Chuck Lorre Anna Faris Memoir: What He Said & Her Reply

by Hannah / Oct 16, 2026 12:19 PM EDT

Chuck Lorre, the 73-year-old creator of "Two and a Half Men," "The Big Bang Theory" and "Mom," writes in a new memoir that his first instinct not to hire Anna Faris for "Mom" turned out to be right. Faris, 49, has now answered publicly. A third voice, Tom Arnold, has joined with an attack on Lorre that stands apart from the Faris dispute.

What is confirmed

The memoir is "Sitcom: A Memoir," published by Dey Street Books and released Tuesday, Oct. 13. TheWrap, The Daily Beast and TMZ all quote the same passages.

On the casting: "I initially said no. I wasn't sure Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material." Lorre then writes that his "bungled" handling of the exit of Charlie Sheen from "Two and a Half Men" made him reconsider: "Someone's personal life is none of my business. The mom in 'Mom' would be, and should be, Anna Faris."

On her exit: "As the years went by, it became apparent that my initial reluctance to hire Anna was, in fact, correct." Faris left after Season 7 in 2020. Lorre writes that her "mysterious reasons" for leaving "were not mysterious to anyone on the show," per TMZ and The Daily Beast. He does not spell those reasons out in the book, The Daily Beast reports. TMZ also says he writes that the show "found its true voice" near the end.

"Mom" ran on CBS from 2013 to 2021, with Faris as Christy Plunkett, a recovering alcoholic and single mother, opposite Allison Janney as her mother. The show continued one season without Faris and ended with Season 8 in 2021.

When she left, Faris said the seven years on "Mom" had been "some of the most fulfilling and rewarding of my career," and thanked Lorre, the writers and her castmates, per TheWrap.

What rests on one outlet

Faris's response. TMZ, citing a statement from the actress, quotes her saying: "Yikes. Yes, I read a few things. I really didn't see that coming. Of course it hurts." She adds: "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 also says: "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." We did not find the statement on a primary Faris channel. TheWrap reported on Oct. 14 that her representative had not responded to its request for comment.

Her friends. TMZ reports separately that friends of Faris called Lorre's comments "s****y." The friends are not named in the article we reviewed.

Tom Arnold. TMZ says Arnold, the actor and comedian, went after Lorre on social media, calling him "a terrible human ... who lies every time he opens his mouth" and a "bitter hack," and writing: "I wish everyone could've seen his arrogant, sad clown face the day Roseanne made me fire him." TMZ does not say which platform. It says Lorre was a writer on "Roseanne" in seasons 3 and 4 and contributed to 12 episodes, and that the circumstances of his departure are disputed: Roseanne Barr and Arnold each claim they fired him, while Lorre says he left at the end of his contract. TMZ ties Arnold's post to the memoir, which it says claims Arnold made "Roseanne" writers put his name on scripts he did not write. TMZ says it asked Lorre for comment and had no reply.

What is not established

Why Lorre doubted Faris in the first place. The Daily Beast calls his reason "unclear" and suggests it may relate to Sheen, who sued Lorre for $100 million in March 2011 after being fired. That is the outlet's speculation, not something Lorre wrote.

Also unknown: why Faris left "Mom." Lorre says the reasons were obvious to the cast. Faris's public statements on the exit have been limited to thanks. Her sobriety comment, as quoted by TMZ, is not tied by either side to the departure.