Podbit · Call Her Daddy
Wilde's mother was a war correspondent who traveled to Afghanistan while raising her children, facing relentless judgment for choosing dangerous journalism over constant presence. The lesson she passed to Olivia: the bullshit is inevitable, so don't get floored by it — just push through.
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At 13:56 · chapter starts 13:52
Cooper steers into Wilde's origin story. Her parents were journalists who modeled intellectual courage at the dinner table — opinions were encouraged, discourse was valued. Her mother, a war correspondent who traveled to Afghanistan, was unlike other mothers in the neighborhood, which irritated young Olivia before she understood its value. Friends flocked to her mother's kitchen table, drawn to a woman who took everyone seriously. But the mother faced relentless judgment for prioritizing dangerous journalism over constant parental presence. Wilde reflects that the impossible standard placed on her mother — damned for leaving, damned for being present — is the same trap every working mother falls into, and the only antidote is talking about it. Shame dies when you share [1] — Olivia Wilde "Wilde's mother was a war correspondent who traveled to Afghanistan while raising her children, facing relentless judgment for choosing dang…" 13:56 .
Olivia Wilde's parents were both war correspondents, with her mother traveling to dangerous places like Afghanistan, facing constant judgment for being a mother who put her life on the line for journalism.
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