Scary Mommy is the founder Jill Smokler She gained internet fame for her blog about motherhood and parenting.
Smokler launched the site, which includes content on parenting, current events and pop culture, in 2008. News broke in June 2026 that Smokler had died at the age of 48 after a battle with brain cancer.
“It is with broken hearts that we share that Jill passed away this morning, after a more than two-year battle with glioblastoma. She faced it the way she faced everything – funny, fierce and herself,” her family said in a statement on Instagram at the time. “She was many things: a New York Times best-selling author, an inventor, a truth teller. But what she was most proud of, always, was being a mother — to Lily, Ben and Evan.”
“She said things that mothers shouldn’t say out loud, and because she said them first, millions of you finally feel allowed to say them,” her family said in a statement. “When Mama Wethukila gave you permission to laugh, to admit that it was hard or to feel alone—that was Jill. It was always Jill. If she meant something to you, we’d love to hear it. … Thank you for loving her, and being a part of the community she built.”
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Jill Smokler Has Been Ambiguous About Her Cancer Diagnosis
Smokler first shared that he was diagnosed with malignant and incurable brain cancer in April 2024. Since then, Smokler has continued to accompany his fans on his health journey.
“I’ll never be a nurse in a million years,” she wrote on Threads in April 2026. “But I’m thankful there are people because they’re heaven sent.”
Jill Smokler Was Married
Smokler was married to a husband Jeff nearly two decades before announcing their divorce in 2017. Meanwhile, Smokler shared that Jeff is gay.
“Yesterday, Jeff and I told our children that we are divorcing, after more than 17 years of marriage and 23 years together. We also told them that the reason for the divorce is the fact that Jeff is gay,” she wrote on Facebook at the time. Without going into too much personal detail, this is a reality we have experienced together for many years. And for a very long time, the deep love we had for each other sustained us through the most difficult times created by our widening gender gap.”
She continued, “We’ve spent more than half of our lives inseparable, and we’re so proud of the life and family we’ve built together. We’ve been true partners and friends; we’re a kickass team. And while we may no longer love each other as husband and wife, we remain deeply committed to each other as partners and co-parents to the three most beautiful children we could ask for.”
Smokler wrote that the couple’s “greatest hope” is “that these experiences translate into raising empathetic, caring and open-minded children who learn to embrace their differences… and respect and appreciate what makes others different, too.”
He concluded by saying, “‘Love is love love is love…’ Always. .
Jill Smokler was a mother to 3 children
Smokler was the mother of three children, Lily Ben and Evan, who she shared with Jeff. After announcing that the couple were divorcing after 17 years of marriage, Smokler considered telling their children that Jeff is gay. In the 2017 interview no TodaySmokler explained that the two decided to tell their daughter first.
“Jeff was very talkative,” Smokler said, discussing how their daughter hugged and comforted her father. He said to her, ‘I still love you just the same.’
As for their sons, Smokler recalled that Evan thought it was a joke at first — sharing that he was confused because his parents “never fight” and are loving. Ben put his face in his hands. Since then, Smokler shared that the family has “crying moments” but has “grown incredibly” about the situation.
Jill Smokler was a writer
Smokler published several books before her death, including 2012’s Confessions of a Scary Mommy.
