Scary Mommy founder Jill Smokler dies of brain cancer at 48
Дата публикации: 22-06-2026 18:04:40
Jill Smokler was one of the first and most vocal parents to share a raw and honest version of motherhood through her writing and website “Scary Mommy.”
After being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer two years ago, the mom of three died on Monday at age 48.
Smokler’s brother Matt Epstein confirmed her passing and shared a family statement with TODAY.com: “Jill spent her life telling the truth about motherhood — that it could be wonderful and impossible in the very same breath — and in doing so, she gave millions of women permission to stop pretending and feel a little less alone. She was funny, fearless, generous, and entirely herself. More than anything she built, Jill was proudest of her three children, Lily, Ben, and Evan. We are heartbroken to lose her, and endlessly proud of the mark she left on the world.”
The obituary shared by the family describes Smokler’s contribution to the parenting conversation by saying she “wrote about the parts of motherhood that weren’t supposed to be said aloud: the mess, the boredom, the guilt, the flashes of rage, and the love so big it somehow made it all worthwhile. Scary Mommy wasn’t just a website. It was permission: to laugh, to admit it was hard, to tell the truth, and to be a great mother without pretending to enjoy every single second of it.”
Smokler started the “Scary Mommy” blog when she was home with three kids under 4. Now Evan, Ben and Lily are in their late teens and early 20s.
In her first interview since receiving her glioblastoma diagnosis, Smokler told TODAY.com that she was feeling “not great. I keep alternating between feeling so profoundly sad and so pissed off.”
As always, Smokler didn’t hold back.
Jill Smokler with her daughter Lily. Her blog helped other women realize they weren’t alone in loving their kids and also finding parenting really, really hard. (Courtesy Jill Smokler)
According to Cleveland Clinic, the fast-spreading brain cancer has no cure and life expectancy is 12 to 18 months. Roughly 7% of glioblastoma patients live beyond five years.
When Smokler shared her diagnosis on social media on May 3, 2024, she wrote: “Glioblastoma was not on my 2024 bingo card, alas here we are. Life changes fast, friends.”
“It’s been described to me as an octopus with tentacles,” Smokler told TODAY.com about her stage 4 cancer. “It’s not a one-time thing. It keeps coming back.”
Jill with her two sons, Evan and Ben. She started the “Scary Mommy” blog when she was home with three kids under 4. (Courtesy Jill Smokler)
“All I want to do is spend time with my kids, ideally on a beach because that’s my happy place,” Smokler shared at the time. “It’s so ridiculously bittersweet — I am trying to focus on the sweet part.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
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