WASHINGTON 鈥� Jill Kargman would rather drink the worst red wine in history than sip on the best white wine in the world. And 谤辞蝉茅? Pass.
鈥淵eah, I know. Every mother is going to turn on me now. But it鈥檚 like Hamptons Gatorade; I can鈥檛 touch the stuff,鈥� she said.
Kargman is the writer and the star of Bravo鈥檚 hit TV show 鈥�.鈥� Unlike others on the network, 鈥淥dd Mom Out鈥� is scripted, not reality 鈥� but for Kargman, it鈥檚 not that far off.
In the show, Kargman plays a satirical version of herself: A spirited mom of three living in Manhattan鈥檚 Upper East Side. Unlike others in the enclave, 鈥淛ill鈥� doesn鈥檛 feel the need to conform to a life of white-wine spritzers and charity lunches. She prefers greasy diner food and dance parties in her underwear.
The real-life Jill is pretty similar. Kargman lives in the Upper East Side with her husband and three children 鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 not in the fashionable part of the Upper East Side 鈥� I鈥檓 really, like, on the fringes,鈥� she clarified 鈥� and doesn鈥檛 accept the neighborhood鈥檚 version of normal.
鈥淚鈥檓 well aware that it鈥檚 like this fairy dust land and they鈥檙e not living in the real world,鈥� she said. 聽
Her address, however, is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to finding new material.
Before Kargman ever stepped in front of the camera, the Yale graduate spent her career behind a computer, writing books such as 鈥淢omzilla,鈥� 鈥淎rm Candy,鈥� 鈥淭he Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund鈥� and many more. And this fall, she鈥檚 adding a new one to the list with 鈥�.鈥�
In the book 鈥�聽a hilarious compendium of essays, lists, doodles and rants 鈥� Kargman exposes her dark sense of humor, which is something she inherited from her father, Arie Kopelman, the former chairman of Chanel. It鈥檚 also something she has passed on to her children.
In fact, the title of the book comes directly from her daughter.
鈥淪he said, 鈥業 don鈥檛 understand why people bring flowers to graves, because they die 鈥� it鈥檚 so depressing. And when you die, I鈥檓 going to sprinkle glitter on your grave, because you鈥檙e fabulous and it鈥檚 really hard to clean up,鈥欌�� Kargman explained.
That somewhat morbid way of thinking is what gets Kargman through life and helps her keep things in perspective.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a weapon; it鈥檚 armor. I feel like things don鈥檛 bother me as much because I know that I鈥檓 quick and I have zingers in my arsenal,鈥� she said.
鈥淭his is all going to be over in 60 years, so when we鈥檙e pushing daisies, we can鈥檛 sweat the small s**t, and that is something that I just carry with me every day.鈥�
鈥淪prinkle Glitter on My Grave鈥� shares many similarities with 鈥淥dd Mom Out.鈥� Kargman wages war on Manhattan鈥檚 private school admission system in the chapter titled 鈥淜ingergauntlet,鈥� and talks about the grueling application process for landing an exclusive family burial plot in Nantucket (let鈥檚 just say a recommendation letter from Secretary of State John Kerry sealed the deal) 鈥� both of these storylines made the show.
But there are aspects of the book everyone can identify with, even those below East 50th and outside of New York, altogether 鈥� like how terrible Disney World is for adults, and why things just seem to taste better on long, thin spoons.
If you find yourself in agreement with those two things, wait until you read what Kargman thinks should happen to the composer of the 1-877-KARS4KIDS jingle.
鈥淥ften, if you feel something, there鈥檚 a little chorus,鈥� Kargman said about the rants in her book. 鈥淧eople always think they connect over shared passions, but you can also bond over shared loathing.鈥�
More than anything, Kargman鈥檚 new book reinforces that it鈥檚 OK to be yourself, no matter what society dictates. That strong sense of self is something that used to come easy to Kargman. However, she admits she lost it once she had kids, due to others鈥� judgments and her insecurities.
But now, it鈥檚 finally back. 聽
鈥淪omeone shook the Etch A Sketch and it went away, so I鈥檝e had to combat-crawl back there,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think you just have to shut out the white noise. You can鈥檛 listen to anybody. People make pronouncements about the way things should be or what worked for them.鈥�
Kargman鈥檚 best piece of advice: Do your own thing and do what works best for you. And flowers on grave sites are so basic.
草莓传媒鈥檚 rapid-fire interview with Jill Kargman:
Author or actress?
Actress
Uptown or downtown?
Downtown
Red or white?
Red
Cold-brew coffee or iced?
Cold-brew
Leather or Lycra?
Leather
Boots or booties?
Booties
Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram
New Yorker or The New York Times?
The New York Times
Bergdorfs or Barneys?
Barneys
Vanessa or Brooke?
Vanessa
Andy Cohen or Captain Lee?
Andy Cohen
聽Watch the trailer for “Odd Mom Out,” now in its second season:聽
