Eden Sher Reflects on Her Mom's Supportive Role as a 'Worst' Stage Mom
- - Eden Sher Reflects on Her Mom's Supportive Role as a 'Worst' Stage Mom
Alex GurleyJanuary 30, 2026 at 11:12 PM
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The Middle star Eden Sher says her mom was the "worst" stage mom—but not in the way you'd think.
During an appearance on Full Out Podcast on Wednesday (Jan. 28), Sher looked back on her career as a young actress, from her early auditions to her time on The Middle.
Sher, who portrayed Sue Heck on the beloved ABC show, began her career thanks to an unexpected gig on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Looking back, Sher said that growing up in Los Angeles, she always felt that she could pursue acting but her mom thought she was too young.
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"I would watch these shows like Lizzie McGuire be like I can do that better...At 8 or whatever I was just like, 'I can do this better than you. I know I can,'" Sher recalled.
When Sher asked to get an agent, her mom said no—but allowed her to start doing theater. Then, one day Jay Leno and his team came to Sher's school to cast for a Tonight Show segment and she ended up getting selected. It led to more parts on the late night show—and Sher's mother finally agreed to let her give acting a go.
"Shout out to my mom who I think handled everything perfectly. She told me I wasn't going to...rush into anything professional at the right moment but then didn't not support me when I was like, 'This is what I want to do,'" Sher shared.
She continued, "She was like, 'Okay then I guess this is what we're doing then. I guess I will drive every f--king day from the valley to [auditions].'"
Sher went on to call her mother the "worst stage mom," saying she was the "antithesis of what a good stage mom should be" because she put her daughter's needs before her career.
"She was like, 'If you're uncomfortable at any moment, we're done. You're done,'" Sher said. "The thing is she also was working. She's a single mom and she was working. She's a teacher. She had a full-time job with...three kids and then was like, 'I guess my daughter wants to have this very involved extracurricular activity that has real stakes to it.'"
Sher continued, "When I booked a job...I booked a few commercials and she would have to just like go to Canada with me. I don't know how she did it. She's amazing."
After the podcast aired, Sher also added extra clarification in the comment section, writing, "To be clear— by 'worst' stage mom I mean she was terrible at being overbearing or controlling and was the best REAL mom!!!!"
You can hear all that Eden Sher had to say below.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
