Overview of Not Skinny But Not Fat with Jill Kargman
Amanda Hirsch sits down with writer, actor, and satirist Jill Kargman for a sharp, funny conversation about Upper East Side mom culture, her career path from magazines to TV and film, and her new movie Influence, which skewers influencer culture with a very New York lens. The episode blends career backstory, parenting commentary, and plenty of irreverent jokes about privilege, beauty, social media, and the bizarre social rules of elite parenting circles.
Main Topics Discussed
Jill Kargman’s career path
- Jill explains that she started in magazines, worked at Harper’s Bazaar, Interview, and MTV, and later moved into writing novels.
- Her early books eventually led to Momzillas and then Odd Mom Out, which she says was inspired by real-life mom culture she observed after becoming a parent.
- She describes a major career pivot: after being pushed away from writing the kinds of books she wanted, she took a detour into advertising/copywriting, which unexpectedly connected her to the producer who helped launch Odd Mom Out.
Odd Mom Out and the Upper East Side
- Jill says the show was based on her own experiences as an outsider among wealthy, image-conscious moms in Manhattan.
- She and Amanda discuss how the show predicted things that now feel very contemporary, including influencer-style self-presentation and the performative side of wealth.
- Jill says the show ended mainly because it was expensive to produce and wasn’t a natural fit for Bravo’s usual reality-TV model.
The making of Influence
- Jill’s new movie Influence is described as a satire of influencer culture, especially the Upper East Side version of it.
- She says the movie grew out of a character she had been playing with during COVID and out of her fascination with the self-promotion, filters, wealth signaling, and “fabulous” aspirational veneer of social media.
- The project was originally developed as a TV show, but after the network executives were let go, it became a feature film instead.
- Jill notes that the movie works because it’s both exaggerated and, in many ways, uncomfortably realistic.
Being a mom in Manhattan
- Jill talks about raising three kids in New York City and strongly endorses city life over the suburbs.
- She jokes about having “suburban panic disorder” and says she likes the energy, independence, and constant stimulation of city living.
- She contrasts city kids with suburban kids, joking that boredom in the suburbs can lead to earlier experimentation.
- She also discusses the culture of private schools, vacation comparisons, social status, and how kids absorb these values.
Parenting style and social media
- Jill says she tried to raise her kids with a healthy skepticism toward social media and body image pressure.
- She describes deliberately warning her daughters that social media presents a warped version of reality.
- The conversation touches on revenge porn, nude-sharing, body dysmorphia, and the importance of teaching kids caution and self-awareness online.
- Jill says she uses Instagram in a curated way: she follows things that make her feel good, laugh, or stay informed, and avoids the rest.
Work, identity, and not following the “traditional” path
- Jill emphasizes that she never had a linear career plan and doesn’t believe in waiting for permission.
- She says she’s happiest making her own projects and being proactive rather than hoping someone hands her a role.
- Amanda highlights this as a trait Jill is known for: creating her own lane rather than trying to fit into a standard entertainment trajectory.
Notable Insights
- Jill’s work often comes from real-life observation: the absurdity, vanity, and social politics of mom culture become creative material.
- She believes there’s usually more depth to the people who seem the most superficial.
- Her comments suggest that the gap between curated online life and private reality is the core tension of modern influencer culture.
- She also makes the case that kids do better when parents model confidence, clarity, and a strong sense of values rather than obsession with status.
Recommendations / What to Watch or Check Out
- Watch Influence
- In theaters now, and available on demand starting July 10.
- Revisit Odd Mom Out
- Jill notes that the show is available on Peacock.
- Follow Jill Kargman’s work
- Her comedy leans into sharp social satire, especially around parenting, class, and New York life.
Bottom Line
This episode is a fast, funny, and very candid conversation about how Jill Kargman turned her real-life observations of New York motherhood and influencer culture into entertainment. It’s part career retrospective, part parenting philosophy, and part social satire—grounded in Jill’s signature dry, brutally honest humor.