Jodi Hubbard was a young drug addict on the CBS show Mom and was played by Emily Osment. Her character showed the ugly side of addiction and served as a reminder that life sometimes tends to be unfair. A recurring character in season 3, Jodi’s character is helped by Bonnie and Christy to get sober. She dies in the episode titled “Diabetic Lesbians and a Blushing Bride” from a drug overdose. This article is all about What Happened To Jodi On Mom?
Diabetic Lesbians and a Blushing Bride
Episode 12 of season 3 majorly focussed on Marjorie’s wedding with Mr. Perugian. The show stayed true to comic timing with the struggles of the characters to deal with Perugian’s sister (played by Rhea Perlman) and her old-fashioned mindset. The episode expertly dealt with the chaos of life where there is happiness on one side and nothingness on another.
Jodi’s death came as a shock even though there was foreshadowing on the maker’s part. After Christy became Jodi’s sponsor, she repeatedly advised the younger girl to steer clear of a new relationship so soon after getting sober. And it is through her new boyfriend, who is also newly sober, that Jodi finds means to relapse. In the final five minutes of the episode, Christy gets a phone call from the authorities who inform her about Jodi’s relapse, her overdose, and demise.
The happy atmosphere changes with the news but the characters make a collective decision to not tell Marjorie about Jodi as it would put a damper on her big day. Even though Jill raises the question of keeping this big news from Marjorie, Christy implies that she will share the news with Marjorie once the latter gets back from her honeymoon.
The Character
Jodi became a fan favorite almost as soon as she was introduced. Maybe it was Emily Osment’s charm or the writing of Jodi’s character, but Jodi was loved not only by the characters in the show but also by fans. Jodi came almost like a daughter to Christy and in becoming her sponsor, Christy took the role of a caring mother. Much like fans and characters, Chuck Lorre admits that writing off Jodi’s character was difficult for him.
Lorre admitted that the process of making the show with Emily was enjoyable but he also admitted that he had to stay true to the concept of the show. Even though the show is a sitcom, Lorre wanted to stick to the subject the show was based on. He wanted to stay true to the reality of the addiction and how there was always a possibility of things not ending well.
The Harsh Reality- What Happened To Jodi On Mom?
Lorre also revealed that the topic of death and how it was a very real consequence needed to be dealt with. From the beginning when the character of Jodi was in the works, her fate was decided. Lorre tried to show the reality so that the viewers take away the message of how valuable life truly is.
Lorre also opened up about how the depiction of the harsh truth needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later. Since the show deals with drug addiction and alcoholism, showing the end of the spectrum was necessary to stay true to the theme. He did not want to cheat the audience by showing it all to be rosy and bright.
It would appear that Jodi’s character was introduced to show how bad things can get if they are allowed to get out of hand. Jodi’s character also needed to be lovable and appreciated so she was made a recurring character in the third season. Since she was shown to be young, the gravity of the situation was heightened and the severity of the addiction was brought to the forefront. Without Emily Osment as Jodi, the impact of the character would have been different and probably not as deep as it was.
The Public Service Announcement
A public service announcement, or PSA, was followed by the episode on CBS. The PSA featured Anna Faris and Allison Janney along with Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, US Surgeon General. It was done to bring awareness to the rising rate of drug overdoses that occurred every day across the United States. Lorre made an appearance at the end and let the audience know that even though the genre of the show is a comedy, attention had to be paid to the serious issue they were dealing with.
The TV show’s success is through this vision from its executive producers Chuck Lorre, Gemma Baker, and Eddie Gorodetsky. This show received critical acclaim throughout its eight seasons and dealt with the issue of alcoholism and drug alcoholism with wit and candor. The show’s characters all deal with the challenges that come after choosing sobriety and it gives rise to comedy that always remains true to life.
Initially beginning as a show which focussed on the relationship of Christy and Bonnie and how Bonnie’s drug addiction impacted the childhood of Christy and the mother-daughter relationship. The characters are fallible and human and the presentation is honest and oftentimes funny.
Produced by Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions, the show was shot in front of a live audience. The show is true to life and has time and again brought attention to issues like alcoholism, drug addiction, addictive gambling, teen pregnancy, miscarriage, relapse, death, cancer, domestic violence, rape, stroke, obesity, ADHD, homelessness, and palsy. The show’s allure is its expert balancing of these darker themes along with the format of a sitcom.
What Happened To Jodi On Mom?
With characters like Jodi Hubbard, the show succeeded in making the real world collide with the absurdity of life at which one can only laugh. With Jodi’s death, the plot took a decisive turn, revealing the true facet of addiction. While Jodi recovering and leading a happy life would have been the favorable outcome, her death served the purpose of bringing the show a step closer to the real world.
It is through Jodi’s character that Mom came closer to being true to its subject matter without sacrificing its commitment to comedy.
