Anna Faris’ “Mom” co-star dubbed her “the spine of the” hit series after co-creator Chuck Lorre’s scathing memoir diss.
French Stewart, who played Chef Rudy on the CBS comedy, posted a throwback photo with Faris — “one of [his] all time favorite co-stars” — via Instagram on Wednesday.
The actor, 62, described Faris to his followers as someone “funny, kind [and] prepared” who “delivered on show night.”
Stewart noted that he spent “the majority” of his eight years on “Mom” working alongside Faris, whom he called a “really good person.”
He added that it was “dishearten[ing] to see Chuck Lorre throw her under the television bus in his new book.”
Lorre, notably, wrote in his “Sitcom” tell-all, which came out Oct. 13, that he felt vindicated when Faris exited the series in 2020 after seven seasons playing Christy Plunkett.
The show continued on for one more season without her.
“I wasn’t sure [when casting that] Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material,” the director, 74, explained to his readers. “As the years went by, it became apparent that my initial reluctance to hire Anna was, in fact, correct.”
He likened Faris to Charlie Sheen, who caused “a lot of anxiety” on the “Two and a Half Men” set, but ultimately decided” someone’s personal life is none of [his] business” and “the mom in ‘Mom’ would be, and should be, Anna Faris.”
However, Lorre continued, “After six years, she left the show for mysterious reasons that were not mysterious to anyone on the show.”
Stewart railed against this Wednesday, writing, “I’ll say this. Whenever I saw Anna — I saw a woman working hard to make a good show. Whenever I saw Chuck — I saw a man trying hard not to turn into a werewolf.”
He concluded, “That was my experience. I wouldn’t trade a day working with her.”
George Paez, who played a character named Ramone, commented that he “agreed” with Stewart’s depiction of Faris.
“Anna always made me feel welcomed,” Paez wrote. “When she would say my name out load, my heart would light up and I would say to myself, ‘She remembered my name.’”
Reps for Lorre and Faris did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Faris reacted to Lorre’s diss with an Instagram Story statement last week.
“Yikes. Yes, I read a few things. I really didn’t see that coming,” the actress wrote. “Of course it hurts.”
Clarifying how “grateful” she is to Lorre for her time on the show, Faris went on, “I’ve been sober for a year and a half. 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,” she finished. “If anyone reading this is where I was, I hope that’s useful. It gets better. I’m proof.”
If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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