'Scary Mommy' Founder Jill Smokler, Who Redefined Online Motherhood, Dies at 48
Her death came more than two years after she publicly announced her diagnosis of stage four glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Updated June 23 2026, 5:07 a.m. ET
Jill Smokler, the founder of Scary Mommy, died June 22 at the age of 48. Her death came more than two years after she publicly announced her diagnosis of stage four glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Smokler launched Scary Mommy in 2008, and the site grew into one of the most widely read parenting platforms on the internet, built on candid, often funny writing about the realities of motherhood that many parents felt was not being said elsewhere.
She is survived by her three children, Lily, Ben, and Evan.
“Love is Love… Always!”
Smokler and her former husband, Jeff, announced their divorce in 2017 after 17 years of marriage.
In a Facebook post at the time, Smokler was open about the reason, writing that Jeff is gay and describing the years they had spent navigating that reality together before arriving at the decision to part.
She wrote in the post, “‘Love is love is love is love… ‘ Always.”
“Yesterday, Jeff and I told our children that we are divorcing, after more than 17 years of marriage and 23 years of togetherness. We also told them that the impetus for the divorce is the fact that Jeff is gay.”
“Without getting into too much personal detail, this is a reality which we have faced together for many years. And for a very long time, the deep love we had for one another sustained us through the more difficult moments that our increasingly diverging sexuality created.”
“We have spent more than half of our lives inseparable, and we are very proud of the life and family we have built together. We have been true partners and friends; we are a kickass team. And while we will no longer love each other as husband and as wife, we remain deeply committed to one another as partners and co-parents to the three most incredible kids we could ask for.”
An Emotional Tribute
Her family announced her death in a statement shared on Instagram.
"It's with broken hearts that we share that Jill passed away this morning, after a more than two-year fight with glioblastoma. She faced it the way she faced everything — funny, fierce, and completely herself," the statement read.
"She was so many things: a New York Times bestselling author, a founder, a truth-teller. But the thing she was proudest of, always, was being a mother — to Lily, Ben, and Evan."
"She said the things mothers weren't supposed to say out loud, and because she said them first, millions of you finally felt allowed to say them too."
"If Scary Mommy gave you permission to laugh, to admit it was hard, or to feel a little less alone — that was Jill. That was always Jill. If she meant something to you, we'd love to hear it," the family added.