Jenny Mollen has a lot to say about her recent controversy.
ICYMI, last week the comedian was SLAMMED by fans who thought a post she made was “creepy”. The post featured photos of her laying on top of her 12-year-old son, Sid, and she wrote in the caption:
“Your eldest son will be the most toxic guy you ever date.”
The post got SO much backlash that she deleted the caption all together, but the damage was done. The comments were flooded with people saying she was being a “weird boy mom” and that her joke sounded super “pedophilic”. On META, community notes even popped up on social media giving a trigger warning to viewers. It got intense, y’all…
But now, in a new SubStack essay on Monday, Jenny is explaining her side of the story. And she’s defending herself! In the new article titled The Love That Breaks Us, she wrote:
“Last week, the internet called me a child molester for posting a photo of myself holding my son. The picture was taken on a Monday night after he returned from a weekend away.”
She went on, claiming that her post was just a “joke” — and actually doubled down on her original caption:
“The joke that offended people was: ‘Your eldest son will be the most toxic boyfriend you ever have.’
And he is. Parenthood has demanded a level of commitment and self-sacrifice from me that, in any other context, would be considered pathological. I’d never accept this kind of relationship under any other circumstances. And yet here I am, jumping through fire, constantly striving for affection and approval, waiting by the phone for a guy who can’t even drive.”
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Jenny said she’s been “making some version of this joke for over a decade” and that her sense of humor is “not for everyone”. And as far as the pictures themselves, the star said:
“When I look at that picture, I see a 12-year-old boy who still wants his mother, and a woman trying to hold on to closeness and connection at a time in her life when everything else is changing.”
As we’re sure you know, Jenny and her ex Jason Biggs called their marriage quits after 18 years recently. So the whole family is going through a lot of changes.
Jenny also took a moment to recall a story from when she was her son’s age, in which her mom told her at 12 years old “she didn’t know how to be a mom anymore”. And she’s determined to not continue that cycle:
“Children can feel like our one opportunity at redemption in this lifetime. They offer us the chance to become the very thing we need to save ourselves, instead of spending our lives waiting to be saved. But redemption is not the same as relief.”
She elaborated:
“When my kids were young, I was so overwhelmed. There was so much they needed that it felt almost impossible to catch my breath. I spent the last decade begging for five minutes alone, only to get exactly what I asked for. And it has broken my heart. It will break your heart, too. Don’t let anyone shame you for holding on while you still can.”
In the comments of her post, Jenny got a mixed bag of reactions. Some were happy she was standing her ground:
“Beautiful, honest, vulnerable and so well written – as always.”
“Absolutely beautiful! I was a mother who supported you on your original post and I myself was getting blasted. When did mom shaming become acceptable? Why would we not want to support each other? I love your HUMOR. I LOVE MY SON and I loved this!”
“I’m a toxic boy mom. I don’t even care. I love my kid. You love your kids. I love the journey and humor you share with us. Let them judge.”
“Beautiful and honest.”
“This is amazing”
While others continued to question the original post, and why she was “doubling down”:
“All these commenting supporting you are soooooo disgusting. It’s crazy cuz all these women wouldn’t be saying all of this had it been a picture of a father laying in between his daughters legs”
“Not you doubling down”
“This is weird. You’re weird.”
“I am sorry but it is weird. None of you would be comfortable if this were man ontop of his daughter. If I didn’t know better I would have thought she was speaking about a boyfriend not a son.”
“Oh, girl. Ew.”
“I feel so bad for the child. Imagine having this attached to your image…being the kid at school with these viral photos and caption circulating.”
What do U think, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments (below).
[Image via Jenny Mollen/Not Skinny But Not Fat/YouTube]
