Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) and Leia Forman (Callie Haverda) in 'That '90s Show'

Who Is Leia Forman’s Mom in ‘That ’90s Show’? She Was Originally Eric’s ‘Love Child’

Find out why showrunners kiboshed the idea of Leia being Eric Forman's 'love child' and who the character's mother is.

by Lauren Anderson

Published on December 23, 2022

2 min read

Who is Leia Forman in ‘That ’90s Show’?

According to Netflix’s synopsis for the That ’70s Show spinoff, “Leia Forman is desperate for some adventure in her life or at least a best friend who isn’t her dad.” The streamer’s description continues:

“When she arrives in Point Place to visit her grandparents, Red and Kitty, Leia finds what she’s looking for right next door when she meets the dynamic and rebellious Gwen. With the help of Gwen’s friends, including her lovable brother Nate, his smart, laser-focused girlfriend Nikki, the sarcastic and insightful Ozzie, and the charming Jay, Leia realizes adventure could happen there just like it did for her parents all those years ago. Excited to reinvent herself, she convinces her parents to let her stay for the summer. With a basement full of teens again, Kitty is happy the Forman house is now a home for a new generation and Red is, well … Red.”

Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp, and several other cast members from That ’70s Show will reprise their roles in the spinoff series. Fans will also get to meet a new cast of characters in That ’90s Show.

Who are Leia’s parents in ‘That ’90s Show’?

According to Variety, Leia’s parents are Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon). This tracks since they were back together by the end of That ’70s Show.

“Eric would have totally named his daughter Leia,” writer Greg Mettler says of the Star Wars-inspired name for the 15-year-old girl. “That whole notion made me smile so much that I knew I had something to build on.”

‘That ’90s Show’ was originally going to focus on an ‘unknown grandchild’

That ’90s Show creators Bonnie and Terry Turner originally had a different idea for the character Leia. “Our first pass what that Eric had at some point gone to a rock festival and hooked up with someone, leading to an unknown grandchild,” Terry told Variety. “And at the doorway shows up a 14- or 15-year-old kid who says he’s Red [Smith] and Kitty’s [Rupp] grandkid.”

Netflix wasn’t keen on the idea, believing audiences wouldn’t “warm up” to Eric having a “surprise love child.” That’s where Mettler came in. Together, they turned Leia into Eric and Donna’s daughter.

‘That ’70s Show’ spinoff is set in the 1990s — here’s why

According to Lindsey Turner, daughter of Bonnie and Terry, the spinoff series takes place in the 1990s because that was the last decade people were “looking up.” She added: “They weren’t looking down at their phones. It was that last place of a real kind of engagement, having to make your own fun and really connecting with each other.”