Jaime Pressly juggles her young son, ‘Teenage Daughter’

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

After an Emmy-winning turn on ‘My Name Is Earl,’ actress Jaime Pressly returned to television this fall with ‘I Hate My Teenage Daughter.’

With the advent of holiday break, the Ministry chatted with the star about her experience returning to work as the centerpiece of an ensemble comedy and raising her 4-year-old, Dezi.

‘You know, in a lot of ways a multi-camera sitcom is amazing for a working mom,’ Pressly told us recently via phone, ‘I’m picking him up and dropping him off, present with him. It’s amazing.’

‘Tuesdays we tape ‘Teenage Daughter’ in front of the live audience, and that’s when Dezi sees his dad, so it runs very smoothly. I’m really lucky.’

Pressly said coming back to TV, especially after a cult favorite like ‘Earl,’ wasn’t an easy decision.

‘So many people loved Joy [her ‘Earl’ character], so I really needed something that was the right fit. And I’m so thrilled to say that, honestly, everyone on this show is incredibly talented and so down to earth. People say you become a family, but that’s what we are,’ said Pressly.

As Annie Watson on ‘Daughter,’ Pressly inhabits the shoes of a woman with an ultra-conservative upbringing dealing with her own free-spirited daughter. The Ministry wondered how much reflecting Pressly did of her own teen years.

‘I was so strong willed and very driven,’ Pressly reflected, ‘I started in the business so young, I was modeling at 15 and had to be emancipated from my parents so I could travel to Japan and work ... but I’m grateful for that experience.’

Speaking of experience, she can compare notes with her costar Katie Finneran, who just announced her second pregnancy.

‘Daughter’ airs at 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays on Fox.

RELATED:

Will ‘American Horror Story’ be cursed at the Emmys?

Television review: ‘I Hate My Teenage Daughter’ on Fox

Cleaning up ‘American Horror Story’ with Alexandra Breckenridge

— Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly