On a recent morning, Caitlin Murray’s 8-year-old daughter had a piece of sausage stuck in her palate expander and was trying to get it out of her morning orthodontic appliance. Her 11-year-old son, who was recovering from a stomach bug, was gagging at the sight of his sister. Meanwhile, their 5-year-old brother has colored the entire dining room table.
“I was like, ‘Holy s–t, go to school,'” Murray told The Post. “But also laughing at how absurd it is [it was].”
If “everything was a copy” for Nora Ephron – who famously turned her ex-husband’s infidelity into a bestselling novel – everything is happy for Murray.
Drawing humor from the chaos and common indignities of motherhood and middle age, the 42-year-old Westchester mother of three has become a social media star and attracted celebrity fans including Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Aniston, Penelope Cruz and Ilana Glazer. .
“It’s the same, it’s hard to separate,” she said of life as a mother and her work as a content creator.
In a recent Instagram post that went viral, Murray gives a hilarious riff on the various health advice videos that flood the internet.
“Hey ladies, have you been struggling to lose belly fat?” she says monotonously. “You’re not getting enough protein, okay, you’re going to have to take the grams of protein and multiply that by the number of stars in the sky, and that’s how much protein you’re going to need per day okay. to lose weight , but you’ll also need to stay in a caloric deficit to lose weight, idiot. But you also need to live your life: memories, not macros… comment on the science of my six-week plan being completely hijacked.”
The video has attracted nearly 12 million views and has drawn the ire of celebrities such as parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy and Grammy Award-winning singer Pink, who called it “the funniest thing ever” in the comments section.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Murray said of her success and her high following. “Just being a pretty regular mom and then having these people who are mega stars recognize your face all of a sudden.”
Her internet stardom came in a roundabout way.
Murray’s eldest son was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 3 years old and spent more than three years in intensive care.
She began writing emails to family and friends giving updates on his health, mixed with humor and anecdotes. They caught the eye of a neighbor in publishing, who got her a business dating, but Murray was told he couldn’t get a book deal without an online following.
So, in late 2018, she launched her own Instagram account, @BigTimeAdulting. It initially focused on funny videos of her dancing, often with her youngest strapped to her chest.
Murray, who has previously worked in fundraising for Funds Ireland and The Dalton School, has no formal training in performance or writing beyond some high school improv. But, she said, she has “probably always been a bit of a ham”.
These days, her social media is focused on observations delivered straight to the camera, often in a jaded monotone and colorful language. (Neither her children nor her husband appear in the video.)
“No, you can’t go to Sephora with baby skin,” she says of the trend of young girls obsessed with expensive skin care. “Why don’t you get out there and go find a rusty springboard to double back without a side lock.”
In another video, she declares “Travel sports are becoming a real hit on the tt. If you want to keep scheduling these kids’ games for 7, 8, 9 at night on the weekend, I’m going to start passing martinis on the sidelines.”
Murray usually appears tired in her posts, her hair unkempt, her face bare — the better to see what she says are her prominent “genetic” under-eye circles.
“I’ve never seen anyone on Instagram look like they’re warmed to death the way I do in the morning, every day,” she said of her aesthetic choices.
Murray’s oldest son is now a happy and healthy fifth grader in full remission. But his cancer has left a lasting mark on her as a parent – and comedian.
“Going through that experience, I felt like I had so much confidence on the road as a mom and I could say whatever I wanted about the ups and downs and funny things of motherhood,” she said. “I really didn’t care if it seemed, you know, taboo.”
And, she now has a book deal. Her collection of personal essays is set to be published by a Random House imprint in 2025.
“It’s been such a cool experience to change careers and gears at a later stage in my life,” Murray said. “I didn’t necessarily expect it, but it’s been super fulfilling and fun.”
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Image Source : nypost.com