| Shirley Stabler | |
 | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Played by | Ellen Burstyn |
| Job | Unknown |
| Family | Unknown Mother Unknown Father Unnamed ex-husband<>Bonnie Plunkett (Daughter) Adam Janikowski (Son-In-Law) Ray Stabler (Son) Christy Plunkett (Granddaughter) Violet Plunkett (Great-Granddaughter) Roscoe Plunkett (Great-Grandson) Gweneth Taylor (Great-Great-Granddaughter) |
| Episodes | 1 |
| First Seen | Terrorists and Gingerbread |
| Last Seen | Tush Push and Some Radishes (mentioned) |
| Seasons | Season 3 |
Shirley Stabler is the mother of Bonnie Plunkett and Ray Stabler, grandmother of Christy Plunkett, great-grandmother of Violet and Roscoe Plunkett and great-great grandmother of Gweneth Taylor and an Episodic Character on Mom. She is portrayed by Ellen Burstyn.
Shirley's first and last appearance is in Season 3's "Terrorists and Gingerbread" when we find out she has been diagnosed with cancer. She is announced dead in "Tush Push and Some Radishes".
Biography[]
Early Life[]
We don't known much about Shirley until we meet her in Season 3's episode "Terrorists and Gingerbread", the only episode she appears in.
She tells Bonnie and Christy that her family was all gone when she became pregnant with Bonnie, and she didn't know what to do when Bonnie's father died. After getting fired for bringing Bonnie to work with her, she realized she could never make enough money to support them both and decided give her daughter up for adoption to have a chance at a better life.
She later moved on with life and married another man, having a son. It seems things went well until her husband walked out on the family, leaving Shirley to be a single mother. As mentioned by Ray, Shirley resented him for being a living reminder of her failed marriage and treated him coldly, not bothering to help him with certain matter. Ray later reflected that he couldn't wait to get away from her.
Relationships[]
Romances[]
Henry[]
Shirley had a romantic relationship with Bonnie's father, Henry. She got pregnant at a young age, but Henry died in a motorbike accident. He is unknown by anyone except for Shirley.
Ex-husband[]
After putting Bonnie up for adoption, Shirely remarried and had another child named Ray. The details of their marriage are unknown but he later walked out on the family, leaving Shirley to be a single mother. As mentioned by Ray, Shirley resented him for being a living reminder of her failed marriage and treated him coldly, not bothering to help him with certain matter.
Family[]
- Mother: Unknown
- Father: Unknown
- Daughter: Bonnie Plunkett
- Son: Ray Stabler
- Son-in-law: Adam Janikowski (through marriage with Bonnie)
- Granddaughter: Christy Plunkett (through Bonnie)
- Great-Granddaughter: Violet Plunkett (through Christy)
- Great-Grandson: Roscoe Plunkett (through Christy)
- Great-Great-Granddaughter: Gweneth Taylor (through Violet and Luke)
Appearances[]
Season 3[]
"Terrorists and Gingerbread"
Christy reveals to Bonnie that a PI (Personal Investigator) tracked Bonnie down. Bonnie tells her that she knew this day would come and that they'll move, but Christy stops her by telling her it was her mother who asked the PI to track her down. Bonnie puts her guard up, not wanting to acknowledge that her mother exists, a sentiment she later repeats to her mother's face.
Christy meets Shirley, and they talk about Shirley and Bonnie after Christy shows her photographs of Violet and Roscoe (and, accidentally, a rash she was concerned about before it cleared up). Christy asks about why Shirley abandoned Bonnie, and Shirley explains that right after she turned 20, Bonnie's father got killed in a motorcycle accident. She didn't have any family to help her out, and got jobs to try to pay for Bonnie's needs, but since she had no money or family for a babysitter she had to bring her with her to work, which ultimately resulted in her getting fired. After this, she decided that the only way to give Bonnie a good life was to put her up for adoption.
After Christy meets Shirley on her own, she tries to tell Bonnie the reason why she gave her up. Christy figures the only way to get Bonnie to see Shirley's side of the story is to tell Bonnie that Shirley has cancer, and Christy talks Bonnie into going to a meeting that Shirley has arranged and asked for. Bonnie goes, but tells Shirley that despite all the things she has told her, there is still no excuse for leaving her behind, as both Bonnie and Christy were able to handle their own children while on drugs and alcohol, meaning that neither walked out on their children, just because they didn't think they could handle it.
Notes[]
- Shirley only appears in one episode, as Bonnie doesn't want contact with her because she can't bring herself to forgive her.
- It's unknown if Shirley has family other than Ray and the Plunketts.
- Shirley only reaches out to her daughter because she has cancer, which she has succumb to by "Tush Push and Some Radishes".
