NEWSJamie Lee Curtis Rips ‘New Girl’ Experience as ‘Awful’ After Years of ‘Begging’ for a Sitcom
Jamie Lee Curtis discussed her difficult experience filming ‘New Girl’ and her longtime desire to star in a sitcom.
Aug. 11 2026, Published 5:32 p.m. ET
Jamie Lee Curtis revealed she “hated” filming New Girl because she disliked the sitcom’s single-camera format.
"I did a single-camera [comedy], which I hated," Curtis said at NBCUniversal’s Summer Backlot Experience in Los Angeles on Monday, August 10.
"You know, you’ve got a camera crew, and nobody laughs," she explained.
"It’s silent, and it’s awful. For me, awful," she continued.
The actress also revealed that she had spent years asking her agents to find her another sitcom role, even saying she had "begged" them to make it happen.
Her persistence eventually paid off with NBC’s new series Newlyweds, which she co-created, executive-produced, and appeared in as a guest star.
Jamie Lee Curtis reflected on her experience playing Zooey Deschanel’s onscreen mother on ‘New Girl.'
The Oscar winner, 67, acknowledged that New Girl was a successful and funny series, but said the production style had made the experience difficult for her.
Curtis explained that working on the Fox sitcom had felt more like making a movie than performing in a traditional comedy.
Despite her frustrations with the filming process, she still praised the series, saying, "I mean, it’s a great show, 'New Girl,' very funny. It’s a good show."
Curtis played Joan, the mother of Zooey Deschanel’s character Jess, in five episodes of the series.
Jamie Lee Curtis Preferred Traditional Sitcoms
Jamie Lee Curtis explained why she preferred the rehearsal process and live energy of traditional sitcoms.
Curtis made it clear that her issue was with the single-camera format rather than the quality of New Girl itself.
She added, "Single-camera comedies, for me, not fun."
New Girl premiered on Fox in 2011 and ran for seven seasons before ending in 2018. The series also starred Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, and Lamorne Morris, and later reached an even wider audience after becoming popular on Netflix.
Curtis had also shared the screen with the late Rob Reiner, who played Jess' father.
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Jamie Lee Curtis praised ‘Anything But Love’ as her favorite acting job during her NBCUniversal appearance.
Deschanel previously expressed excitement about having the two veteran stars portray her onscreen parents.
"So, we talked about a bunch of people, and these were just beyond my wildest dreams," she said in a 2012 interview with Collider.
She added, "They’re people that I think would be just so perfect. I can’t wait to start shooting with them."
While Curtis had not enjoyed the single-camera experience, she remembered her time on the ABC sitcom Anything But Love much more fondly.
"It was my favorite job I’ve ever had," Curtis said at the NBCUniversal panel.
Jamie Lee Curtis Finally Got Her Sitcom Wish
Jamie Lee Curtis said she was excited to finally become a boss after years of wanting to lead a sitcom project.
Curtis revealed that she had spent years asking her agents to help her return to the sitcom format.
"And I’m 68 years old, and every single year, all I’ve ever said to my agents is 'I want to do a sitcom, all I want to do is a sitcom,'" she said.
For Curtis, the appeal had been rooted in the collaborative rhythm of traditional sitcoms.
"I love the whole part of it, every aspect of it, the dance with the cameras, the idea that you actually get to rehearse something and work it and learn a joke and play it," she admitted.
Her wish eventually became a reality with Newlyweds, allowing Curtis to take on a bigger role behind the scenes.
"I like to refer to myself as the HBIC. Head b---- in charge," she said with a laugh.
"I’m 68 years old. I’ve wanted to be a boss my whole life," she added.
"I’ve been doing it not as a boss for a long, long time. And now I’m a boss, and I love it," Curtis concluded.
