Beware The Boy Mom

Beware The Boy Mom

From ICYMI by Slate Podcasts

June 6, 2026 · 40 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the internet phenomenon of 'boy moms' and the implications of a viral post by Jenny Mollen.

On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by writer Stephanie McNeal to discuss the internet phenomenon of “boy moms.” As an internet culture expert, and recent mother of a boy herself, Stephanie helps break down the reaction to a recent viral post from actress Jenny Mollen, who has publicly compared her sons to “toxic exes” and is already mourning losing them to their eventual marriages. But she is far from the only example of this trope on social media, and the more mothers fall into this trap, the more they legitimize a problematic dynamic. This podcast is produced by Vic Whitley-Berry, Daisy Rosario, and Kate Lindsay. Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Kate Lindsay

Guest: Stephanie McNeal

Topics covered

  • internet culture
  • parenting
  • social media
  • boy moms
  • viral posts

Keywords

  • boy moms
  • internet phenomenon
  • parenting
  • toxic exes
  • social media

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