‘Mom’ Star Kristen Johnston’s Younger Sister Julie Dies After ‘Battle With Addiction’

Kristen Johnston, who stars as Tammy Diffendorf in the CBS sitcom Mom, lost her sister following her battle with addiction. She shared the news on Twitter, posting a photo of her and her sister together. In the post, Johnston wrote that “she’s finally at peace” and noted that “she had the best belly laugh in the world.”

Johnston’s sister, Julie Herschede, was married and had three daughters: Emma, Annabelle and Elsa. It’s been documented that Johnston and her sister have battled addiction in the past. The actress mentioned in her memoir, which came in 2012, that she struggled through addiction as she attempted sobriety, adding that she abused pills. In that memoir, Johnston said of her struggles that she would drink two bottles of wine per night.

As for the 52-year-old actress, she will be preparing for the eighth season of Mom. The series premiered in September 2013 and stars Ana Faris, Allison Janney, Sadie Clavano and Nate Corddry. The show was renewed for its upcoming season in early 2019 as it was picked up for both its seventh and eighth seasons. The most recent iteration came out in September 2019. The newest installment will debut sometime during the 2020-21 season with some uncertainty as the coronavirus pandemic continues to be an issue for Hollywood.

In an interview with CBS about Mom, Johnston was asked about the show tackling the issue of sobriety, to which she said the show has helped her find the “humor and joy in recovery and sobriety.” Because of that, the Washington D.C. native said the show “resonates so deeply” with her. In speaking about her on-screen persona, Tammy, Johnston described her as one her more “gentler roles” that she has played, “She’s just a very sweet person.”

Before appearing on Mom, Johnston made it big on 3rd Rock from the Sun as Sally Solomon. The show also starred John Lithgow and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt. For her work on that series, she won a Primetime Emmy Award two times for Outstanding Support Actress in a Comedy Series. Some of her other notable works are in the film scene, to which she played Wilma Flintstone in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas and as Holly Franklin in The Exes. She also appeared in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.