'TIL DEATH DO WE PARENT

Co-parenting with pride and a healthy sense of humor.

Veteran stand-up comic Hilarious (born Jessica Moore) grew up in Baltimore as the daughter of fiercely protective, staunchly religious parents who only wanted the best for her. In an early chapter, the author meticulously describes the panic of her pregnancy discovery at age 19, her feelings of naïveté and vulnerability, and the ordeal of deciding whether to keep the baby with father, Gerome “Rome” James, whom she’d casually met on Myspace. After the shock and concern abated, the author’s parents remained supportive as Hilarious decided to carry the child to term. By the third trimester, however, her dreams of becoming Rome’s loving wife began to sour as his dalliances with other women forced her to abandon any future plans with him. After giving birth to Ashton in 2012, she remained at her mother’s home while Rome dipped in and out of their lives. Co-parenting in an atmosphere of “unhealthy and hostile communication” was tough, but Hilarious persevered at being the best mother imaginable through Ash’s “mouthy” toddler years as she worked odd jobs and dated a succession of well-intentioned men who were ill-equipped at handling a single mom. After further betrayals, heartbreak, and disappointments, she and Rome took a more mature route to parent Ash together, responsibly, and with as little senseless melodrama as possible. Though their childrearing styles clashed and money was tight, both persevered for Ash’s sake until, after a nudge from Nick Cannon, the author’s stand-up comedy career heated up and the real juggling act of parent and performer began. With wit, pride, and more than a few zings of profanity-laced attitude, Hilarious presents her experiences as a mother and celebrity with the same candor as in her stage act. The author is a seasoned and captivating storyteller, and fans will appreciate her fork-tongued evolution into motherhood. Hilarious has since given birth to a daughter, Marley, in 2024, and ends this chapter of her busy life with a well-earned reflection about Ashton: “I did a good job with him.”

A raw, edgy and very real take on raising a child with an ex.