exit was "sudden and unwelcome" and "left the entire network scrambling." Still, "no one" wanted her to leave.