One A-Lister Was Originally Supposed To Star in Nobody Wants This Before Kristen Bell

Nobody Wants This continues to make headlines. And with the highly-anticipated second season officially in production - set for release later this year, it is undoubtedly the most talked-about show of the moment.

The critically acclaimed series stars Kristen Bell and Adam Brody as agnostic sex podcaster Joanne and rabbi Noah, following the ups and downs of their relationship. And with an A-list cast from Justine Lupe to Jackie Tohn, it's no surprise that the show has become a cult classic.

However, according to show creator Erin Foster, Nobody Wants This almost looked very different, with Foster, a known actress, actually writing the role of Joanne for herself. It was reportedly Netflix who envisaged Kristen Bell for the role instead, with Foster’s comments about the situation resurfacing recently.

"I wanted an actress who would fall into it in a really relaxed, natural way," Foster recalled in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. "And from our first meeting at Netflix, after they bought the idea, immediately for them, it was like, ‘It’s Kristen Bell no matter what.’ They have worked with her many times before, and they are obsessed with her. They love her."

She continued: "We had a meeting, and she was so respectful, nice, and complimentary, and she very clearly, very quickly said, 'Erin, I know you wrote this for yourself to be in. I’m not comfortable taking this role away from you'. And I said, 'Well, first of all, it doesn’t sound like I really have a choice, so let’s do this.'

"I said to her, ‘The truth is, I want to be a mum. I’m trying to get pregnant, and that’s really my life focus right now, becoming a mum,'" she added. "I don’t want to be sitting in a hair and make-up trailer at 5am. I was really trying to get pregnant, and I knew that those two things happening at the same time wasn’t going to work. And so I was kind of giving her my blessing. Like, 'I want it to be you. I don’t want it to be me'."

Well, this is lovely.

Nobody Wants This season two is expected to air on 23 October 2025.