Allison Janney Says Anna Faris Is 'Very Missed' After Her Mom Departure
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Mom just isn't the same without Anna Faris!
Her former costar, Allison Janney, said it was "very odd" returning for the CBS series' eighth season without her TV daughter on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tuesday.
"She's very missed," Janney said. "Anna is missed and her character on the show is missed."
She continued, "We're just happy that she's doing what she wants to do now."
Mom was recently nominated for three Critics' Choice Awards, including Best Comedy Series.
Janney said that she was thrilled to hear about the nominations and is "happy even more so that we're able to still tell these stories about these great women and recovery. There are some really wonderful characters that have been established."
"People love the show, so we're going to keep telling the stories as long as we can," she added.
Faris announced in September that she would not be returning for the sitcom's eighth season after starring as one of the main characters for seven seasons.
"The past seven years on Mom have been some of the most fulfilling and rewarding of my career. I'm so thankful to Chuck, the writers, and my amazing castmates for creating a truly wonderful work experience," she said in a statement. "While my journey as Christy has come to an end, allowing me to pursue new opportunities, I'll be watching next season and rooting for my TV family."
A source close to the show told PEOPLE at the time that the star's decision to leave the hit sitcom came as a shock to her Mom family.
"It was a surprise to hear that Anna was leaving," the source said. "None of us are happy about that."
Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Allison Janney and Anna Faris in Mom
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The season 8 premiere of Mom was quick to address what happened to Faris' character, Christy, when it aired in November. In the first scene of the episode, Janney's character revealed that Christy was going to Georgetown Law School "on a full scholarship."
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In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Gemma Baker teased that Christy would "live on" despite Faris' departure from the show.
"Although our show has killed characters off in the past, we never considered this as an option for Christy," she said. "Our audience has been rooting for her for seven seasons and that loss felt like it would be too devastating for them and for our other characters. It was important to us that Christy moved on to bigger things."
