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Anna Faris Biography: Scary Movie Star, Mom Lead, and Unqualified Podcast Host

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Anna Faris headshot

Anna Faris is an American actress, comedian, producer, and podcaster best known for playing Cindy Campbell in the Scary Movie franchise, Christy Plunkett on the CBS sitcom Mom (2013–2020), and for hosting the advice podcast Anna Faris Is Unqualified. Born in Baltimore in 1976 and raised in Washington state, she turned an English literature degree into a two-decade comedy career spanning film, television, voice acting, and a bestselling memoir.

Quick Facts

  • Full name: Anna Kay Faris
  • Born: November 29, 1976, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA
  • Nationality: American
  • Occupation: Actress, comedian, producer, podcaster, author
  • Known for: Scary Movie franchise, Mom (CBS), The House Bunny, Anna Faris Is Unqualified podcast
  • Spouses: Michael Barrett (m. 2021); Chris Pratt (m. 2009; div. 2018); Ben Indra (m. 2004; div. 2008)
  • Children: One son, Jack (b. 2012)

Early Life & Background

Anna Kay Faris was born on November 29, 1976, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Jack Faris, a sociology professor, and Karen Faris (née Bathurst), a special-education teacher. The family relocated to Edmonds, Washington, where Faris grew up. She landed her first paid acting job at nine at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, graduated from Edmonds-Woodway High School in 1994, and earned a degree in English Literature from the University of Washington in 1999.

Career

Breakthrough: Scary Movie (2000)

Faris’s breakout arrived in 2000 when Keenen Ivory Wayans cast her as Cindy Campbell, the earnest heroine at the center of the horror-parody Scary Movie. The film was a commercial smash — widely reported at over $270 million in worldwide box office — and Faris reprised the role in Scary Movie 2 (2001), Scary Movie 3 (2003), and Scary Movie 4 (2006). Across her leading roles, her films have grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide.

Film career: comedy, drama, and voice work

Faris pushed past the scream-queen label with a comedic pivot in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003), following The Hot Chick (2002). She added Brokeback Mountain (2005), Just Friends (2005), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), and Smiley Face (2007), then starred in The House Bunny (2008) — also taking her first executive-producer credit — and repeated the star-plus-producer double on What’s Your Number? (2011). She appeared in Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator (2012) and the Overboard remake (2018), the film where she met cinematographer Michael Barrett. Her voice work reached family audiences as Sam Sparks in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009, 2013) and Jeanette Miller in the Alvin and the Chipmunks films (2009–2015).

Television: Mom (2013–2020) — and a 2026 revelation

From 2013 to 2020, Faris co-led the CBS sitcom Mom as Christy Plunkett, a recovering-addict single mother, opposite Allison Janney as her mother Bonnie — seven seasons and 150+ episodes. She left before the final season; her character was written out as leaving for law school. In June 2026 Faris told the Happy Sad Confused podcast the schedule’s intensity had worn her down — she “started to lose my focus” toward the end. In October 2026, creator Chuck Lorre’s new memoir Sitcom (Dey Street Books) revealed he had initially rejected her for Christy — saying “no” when her name was suggested because he doubted her fit — before reconsidering and concluding she was exactly right. She had earlier played Erica in the final season of NBC’s Friends (2004).

Podcast and memoir

Faris created and hosted the advice-and-interview podcast Anna Faris Is Unqualified from 2015 to 2023, and published the memoir Unqualified in 2017, which became a New York Times bestseller. She even revealed her secret marriage to Michael Barrett on the podcast in July 2021.

2024–2026: return to the screen

Faris returned to mainstream film as Nancy in My Spy: The Eternal City (Prime Video, July 2024), and in 2026 she came home to the franchise that started it all — reprising Cindy Campbell in the sixth Scary Movie, released June 5, 2026, reuniting with Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Regina Hall roughly two decades after the last installment. She also has the comedies Spa Weekend and the animated I, Object reported in the works.

Major Achievements

  • Led a filmography that has grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide
  • Co-led Mom for seven seasons on CBS (2013–2020)
  • New York Times bestselling author (Unqualified, 2017)
  • Producer debut: executive producer of The House Bunny (2008)

Personal Life

Faris has been married three times: to actor Ben Indra (2004–2008), then to Chris Pratt — they met filming Take Me Home Tonight (2007), married in Bali on July 9, 2009, and divorced in 2018. Their son, Jack, was born August 25, 2012 — nine weeks premature — and both parents have remained committed co-parents. In 2021, Faris revealed she had eloped with cinematographer Michael Barrett (whom she met on Overboard) in a Washington State courthouse; Barrett has two children from a prior relationship. In August 2026, Faris spoke candidly on Chelsea Handler’s Dear Chelsea podcast about quitting drinking, her depression near the end of Mom, and revealed her Los Angeles home was destroyed in the 2025 Pacific Palisades fires.

Net Worth Snapshot

Faris’s estimated net worth is about $30 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth — an aggregator estimate, since no Forbes, Bloomberg, or Hurun figure exists for her. The figure rests on a long acting career anchored by seven seasons of Mom (reportedly rising to roughly $200,000 per episode) plus film salaries and producing credits. See Anna Faris’s net worth for the full breakdown and methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Anna Faris trending in October 2026?

She is trending because Chuck Lorre’s new memoir Sitcom (published October 13, 2026) reveals that he initially rejected Anna Faris for the role of Christy in Mom — saying “no” when her name was suggested because he doubted her appropriateness for the material — before reconsidering, partly after reflecting on his mishandled working relationship with Charlie Sheen, and concluding she was exactly right for the part.

What was Anna Faris’s breakout role?

Her breakout was Cindy Campbell in Scary Movie (2000), directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. The film grossed over $270 million worldwide, and she returned for three sequels (2001, 2003, 2006) — and again for the franchise’s 2026 revival, released June 5, 2026.

Why did Anna Faris leave Mom?

Faris left after seven seasons in 2020 to pursue new opportunities. She has since said the schedule’s intensity wore her down — telling the Happy Sad Confused podcast in June 2026 that she “started to lose my focus” — and that she struggled with what she later recognized as depression. Her character was written out as leaving for law school on the East Coast, not killed off.

Is Anna Faris married?

Yes. Faris is married to cinematographer Michael Barrett, whom she met filming Overboard (2018). They eloped at a Washington State courthouse in June 2021, which she revealed on her podcast the following month. She was previously married to Chris Pratt (2009–2018), with whom she shares a son, Jack, and to Ben Indra (2004–2008).

What is Anna Faris’s net worth?

Celebrity Net Worth estimates her net worth at about $30 million. It is an aggregator estimate rather than a Forbes or Bloomberg figure — no such published estimate exists — built on her acting income (notably Mom and the Scary Movie franchise), producing credits, and real estate. Full details are in our Anna Faris net worth article.

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