A controversial essay Jenny Mollen published shortly before her viral Instagram controversy is now drawing renewed attention, with critics arguing that it provides additional context for the backlash surrounding photos she shared with her 12-year-old son.
As Buzzfeed notes, the essay, titled "Please. Stay. I want you. I need you. Oh, God," was published on Mollen's Substack on May 10. In it, the actor reflects on raising sons, describing motherhood as a relationship built around eventual loss and separation. But several passages from the essay have become focal points of debate. "Having boys is a mind f*ck. It builds you up, only to tear you apart," Mollen wrote.
Elsewhere, she referred to her sons as "these emotional vampires" and "the most emotionally high-maintenance men I've ever dated."
She also wrote that she only wanted her sons to marry women with "dead mothers" because it was her "only shot at staying relevant, of seeming useful, and of winning by comparison."
The essay also references American Pie actor Jason Biggs, whom Mollen separated from earlier this year after 18 years of marriage. Recalling her relationship with Biggs' mother, Mollen wrote that she finally understood why her mother-in-law struggled with their marriage announcement because she had effectively been "eating her son, straight out of the fridge, without even asking for a plate."
Later, while discussing her eldest son's interactions with girls, Mollen admitted she once complained to Biggs about a girl texting Sid because "she wasn't even hotter than me," before acknowledging that Biggs was right to let their son navigate the situation on his own.
The resurfaced essay has landed in the middle of an already-heated controversy surrounding the photos Mollen posted of herself and Sid. The images showed the pair lying close together on a bed, hugging, with their arms and legs wrapped around one another.
While some followers viewed the photos as a harmless display of affection between a mother and son, others took issue with the original caption.
Before it was deleted, the caption reportedly read: "Your eldest son will be the most toxic guy you ever date." The caption became so controversial that a community note attached to the post alleged that Mollen had removed the original wording after criticism mounted.
Mollen later defended the photos on Instagram Stories, expressing shock at the reaction.
"It's like because I'm getting separated, because I'm not protected by the institution of marriage, I'm suddenly like a different kind of target," she said. "A photo of me hugging my 12-year-old child is getting ridiculed."
