Actress and comedian Jenny Mollen has broken her silence after copping backlash for posting a controversial photo of herself on a bed with her young son. In the photo shared weeks after her split from American Pie star Jason Biggs on May 15, Mollen was positioned between their 12-year-old son Sid's legs while holding him in her arms on a bed. While the photo remains on her Instagram as of today, the caption, which read, 'Your eldest son will be the most toxic guy you ever date', has since been deleted. Some of her critics have called the photo 'creepy AF', 'wildly inappropriate', and 'so disturbing', while supporters pointed out that Mollen was 'not doing anything wrong'.
Defending the Intimate Moment
The Crazy, Stupid, Love actress has now hit back at her critics to defend herself in the wake of the severe backlash. 'Last week, the internet called me a child molester for posting a photo of myself holding my son,' she began in the June 9 edition of her Substack newsletter, The Best Friend Experience. In her essay, the 47-year-old said that the photo was taken after Sid returned home from a weekend away, saying that what 'strangers saw as scandal, I saw as grief'. 'There's something devastating about realising your child can survive without you, that they can be content somewhere else,' she wrote.
Mollen's Joke and Parenting Humor
Mollen also doubled down on her caption, dismissing it as a 'joke'. 'The joke that offended people was: 'Your eldest son will be the most toxic boyfriend you ever have.' And he is,' she reiterated. 'Parenthood has demanded a level of commitment and self-sacrifice from me that, in any other context, would be considered pathological.' 'I'd never accept this kind of relationship under any other circumstances,' she continued. 'And yet here I am, jumping through fire, constantly striving for affection and approval, waiting by the phone for a guy who can't even drive.' Mollen claimed that she's been 'making some version of this joke for over a decade' through her stand-up work and parenting essays, but has acknowledged that her humour is 'not for everyone'. 'When I look at that picture, I see a 12-year-old boy who still wants his mother, and a woman trying to hold on to closeness and connection at a time in her life when everything else is changing,' she added.
Family Dynamics After Split
Indeed, Mollen's family dynamics have shifted in the last month as she and Biggs navigate their new normal. The couple called it quits in mid-May after 18 years of marriage. 'They are very much connected,' a source told People at the time. 'I have no doubt that they will remain on excellent terms.' That appears to be the case with the exes photographed together over the weekend, putting on a united front for their kids – they also share another son together, Lazlo, 8. The Loser star and his estranged wife were seen linking arms while leaving a restaurant in New York City on Saturday night, however Biggs, 48, appeared limped and distressed during the outing, at times keeping his head down while clutching his chest. The actor was then seen taking a breather by what appeared to be a dumpster during their stroll. An eyewitness later told Page Six that Biggs started experiencing indigestion during dinner and was brought water by a waiter to help ease his symptoms.
