10 TV Moms Who Can Kick Your A**
Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan) – AMC’s The Walking Dead
Though Maggie hasn’t yet given birth, she’s still showing the leader of the Hilltop who’s really boss as she slays zombies and organizes a rebellion against the Saviors. Glenn would be proud!
Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley) – HBO’s Big Little Lies
When another mom at her son Ziggy’s (Iain Armitage) new school accused him of hitting her daughter, Jane was having none of that. And when she went on a a road trip to track down a shady figure from her past, Jane was packing heat. Yes, some moms deal with stress differently than others, don’t they?
Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson) – Fox’s Empire
This cookie didn’t crumble while serving 17 years in prison. In fact, once she got out, she set out to take what was hers and do her best to be a good mother to her adult children. But even a strong mother has her weak moments and Cookie’s has always been her ex Lucious (Terrence Howard).
Erika Jayne (Erika Girardi) – Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills & ABC’s Dancing With The Stars
Don’t let her Barbie-doll looks (or her sultry moves on the dance floor) fool you. Mention one bad word about her son (not directly, theoretically, literally, or ever!) and you’ll see the grizzly bear side of Erika come out. Just ask Eileen Davidson.
Alice Cooper (Mädchen Amick) – CW’s Riverdale
The steely, perfectionist mother only wants the best for her daughter Betty (Lili Reinhart), but as it seems to happen in Riverdale, Alice has a few secrets of her own.
Rebecca Pearson (Mandy Moore) in NBC’s This is Us
After one of her triplets dies, Rebecca and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) adopt abandoned Randall. Her marriage goes through its struggles, but Rebecca remains a supermom…though even she isn’t perfect.
Gloria Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) – ABC’s Modern Family
This proudly Colombian mamacita isn’t afraid of anyone, including soccer moms. When Gloria overhears a woman asking the coach, “C’mon coach, why don’t you take that kid [Manny] out?” She yells back, “How about I take YOU out?” Don’t mess with Gloria (or her kids)!
Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) – HBO’s Game of Thrones
After losing her son, Queen Daenerys became the Mother of Dragons, using them to kill slave masters and free slaves.
Galina ‘Red’ Reznikov (Kate Mulgrew) – Netflix’s Orange is the New Black
As head chef and matriarch of Litchfield Penitentiary, Red rules the roost. If you insult her cooking or leave her out of group events, you’ll likely end up getting a bloody tampon sandwich or a popped breast implant.
Brie Bella – Total Divas
She recently left the wrestling world, but this new mama hasn’t forgotten her signature moves like the “missile dropkick,” “running knee,” or “suicide dive.” Now, she can add Mama Bear to that list.
Think it’s tough being a mom? It’s even tougher being a TV mom where you might be dealing with not only unruly kids (and husbands), but also with intense dance competitions, abusive pasts, the occasional dragon slayer and, yes, the undead. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, here are 10 TV Moms who can teach all of us a thing or two about ruling the roost in the most kick-ass fashion.
Flip through the gallery above to see our list.
