Scary Mommy is a website that produces content targeting mothers, specifically focusing on parenting, motherhood, current events, and pop culture. The site is owned by Bustle Digital Group, and the website is based in New York City.[1]

Scary Mommy
Type of site
Online media
HeadquartersNew York City, United States
OwnerBustle Digital Group
URLwww.scarymommy.com
CommercialYes
LaunchedMarch 2008; 16 years ago (2008-03)

History

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Scary Mommy was founded in March 2008 by Jill Smokler in Baltimore, Maryland. A companion book titled Confessions of a Scary Mommy was published by Smokler in April 2012. Scary Mommy Nation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established by Smokler in 2013, which raised money for families that weren't able to afford a Thanksgiving dinner. In 2014, the website and its service earned its first Webby Award in the "Family/Parenting" category, which was then followed by additional Webby Awards in 2015 and 2018.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

In February 2015, the website was acquired by Some Spiders Studios, with Smokler staying on as chief content officer. The acquisition allowed Scary Mommy to add an in-house studio with video producers, editors, staff writers, and other contributors to the website's staff.

Smokler left Scary Mommy in May 2018, when the website was receiving 80 million monthly visitors. Smokler left to create a different platform based on her new experiences. In 2020, Some Spider Studios acquired Fatherly, and in 2021, Bustle Digital Group acquired Some Spider.[1][9][10][11]

Content

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Scary Mommy originated as a parenting and motherhood blog by Jill Smokler. The blog incorporated the Scary Mommy Confessions feature, which enabled users to share anonymous messages related to motherhood. Scary Mommy also launched a channel on Snapchat's Discover feature in 2018.[12][13]

In 2017, the site ventured into television production with the development of Lullaby League, a singing competition show focused on lullabies. The show was hosted by Jim O'Heir and aired on the Pop network. The same year, the site reported an average of 13.2 million monthly visitors in the United States.[14][15][16][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Scary Mommy founder Jill Smokler leaves company to explore next life stage". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  2. ^ Rosen, Jill (April 3, 2012). "Baltimore's Scary Mommy debuts scary new book". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on November 30, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  3. ^ Rosenthal, Dave (April 9, 2012). "Confessions of a Scary Mommy". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  4. ^ "Best Sellers: Combined Hardcover & Paperback Nonfiction: Sunday, April 29th 2012". The New York Times. April 29, 2012. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  5. ^ Kim, Susanna (November 12, 2013). "'Scary Mommy' Blogger Raises Money to Give Away Thanksgiving Meals". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  6. ^ "Scary Mommy". Webby Awards. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  7. ^ "Scary Mommy". Webby Awards. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  8. ^ "Scary Mommy". Webby Awards. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  9. ^ Britto, Brittany (May 16, 2018). "Scary Mommy founder Jill Smokler leaves company to explore next life stage". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  10. ^ "'Fatherly' Acquired by Some Spider, Pools Parenting Resources". Archived from the original on 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  11. ^ "Bustle Digital Buys Scary Mommy's Parent Company for $150 Million in Stock". 21 July 2021. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  12. ^ Precourt, Stephanie (December 14, 2011). "Most controversial mom blogs". SheKnows. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  13. ^ Brusie, Chaunie (September 7, 2015). "The most shocking Scary Mommy confessions ever". SheKnows. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  14. ^ Alpert, Lukas I. (February 5, 2018). "Scary Mommy Brings Parenting to Snapchat Discover". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  15. ^ Kashty, Meagan (June 22, 2017). "Exclusive: Cozy up to "Lullaby League" from Some Spider Studios". RealScreen. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  16. ^ Snierson, Dan (March 30, 2018). "Parks and Rec alum Jim O'Heir to host singing competition that puts babies to sleep". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  17. ^ "Pop TV and 'Scary Mommy' Partnership Debuts With 'Parks and Rec' Star Jim O'Heir's Singing Competition Show". TheWrap. April 17, 2018. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.