Whether they’re eating at their popular hangout spot Burgundy Bistro or are attending one of their weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Bonnie and Christy Plunkett, along with their friends Marjorie, Wendy, Jill and Tammy, are always there to listen and help each other through all their problems. And let’s face it, there are a lot of problems that these women have to sort through. Meet the cast of Mom.
Bonnie Plunkett
(Played by Allison Janney)
Bonnie began drinking at the age of 15 and was in the foster care system since she was four. After being bounced around from house to house, she ran off with her boyfriend Alvin and became pregnant with Christy. From then on, Bonnie tried her best to raise Christy, who ended up mostly raising herself. When Christy was a child, Bonnie would do drugs, get drunk and occasionally commit felonies, sometimes taking Christy along. Having gotten sober years later, Bonnie reconnected with Christy after they had been estranged for years. Despite all their trials and tribulations, they share a supportive relationship with each other.
Christy Plunkett
(Played by Anna Faris)
Christy is a single mother who is also a recovering alcoholic and still struggles with addiction. A former stripper, Christy had a rocky road with both her children, Violet, who is estranged from her, and Roscoe, who lives with his dad. After trying to iron out the rough edges in her relationship with Bonnie, she manages to form a trustful relationship with her and they attend AA meetings together. While being a part-time waitress, Christy decided that she wanted to study law and now attends law school.
Marjorie Armstrong-Perugian
(Played by Mimi Kennedy)
Marjorie is Christy and Bonnie’s AA sponsor who also happens to have a house full of cats. Even though she is the voice of reason to all of her friends, she had problems with alcohol and drugs in the past, spent some time in prison, and is a mother to a son with whom she had no relationship or contact with, until Christy convinced him to reconnect with Marjorie following her cancer diagnosis. Through Christy, Marjorie meets Victor Perugian, Christy’s former landlord, whom she weds and then cares for after his stroke. When Victor dies, her vulnerability starts to show and the women do their best to help Marjorie cope with being widowed once again.
Wendy Harris
(Played by Beth Hall)
Wendy is also a member of the local AA group, is often subdued and is prone to constant crying. She is a registered nurse and a member of Mensa—the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. She has a hard time with her friends, who don’t really listen to her when she speaks. In season 3, Wendy is revealed to be both bisexual/pansexual and attracted to Bonnie.
Jill Kendall
(Played by Jaime Pressly)
Jill is a wealthy socialite and also an alcoholic. Christy first met her at an AA meeting and decided to sponsor her. However, Jill suffered several relapses before becoming sober. Her mother had struggled with depression and alcoholism before committing suicide when Jill was a teenager. Although she might be clueless about a lot of things, she is shown to genuinely care about her friends and use her experiences to help them with their own problems, despite being vain and obsessed with how her peers view her.
Tammy Diffendorf
(Played by Kristen Johnston)
Tammy is an ex-con who was Bonnie’s foster sister for a short time in their teens. They reconnect when Bonnie comes across her while visiting a women’s prison. Once she was released from prison, Tammy joined the group’s AA meetings. After temporarily living in Bonnie and Christy’s apartment, she moves in with Marjorie. When she returns to her old foster home where she lived with Bonnie, it is revealed that her father killed her mother and she went into the system after that. Tammy currently works as a handywoman doing odd jobs.
Adam Janikowski
(Played by William Fichtner)
Adam is married to Bonnie and is a wheelchair-bound ex-stuntman. Bonnie and Adam met over the phone after he dialed the wrong number by accident. When Adam and Bonnie agreed to meet to go on their first date, Adam stood Bonnie up because of his own insecurities about being in a wheelchair. He is supportive of Bonnie’s recovery, though does not always fully understand it. In season 6, Adam uses his life savings to open a bar called AJ’s Barrelworks.
