Late last year, Kate Siegel started posting screenshots of her mother's text messages on Instagram. The account quickly blew up, earning Kate hundreds of thousands of followers overnight.
A book deal wasn't far behind: Kate's debut collection of essays, Mother, Can You Not?, hits bookstores this week.
So we decided to catch up with Kate’s mom, veteran TV director Kim Friedman, to see how she feels about the phenomenon @CrazyJewishMom has become. And just like on Instagram, Kim did not disappoint.
So without further ado, here's the Crazy Jewish Mom herself.
What was your reaction when you realized Kate was sharing your text conversations online?
Kim, aka Crazy Jewish Mom: "Well, at first I thought she was making an app, so I was very excited. I've always wanted her to be the next Mark Zuckerberg but with ovaries. After she explained it more, it sounded creative, so I said that she should try it!
"That said, I still think IT'S CRAZY THAT SHE QUIT HER JOB. Oy, so now she's a full-time writer. No job security. No benefits. I mean she wrote a REALLY FUNNY BOOK...but where is the 401(k) and the dental plan?"
On internet fame:
Do you get recognized now? Do random people ask you for life advice?
CJM: "Yes, and if people keep wanting to take selfies with me, I'm going to need more Botox or fillers or something. The best part is that everyone wants me to fix them up — it's like my dream job."
How have your friends and colleagues responded to your internet fame?
CJM: "My friends and colleagues are internet dinosaurs. Most of them don't even know about @CrazyJewishMom. But I have forced all of them to buy the book.
"I'II probably lose a few friends after they read the dildo chapter."
On her daughter, Kate:
What do you want most for Kate? Why so much advice?
CJM: "I want her to be happy. She's my baby. I love her more than anything in the world. First, I want her to have a fantastic career; it's very important for a woman to be strong and independent."
"That said, would I say no to grandspawn? Of course not! Hell, I'd take a sperm donor!
"I give her advice because a) I'm a Drone Mom and b) your generation doesn't realize that TIME IS YOUR ENEMY. You have to make plans and NOT WASTE TIME ON CAREER OR RELATIONSHIPS. When it's not working, MOVE ON. Time is your most precious commodity. Don't waste it."
What about Kate reminds you the most of yourself?
CJM: "Kate's ambition and work ethic! It's like she's my mini me with those. She is very funny, very creative, and will not let anything or anyone stop her from reaching her goals."
How is she completely different from you?
CJM: "She didn't start off writing porn. She is more entrepreneurial and business minded than I ever was. Also, she is so tech and app savvy. I barely can navigate AOL.
"And she lives in a dump of an apartment that I would never have rented."
On that alleged death trap apartment:
C'mon, you would have totally lived in Brooklyn when you were in your twenties, wouldn't you?
CJM: "Absolutely not. Upper West Side or Lower East Side. No fourth-floor walk-up for me. And certainly not in man-bunned, hipster, Mason jar–infested Brooklyn. Do you know that she has a family of mice living under her stove?"
On feminism:
"No ring on the finger, you must not linger" isn't exactly Ms. magazine material, but you're a badass mom with a wildly successful career. Can you get into that a little bit?
CJM: "I am the ultimate feminist. 'No ring on the finger, you must not linger' is about NOT WASTING TIME. NOT WASTING YOUR YOUTH. I couldn't care less about Kate getting married. What I do care about is her wasting time on a relationship with no future.
"I obsess only because SHE WANTS IT ALL: Career, family, and children. And I am confident that she will get there. Right now, the focus is on career. But you also have to plan ahead if you want a family and not just tread water in a relationship because it's comfortable."
On working on this project with her "Spawn":
How has it been doing a book tour with Kate?
CJM: "Book tour? What book tour? My daughter isn't famous like Tina Fey! If by 'book tour' you mean me forcing her to come with me to sell books to people in Times Square, then the book tour is going great. Let's face it, no one knows who she is! We're going to have to hustle to sell her book. And we're going to! Because I don't want my daughter to be another millennial statistic, living in my basement!
"The audiobook recording was amazing for me though. Kate DIRECTED ME. OMG. She was a tyrant.
"But once people read it, they will love it. It's smart and funny. AND I'm so proud of my daughter I could puke. It's really a great book."
