Scary Mommy founder Jill Smokler rose to online fame with her blog on motherhood and parenting.

Smokler launched the site, which includes content on parenthood, current events and pop culture, in 2008. News broke in June 2026 that Smokler died at age 48 after a battle with brain cancer.

“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,” her family said in a statement via Instagram at the time. “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,” her family shared in a statement. “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. … Thank you for loving her, and for being part of the community she built.”

Scroll down to learn more about Smokler:

Jill Smokler Had Been Candid About Cancer Diagnosis

Smokler first shared she was diagnosed with the aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer in April 2024. Since then, Smokler continued to take her followers along on her health journey.

“I could never in a million years be a nurse,” she wrote via Threads in April 2026. “But thank goodness there are people who are because they’re heaven sent.”

Jill Smokler Was Married

Smokler was married to husband Jeff for nearly two decades before announcing their divorce in 2017. At the time, 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 of togetherness. We also told them that the impetus for the divorce is the fact that Jeff is gay,” she wrote via Facebook at the time. “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.”

She continued, “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.”

Smokler wrote that the pair’s “greatest hope” is “that this experience translates into raising empathetic, caring and open-minded children who learn to embrace their differences… and respect and appreciate that which makes others different, too.”

She concluded, “‘Love is love is love is love… ‘ Always. .”

Jill Smokler Was Mom to 3 Kids

Smokler was the mom of three children, Lily Ben and Evan, whom she shared with Jeff. After announcing that the pair were divorcing after 17 years of marriage, Smokler reflected on telling their children that Jeff is gay. In a 2017 interview with Today, Smokler explained that the twosome decided to tell their daughter first.

“Jeff did most of the talking,” Smokler said, sharing that their daughter hugged and comforted her dad. “She told him, ‘I still love you 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 affectionate. Ben, meanwhile, placed his face in his hands. Since then, Smokler shared that the family has “weepy moments” but have been “incredibly mature” regarding the situation.

Jill Smokler Was an Author

Smokler released several books before her death, including the 2012 best-seller Confessions of a Scary Mommy.