Scary Mommy Founder Jill Smokler is fighting brain cancer
"Frankly, I'm sick of talking about motherhood."
OG mommy blogger Jill Smokler on fighting brain cancer, life after Scary Mommy, and stepping down from She’s Got Issues
“Glioblastoma was not on my 2024 bingo card, alas here we are. Life changes fast, friends.”
That’s the caption of Jill Smokler’s Insta post on May 3, 2024, just a few weeks after I interviewed her for The Midst to talk about anything but cancer. When we talked, she hadn’t been diagnosed yet, and we talked mainly about her new midlife lady project, She’s Got Issues, and Scary Mommy, her first publishing megahit that she sold in 2015. No thanks to health issues, Jill emailed her network in mid-May to say she’s “decided to step back from She's Got Issues so I can focus on navigating this new road with my kids.”
Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain tumor that can be fatal if left untreated. Jill is in treatment and as Today reported May 21, she’s feeling “Not great. I keep alternating between feeling so profoundly sad and so pissed off.” That’s the kind of honesty that Jill’s known for — and rightfully so. The Cleveland Clinic reports that Glioblastoma has no cure and life expectancy is 12 to 18 months. Roughly 7% of glioblastoma patients live beyond five years.
When I checked in with her a couple days ago, Jill said she’s almost through her first course of treatment, but needs to wait three months for follow-up scans to know the effects. “So we’re in this sort of holding pattern for now. The next step is either more chemo or going with some sort of trial instead,” Jill says.
When Jill, now 47, started Scary Mommy as a personal blog in 2008, she became one of the first wildly successful “mommy bloggers.” She wrote raw, unapologetic stories about the chaos of life at home with three kids under 4. Her work drew millions of readers and created community around modern motherhood.
Burned out after seven years of extreme growth on a shoestring budget, Smokler sold Scary Mommy in 2015 — which then averaged about 10 million monthly readers — to a company called Some Spider Studios. She became chief content officer and in 2018, Jill stepped down from the website, which is now owned by Bustle Digital Group.
If acquisition stories tend to make you think about glamour, think differently.
Jill Smokler on The Queen Latifah Show in 2013.
In this interview, we’ll dig into the acquisition story, the joys of menopause, and her ups and downs along the way.
Amy Cuevas Schroeder: Why did you start She’s Got Issues?
Jill Smokler: Because I got older and was no longer in the mommy phase of life. I grew out of Scary Mommy and found myself in the same position that I was in at the beginning of Scary Mommy, where I felt like there was nowhere to go to talk about the things I wanted to talk about.
She’s Got Issues picks up where Scary Mommy and I left off. We have older kids. All the fun stuff — aging parents, being the sandwich generation, menopause.
I've been talking with like-minded writers, community builders, and entrepreneurs in this space. It seems less about competition and more about sharing information and building community with each other. Are you finding that, too?
Yeah, there is such a need. A bunch of us sort of felt like we had to rise to the occasion and fill it, you and I being part of that. But I think you're right. We have to attack it as supporting each other. When I look back, that's how Scary Mommy was built — sharing blog posts and swapping and promoting each other. It became a very inclusive and collaborative environment.
We have the chance to do that again now. I think as much as it may feel like there's so many of us on the content creation side who are suddenly here, I think compared to the general audience, there could be so many of us. There are so many Gen Xish women out there, I feel like there is a need for a plethora of places to provide information.
Meet Jessica Tinney, 35, who transitioned from employee to owner of Menopod
Coldwater, Ontario • @menopodcool
I’m in the midst of:
I’m dedicated to growing Menopod to its fullest potential, offering symptomatic relief for hot flashes, night sweats, migraines, headaches, and anxiety. Over 70% of women in perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause face relentless challenges like hot flashes and night sweats, often finding existing solutions inadequate. Our mission is to provide innovative solutions, empowering women to manage their symptoms and live their lives fully.
The best things I’ve done for myself in midlife:
Embracing the inevitability of change while ensuring wellness remains a constant in my life, both mentally and physically.
Trusting the process as I transitioned from employee to owner, giving myself space to learn and grow in unexpected ways.
Letting go of concerns about others’ opinions of me.
Creating a space for open discussions about women’s health, breaking through generational barriers.
Calling all 30-, 40-, and 50-something trailblazers! We’d love to tell your story. Upgrade your subscription to become a Founding MidstHer here on The Midst Substack. We’ll email you with more details. If you have questions, email tiffany@the-midst.com.
Questions for you
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Survey details and prizes are here.
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