Anna Faris says her teenage son, Jack, has asked her to accept Jesus Christ, placing the actress in a parenting conversation she did not expect as someone who was raised without religion.
Faris discussed the request on the Aug. 20 episode of Chelsea Handler’s Dear Chelsea podcast. She told Handler she would consider what her son was asking of her, but attached one important condition, it would require “a whole lot of long conversations.”
Those discussions have already included abortion and religious hypocrisy. Faris said she tries to challenge Jack with questions rather than dismiss his beliefs and appreciates that he is beginning to examine religious institutions critically.
Jack is the 14-year-old son Faris shares with ex-husband Chris Pratt, who has spoken extensively about his Christian faith. Some coverage has framed Faris’ comments as a discussion of her son’s “right-wing politics”.
Faris Said Accepting Jesus Would Require ‘A Whole Lot of Long Conversations’
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The subject came up while Handler and Faris were discussing parenting and the differences Faris has experienced raising a son. Faris first described Jack as unusually emotionally steady. “He’s like as solid as a tugboat emotionally,” she said. “He just doesn’t get easily jarred. He handles situations really well.”
She then mentioned something Handler apparently had not expected. “He is religious,” Faris said. When Handler asked whether Faris was religious herself, the actress replied, “No, I didn’t grow up with religion.”
That difference has created some substantial conversations at home. Faris revealed that Jack has “asked me to accept Jesus Christ.” Handler clarified, “As your savior,” and Faris agreed. Her answer to Jack was not an immediate yes or no. “I told him that I would do anything for him, including this, but it’s still going to take a whole lot of long conversations,” Faris said.
She Challenges Jack With Questions About Abortion and Religious Hypocrisy
Faris said she is impressed by her son, but that does not mean she lets his ideas go unquestioned. “I try to challenge him,” she told Handler. One example involves abortion.
Faris said she has asked Jack, “Do you think it’s a luxury that you get to be pro-life? Do you think that’s kind of a luxury?” According to Faris, Jack responded, “Maybe.”
Her other example involved an unnamed megachurch pastor whom she characterized as a “grifter.” Faris said she asked Jack what he thought about the pastor, and he replied that “megapastors are the worst.” Faris jokingly concluded, “OK, we’re getting there.”
“I’m appreciative that he’s examining religion the way he is in terms of recognizing hypocrisy, starting to recognize hypocrisy,” she said. “And I’m appreciative that we can have these long conversations.”
BuzzFeed framed the interview around Faris challenging her son’s “right-wing politics,” while Yahoo similarly amplified that description. But the Dear Chelsea conversation itself does not include Faris calling Jack right-wing. She said he is religious, and he has described himself as pro-life in their conversations.
Chris Pratt Has Connected His Faith to Jack’s Premature Birth
In a December 2025 essay for Maria Shriver’s The Sunday Paper, Pratt wrote that he was baptized Catholic, believed in God from childhood and attended Catholic, Lutheran and evangelical churches while growing up. He also described Jack’s premature birth as a pivotal moment in the development of his faith.
“When my son Jack was fighting for his life, I found myself back on my knees, pleading to God for a miracle,” Pratt wrote. “I promised that if Jack survived, I would devote my life to sharing God’s message.”
Jack was born nine weeks premature in August 2012 and faced serious medical complications early in life. Pratt wrote in 2025 that his son was healthy and that he remained grateful for his recovery.
Pratt has nevertheless drawn a distinction between faith and organized religion. In a 2022 Men’s Health interview, he said, “I’m not a religious person,” despite his belief in God. He criticized the ways religious institutions have historically been used to control and harm people and explicitly denied reports that he had attended Hillsong Church. “I never went to Hillsong,” Pratt said. “I’ve never actually been to Hillsong. I don’t know anyone from that church.”
The Conversation Was One Part of a Much Broader ‘Dear Chelsea’ Interview
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The discussion about Jack occupied only a small portion of Faris’ 71-minute appearance on Dear Chelsea. Elsewhere in the episode, the actress discussed getting older, motherhood, her former Anna Faris Is Unqualified podcast, sobriety and the complicated feelings she has carried about her comedy career.
Faris appeared on Handler’s show as her latest ensemble comedy, Spa Weekend, arrived in theaters. The movie stars Faris alongside Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher and Michelle Buteau as longtime friends whose attempt at a luxury spa getaway spirals into a series of bad decisions. Black Bear lists Spa Weekend as opening in theaters Aug. 21.