Will There Be A Bad Moms 3?

In 2016, the comedic masterminds behind "The Hangover" reunited to deliver one of the funniest female-led buddy comedies in recent memory. "Bad Moms" follows three overworked and underappreciated moms who decide to ditch society's expectations and let loose for once. Starring Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, and Kristen Bell (who is ironically one of the strictest parents in Hollywood), the film was an instant hit. Backed by the talented trio's undeniable chemistry and STX Studio's modest $20 million budget, "Bad Moms" went on to rake in a whopping $183 million at the box office.

With success like that, fans were understandably thrilled when "A Bad Moms Christmas" hit theaters in 2017, officially turning "Bad Moms" into a franchise. The sequel brought back the original cast and introduced three comedy legends — Cheryl Hines, Christine Baranski, and Susan Sarandon — as the mothers of our favorite moms. While the second film didn't quite hit the same heights as the first, it still pulled in a respectable $130 million with a $28 million budget. Since then, fans have been teased with a flurry of announcements about "Bad Moms 3". Is there actually any truth to these rumors?

One thing's for certain: no one is more excited about Bad Moms 3 than the main cast. Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, and Kristen Bell have all shared their thoughts on a third installment, and their excitement is always crystal clear. The trio told Access Hollywood in 2017 that they had already tossed around potential plotlines for Bad Moms 3. "Our moms go to Vegas, we go to Bora Bora. It's like a vacation-off," Bell explained. Co-star Kathryn Hahn agreed: "Being a parent and trying to plan for a vacation and actually relax on vacation is impossible."

In a separate interview with CinemaBlend, the cast floated even more ideas for the sequel. They joked about the possibility of a "Bad Moms Fourth of July sequel" and even teased the possibility of adding a fourth Bad Mom to the mix. Mila Kunis was certainly ready with some star-studded suggestions: "Beyoncé, Oprah, Michelle Obama. I'll take Hillary Clinton."

Even before "A Bad Moms Christmas" officially hit cinemas, producer Suzanne Todd revealed that STX Entertainment was already fielding questions about a third movie. "When we have shown it in previews, there was some crazy percentage of people who said, 'Please make a third movie as soon as possible,'" she dished to Entertainment Weekly.

By April 2019, it seemed like "Bad Moms 3" was finally happening. At Cinema-Con, STX made a major announcement: the third installment was in the works and would focus on the Bad Moms' Moms — the grandmothers. Just three months later, Susan Sarandon, who played Isis Dunkler (Kara's mom), spoke to Us Weekly about the project: "I hope they get that script together. We had so much fun. Those ladies are just a blast and so fun to work with. So I hope so."

But then... silence. For some reason, we heard nothing more about the plans. By the end of the year, the Coronavirus pandemic hit, shutting down the entire country. While businesses have since reopened, STX Films has yet to give any public updates on the status of "Bad Moms 3."

Shortly after "Bad Moms" hit theaters, STX announced plans to expand "consumer passion for the Bad Moms brand with a series of film spin-offs," including "Bad Dads" (via Variety). The studio seemed eager to carve out a niche under the bad parenting category while steering clear of the financial risk of a costly sequel that might flop.

However, the announcement was met with mixed reactions. Some fans were excited (and even a little disappointed when "A Bad Moms Christmas" was released instead), while others felt a "Bad Dads" spin-off would miss the mark entirely. Bad Moms had been so widely popular because it used humor to highlight society's unfair expectations of women.

And while the first movie still made some of the usual mistakes with the things movies always get wrong about being a mom, the genre just seemed better suited to women. The lukewarm reactions to "Bad Dads" may explain why STX ultimately scrapped the idea and stuck to "A Bad Moms Christmas," which was closer to the original recipe.

In 2018, STX Studios announced plans for a "Bad Moms" unscripted reality TV series. The idea was to capitalize on the franchise's fan base and the love for embracing imperfect parents by turning the lens on real mothers and possibly parenting mistakes to avoid at all costs. But, unsurprisingly, nothing ever came of it. And honestly, it's not hard to see why this wasn't exactly a winning idea.

For starters, an unscripted series would mean real parents and, more importantly, real kids. It's one thing to put your child into the entertainment industry, but it's a whole other issue to have them featured alongside questionable parenting choices. While the show's intention might have been to prove that no parent is perfect, parenting itself is such a controversial topic that the backlash could have been dangerous for the families involved, given the franchise name. More importantly, "Bad Moms" and "A Bad Moms Christmas" fans loved its raunchy humor, which will be a no-no around minors.

The studio must have come to the same conclusion because, in 2023, they announced a new plan: partnering with Lionsgate to produce a scripted Bad Moms TV series. Unfortunately, just like all the other promises before it, there's been no tangible update since. At this point, a "Bad Moms 3" still feels more like wishful thinking than an actual reality.