Nobody Wants This Star Jackie Tohn Defends Her Character amid Backlash (Exclusive)

Jackie Tohn has made a name for herself in the new hit Netflix series Nobody Wants This, but along with the praise has come criticism.

The show follows “Hot Rabbi” Noah (Adam Brody) and podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) as they navigate an unconventional interfaith relationship. While it has received resounding positive reviews, the series has faced backlash for its portrayal of Jewish women as stereotypically nagging and controlling. The character of Esther, Noah’s sister-in-law, has attracted the most criticism. Tohn, 44, who plays Esther and is a Jewish woman herself, emphasizes her deep connection to the character’s fierce loyalty.

“It doesn’t bother me because I see a lot of myself in her, so I don’t feel like she’s a caricature and I don’t feel I made any choices that I don’t stand by,” Tohn tells PEOPLE of portraying her character. “I’m a Jewish woman, not offended by the depictions of the show. And anyone who doesn’t feel the same way, that’s okay. That’s their prerogative.”

Speaking about Esther, Tohn says her actions were less related to religion and more to womanhood and loyalty. “This character, whether she’s Jewish or not, is going to act pissed when her brother-in-law is breaking up their foursome, his six-year girlfriend who is her best friend,” the actress says.

Adding, “As far as conflict is concerned on a television show, things need to be heightened, otherwise there’s no arc. There’s nowhere to go. Esther softens so much by the end of the show that if she’s not starting out somewhere, then we don’t care when she softens. We’re all here just trying to make narrative television.”

While Tohn admits she has “never been as intense as Esther,” she resonates with her character deeply. “I don’t go out in public and yell at people, but the underlying kishkes of Esther, they’re the same as my kishkes and my mother’s kishkes and my mother’s friends and the Jewish girls I went to high school with,” the GLOW actress says. “I’m a Jewish woman playing a Jewish woman. We’re ticking the representation boxes. We’re out here doing our best, and not every single person is going to think we nailed it, and that’s okay.”

Despite the criticism it has faced, Nobody Wants This has garnered significant praise and achieved whirlwind success — something Tohn is grateful to have been a part of.

“This is a show that is highlighting Judaism in what I think is a lovely light,” she says. “I mean, there’s this handsome, cool rabbi, this woman who is considering converting for love. I just think the representation is there and the love is there. And I’m so proud to be Jewish and so proud to be on a show that even revolves around Judaism.”

With the hopes for a second season — or “54 more seasons” as Tohn says people have been requesting in her Instagram DMs — the actress is excited for her character to evolve further. “I think it would be cool if we met Esther’s family… maybe we meet her mom who is played by one of my idols like Fran Drescher or Bette Midler,” Tohn jokes. “But regardless, it’s going to be crazy.”

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Nobody Wants This is now streaming on Netflix.