Jamie Lee Curtis just admitted she “hated” filming New Girl, despite the beloved FOX comedy being one of her most recognizable TV guest roles.
The actress, who played Zooey Deschanel’s eccentric mother on the hit comedy, called the experience “awful” and “not fun.”
Her blunt admission quickly sparked attention online, but there was more to Curtis’ comments than her initial statement suggested.
Nearly a decade after filming New Girl, Jamie Lee Curtis has now opened up about her experience on the hit comedy
During NBCUniversal’s Summer Backlot Experience in Los Angeles on Monday, August 10, the actress admitted that she “hated” working on the sitcom because of the way it was filmed, rather than the series itself.
“I did a single-camera [comedy], which I hated,” Curtis said during the panel. “I mean, it’s a great show, ‘New Girl,’ very funny. It’s a good show.”
Jamie explained that the single-camera format felt similar to making a movie, which made performing comedy particularly difficult for her.
She added, “You know, you’ve got a camera crew, and nobody laughs. It’s silent, and it’s awful. For me, awful. Single-camera comedies, for me, not fun.”
Jamie first appeared in the show’s Season 2 episode titled Parents and ultimately returned for six episodes across four seasons, often sharing the screen with her close friend Rob Reiner, who played her character’s ex-husband.
At the panel, she also opened up about her upcoming NBC comedy Newlyweds, which uses a multi-camera format and a live studio audience.
The 67-year-old star explained why she prefers performing comedy in front of a live studio audience
Jamie Lee Curtis on “begging” to do a multi-cam sitcom after ‘New Girl’ pic.twitter.com/AYjVYbEeZp
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) August 10, 2026
Jamie, who executive produces the sitcom and has a recurring role on it, explained that performing in front of a live audience gives her the immediate response she wants when delivering comedy.
“It’s my favorite job, 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 said.
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She also explained that she had spent years telling her agents she wanted to do a sitcom before eventually deciding to create the opportunity herself.
The difference, according to Curtis, comes down to the feedback.
A multi-camera sitcom can feel more like performing a play, with actors hearing audience reactions in real time, while a single-camera comedy is typically filmed without a live audience and assembled more like a movie.
For the actress, that silence made delivering jokes feel like “doing comedy in a vacuum.”
Her comment, “It’s silent, and it’s awful. For me, awful,” sparked a strong backlash among fans of the hit show
Jamie’s comments quickly sparked a strong backlash from many fans who interpreted her words as criticism of New Girl itself.
On Wednesday, August 12, Curtis took to Instagram to explain what she meant, describing her original remark as a “flip comment” made while promoting Newlyweds.
She stressed that she was comparing the filming experience of a single-camera comedy with the live energy of her new multi-camera sitcom, not criticizing any show.
Jamie specifically praised the series, calling it “fantastic,” while also defending the people she worked with.
‘Newlyweds’ EP Jamie Lee Curtis on NBC taking a chance on sitcoms and their hopes to bring a “feel good” show to viewers pic.twitter.com/HeaPJzObAZ
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) August 10, 2026
She described Zooey as “an absolute gem of a human” and said getting to play exes alongside her late friend Rob was “sweet and lovely.”
Jamie explained, “I liked doing the show live in front of a studio audience, which is almost like doing a play where you get immediate feedback, to the experience of doing a single camera comedy like NEW GIRL where there’s absolutely no feedback…”
Jamie took to Instagram to clarify her comments and praise her co-stars, Zooey Deschanel and the late Rob Reiner
NBC used to dominate with sitcoms like Friends and Seinfeld, so seeing them take another shot with something “feel good” feels overdue.
— Sabrina Collins (@_SabrinaC12) August 10, 2026
“I said it wasn’t my favorite experience although the show itself is fantastic and the team that made it are talented… so please, let’s not waste clicks and comments and just move on to WAY more important things. That will be all.”
“The media made it seem like you hated New Girl. Anyway, as you said there are more important things,” one person reacted to her clarification.
Another fan said, “I knew people were going to take it out of context. So sad that everyone focuses on small things instead of actual issues in the world. Loved you on new girl!”
“You talked about not loving single camera, not the show itself. People always look for the negative! Keep shining,” a third viewer commented.
As for her upcoming show, Newlyweds will premiere on NBC on October 23, 2026, with new episodes available to stream the following day on Peacock.
“People are choosing not to understand for the purpose of creating drama, not from a genuine lack of understanding,” one fan wrote
