Whitney Cicero didn’t plan on being a humorous mother on Instagram. Although she went to UCLA eager to grow to be an actor, she spent her profession in company America. After which, like so many different mothers on Instagram nowadays, she leaned into her roots and began bringing her skills to social media. Quick ahead to right this moment, and the Gen X Californian owns an influencer casting and content material creation company known as Whink, and is a standup comedian on the facet.
She has two youngsters: Charlotte, 20, who, after we spoke through Zoom final week, was about to go away for a research overseas program in Italy, and her son is a freshman at Tulane. As a brand new empty nester, Cicero has a novel spin on mother content material; what drew me to her had been her “Center Age Mother Updates,” that are so humorous and charming and alarming suddenly.
Regardless of the close by however fortunately not too shut wildfires, we had a beautiful dialog about motherhood, comedy, and, sure, growing older.
Scary Mommy: Initially, we have to discuss being an empty nester as a result of now you are in it. What has that transition been like for you?
Whitney Cicero: It was actually laborious since you simply really feel like your coronary heart is strolling round outdoors your physique and you do not have management. Initially, it is horrible. This is the opposite facet of it: Nobody’s making nachos at 1:00 AM within the morning. Nobody’s stealing your telephone chargers. You are not worrying and staying up since you’re like, since you keep up and wait till they get residence. And your own home is clear. So that is the commerce. And I bought to say that is been type of good as a result of my kids are disgusting. They’re considerably feral.
SM: What do they consider your social media persona?
WC: It is fascinating. Charlotte’s extra an extrovert like myself, and he or she’s into it. My son’s an introvert and was mortified and has completely spent most likely the final 10 years being mortified as a result of his mates observe me and his lecturers observe me. I had a partnership with Bush Bomb the place I used their trimmer by way of a automobile wash to indicate how briskly it was to trim your bush. And he was like, “Mother, I bought a lot shit for that. It is actually embarrassing.” Now, simply the final time I noticed him, he goes, “Mother, you’re fully unhinged. And for thus lengthy, I hated it. However now I type of respect it.” I used to be like, “Oh, thanks.” In order that they’ve come round.
SM: Do you agree that you simply’re unhinged?
WC: I believe for my age group and being a mother and placing all of it on the market and having no filter… yeah, I believe in comparison with different mothers.
SM: So when did you begin doing this?
WC: I used to do Fb manner again when. Earlier than video was even round, and my good friend who was a documentary filmmaker, stated, “These [posts] are humorous, you need to document them.” And I am like, “What? I am not going to place this on video.” And she or he goes, “Effectively, I will movie them.” In order that took off, and we went viral fairly early on my Fb time and hit 100,000 followers, which was nice. I used to be a late adopter to Instagram.
SM: What’s the finest a part of being a 54-year-old mother on the web? I really like the middle-aged mother updates. These crack me up.
WC: I believe the easiest half for me, Kate, is once I get a DM that claims, “Thanks for making me really feel regular.” All of it’s value it. If I made one lady be like, “Yeah, that is laborious, and also you made me really feel regular and also you made me really feel seen.” I am like, “Good. My job is completed.” That is all. And I believe humor, my factor’s about humor.
SM: Proper. What’s with the New Stepford identify?
WC: The Stepford Wives are the proper spouse by way of the male gaze and thru patriarchy. And I used to be like, I believe we have to flip what an ideal lady is and reinvent what it actually means to be an ideal mother. Nobody is ideal. No one is aware of what they’re doing. So the New Stepford was type of like, “Hey, we will rewrite the narrative a little bit bit about what it means to be a mother.” And it is so humorous, some folks get it and a few folks do not get it.
SM: Oh, it is nice. Are you kidding? I really feel like it’s a must to get it.
WC: Youthful folks do not get it as a result of they do not know the reference.
SM: Oh, that is even sadder.
WC: Yeah, I do know. Learn a guide, folks. Put down TikTok. Learn a fucking guide.
SM: So how did you give you the middle-aged mother bit?
WC: I used to be impressed by a few issues. Watching different mother influencers type of area of interest down into stuff as a result of in the event you return into my feed a couple of yr and a half, two years in the past, it was a bit frenetic. After which I began being like, “Let’s type of begin placing a theme to it.” And it was actually only a middle-aged mother replace. They began doing properly.
SM: It is actually enjoyable. Do you will have any favourite followers on Instagram?
WC: I’ve a woman crush on a author named Kay Cannon, and he or she’s the one who did Pitch Good. She wrote for 30 Rock. I might simply tag her in issues as a result of she’s such an inspiration to me, and in the future, she began following me. And now we type of shuttle on Instagram tales and DMs.
SM: How enjoyable is that?
WC: She’s who I need to be once I develop up. She’s only a good, good author.
SM: I really like that. Okay, this isn’t a critical query. What, particularly as you age, has been like, if it’s a must to prepare in 10 minutes… what do you place in your face?
WC: All the time sunscreen. I learn a kind of Teen Beat articles once I was 14 and I believe it was Nicole Kidman, and he or she’s like, “I by no means exit with out sunscreen.” And since that day I’ve by no means gone out with out or carrying a hat. So I believe that is primary. Then lashes, once I had a little bit extra disposable revenue. I am a little bit broke proper now, however I’ve beloved getting my lashes performed.
SM: What’s your standup schedule nowadays?
WC: In an ideal world, I might carry out standup three nights every week and go watch two nights every week. That is actually what I have to get higher. We’re very fortunate in LA we have got the Improv, we have got the Comedy Retailer, we have got the Snicker Manufacturing facility, and they’re extremely polished veteran skills. And for me as an aspiring comedian, I simply actually, I study. Then I made a decision to provide my very own present, known as MILF and Cookies. And a part of that’s going round and making an attempt to curate new expertise and discover new expertise and put them on my exhibits. I do them twice a month. It forces me to work on my set as a result of I’ve to host, plus it forces me to get on the market and discover new comics. And I pay my comics, which is completely different than numerous small exhibits and open mics as a result of I am like, “You want to be paid in your expertise.”
SM: That is so enjoyable. Do you watch numerous standup exhibits then? Or do you do extra smaller-time comics?
WC: I believe Nate Bargatze is implausible. There’s one other one named Kate Blandford. She’s not a mother, however she’s humorous as hell. I really like the “I am unable to consider he simply stated that” type of shit. Like Anthony Jeselnik. He is actually, actually darkish.
It’s been an fascinating journey, Kate, as a result of I am fairly, I am blonde. I rise up there and I inform jokes about suicide and folks do not fairly know what to do with it. And so I believe I am on my journey. I have never actually found my voice but as a comic book. I am getting there.
SM: It is so enjoyable.
WC: It’s enjoyable. It is a muscle you bought to flex. And that is why whenever you ask me who’s my favourite those who I observe, it is the writers. I need to be Andrea Savage.
SM: Oh, she’s the perfect. I interviewed her once. I am Sorry is likely one of the biggest exhibits.
WC: One of many nice TV exhibits of all time. That is type of humorous. I am Sorry impressed me to go to UCLA and take sitcom writing courses. So the very first pitch script I wrote was an I am Sorry spec script. And I believe I nailed it. I reread it. I am like, “Rattling, that is humorous.”
You realize what, if in case you have a minute, tune into No Good Deed.
SM: Oh, I’ve watched it.
WC: I believe that is very surprisingly sharp. I used to be like, oh, that is good.
SM: Effectively, Lisa Kudrow can mainly do no unsuitable, to begin with.
WC: Precisely.
SM: And Linda Cardellini too. Fucking age, lady.
WC: She’s not growing older. Her tits look implausible. She’s a beautiful lady, and I really like that she performed the villain this time.
SM: So if in case you have a TV night time, what do you watch?
WC: Effectively, the Whitney Cicero particular is consuming my weight in Indian meals and watching horror films. I am a horror junkie.
SM: Oh my God. I hate horror films with a ardour. They scare the shit out of me.
WC: And a few folks prefer it. And I believe that is my darkish humor facet.
SM: I take it too actually. What are your favourite horror films?
WC: My favourite horror film is Cabin within the Woods. It took each single horror trope and it flipped it. And so, as a horror fan, it simply stored pivoting the tropes, and it stored you in your ft the entire time. And it was each humorous and gross, however considerate and peculiar. Lots of people would love, oh, it is The Exorcist. And I really like The Final of Us.
SM: Do you watch comedy exhibits, or do you solely watch horror?
WC: I surprisingly do not watch as many comedy specials as I most likely ought to as a result of I believe, to be very sincere, I’ve skilled jealousy, so I would moderately go see the comics reside, get to know them, befriend them, get them on my exhibits.
SM: Do you learn loads, or are you principally simply doing comedy stuff?
WC: No, I learn a ton. I’ve stacks. I presently have six completely different books. I’ve a guide I maintain in my automobile, so in the event you’re ever like, I am simply going to seize a chew to eat, you may take it with you. I’ve a handbag guide that is like a thinner paperback that may go into the dentist’s workplace with me, after which I’ve bought 4 by my mattress.
SM: How do you learn all this without delay and never get confused? Additionally, what are these books?
WC: I’ve bought The Dance Macabre by Stephen King, which is his guide about writing horror, after which that branched into like, properly, you have to learn Jekyll and Hyde and Frankenstein and Dracula. You must return to the classics if you wish to fully do this. So I simply purchased all these after which Mad Honey. That is my present automobile guide. After which my good friend simply wrote a guide known as Moonshine. That is my purse guide proper now. After which I am an atheist, so I’ve bought all of Dawkins and Hitchens stuff proper by my mattress… However that simply depresses me.
SM: Ha! OK, a couple of extra questions, then I will allow you to go. What’s probably the most bogus parenting recommendation you’ve got ever acquired?
WC: Can we flip that to the inverse?
SM: Positive.
WC: The most effective parenting recommendation was to study the phrase, “This does not work for me or my household.” Since you get a lot recommendation and enter, and sooner or later, you simply must anchor to your individual ethical code and be like, that noise would not work for me. And being like, that does not work for me or that does not work my household.
SM: That is nice.
WC: “You need to pre-pack your lunches.” “You need to put it on a spreadsheet.” “You need to have a calendar.” Nice, that works for you. That does not work for me. It was very highly effective since you begin to set up boundaries, and it additionally makes you go, not everyone’s proper. You must actually take heed to your individual strengths and your child’s strengths and work out work all of it collectively.
SM: That’s actually good recommendation. OK, final query. What was your final meal?
WC: I had an apple and peanut butter final night time for dinner after we got here residence from pub trivia, which we gained, and we gained a bottle of Fireball.
SM: Oh my God. They nonetheless make that?
WC: They nonetheless do. So my dinner was a Fireball and Coke and an apple and peanut butter. Breakfast of champions.
SM: That is hysterical. Additionally, is Fireball and Coke any good?
WC: It is scrumptious. Cinnamon Coke. I took the shot, I poured it in, and I am like, give this to God. I do not understand how that is going to style. And it was scrumptious.
SM: I really like that you simply really opened the bottle of the Fireball that you simply bought too. It is fairly spectacular.
WC: We gained! My husband is a savant. He retains every part, and I supply nothing until it is musical theater style or random horror film stuff. These are the one occasions I can contribute.
SM: These are two good issues to have the ability to have an experience in as a result of not everybody has that.
WC: Proper? It is very area of interest, however when that class comes on, I am like mmmhmmm.
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