Hello!!
My name is Jameela Jamil. I’m a comedic actor, a writer, a podcaster, a TV host, a documentary maker and an advocate within the world of social justice, and a massive goon. My main interest is how we could find sustainable happiness and understand ourselves and each other better.
This is a very varied insight into my brain. There will be essays, Q&A’s, videos, meet ups, livestreams and dog content, as well as parts of me that I feel safer sharing on here than I do on Social Media. I feel as though the “Benefit of the Doubt” still exists on Substack, and so I’ve joined in the hopes that I can find people who want to talk, not just shout.
Here I hope to bring you the things I love, hate and care about, unedited. I am interested in things like the human condition, the things that define us and our decisions, loneliness, and why I still can’t flirt, even in my thirties. I want to know why we’re so angry with each other. I want to unpack the magic born of humiliating moments, the power of failure, the joy of growing old. I would like to know how people are managing to do shower sex. I’d love to discuss the ups and downs of struggling with your health. Are ghosts watching us when we wank? I want to work out how we can bring women and men closer together. I want to talk about our bodies and who taught us to hate them so much, and how we can take those fucking people down and ruin their lives, and take all their money away… and… piss in their bedding… and…
You get the picture.
Look, I know I have a reputation for being controversial, a little divisive, and at times combative. I have been working on that for the past 3 years, because I wasn't growing or learning anything in an echo chamber. I have created this page to try to enter into both big and little conversations from a place of curiosity, honesty, humility, humor, and a deep sense of concern for how far we have all pushed each other away. I miss people. I miss spirited debate. I miss the permission to learn in public.
I used to engage online with the hope to change people’s minds. I have now evicted myself from my previous address of living up my own arse, and evolved to just hoping to open people’s minds, and to hope they can open and expand mine.
I will change, I will grow, I will shrink, I will shift and I will experiment on here.
I hope you would like to join me.
For free: Direct to your email, and ad free, I’ll be dropping in now and then to tell you what’s on my mind and letting you know about projects and meet up IRL events I have coming up.
For paid subscription of a monthly $7- Which is ~6 GBP, and an Annual $70 and around ~54 GBP: If you meet me behind the cheeky little paywall, I will be offering more consistent long form essays, extra content, interviews, content from other writers direct to your email and ad free. You get more snapshots into my life and you get to join the group chat where you meet other likeminded folks in a troll-free environment where you can also submit your suggestions for subjects you would like me to cover, WAHEY! You will also have full access to the full publication archive. (I know this seems pricey, but after tax and commission, this just about covers my ability to take time off other work to do this properly and pay any contributors who join me on here.)
And for a whopping $170 dollars/~138 GBP: You become my loyal benefactor. You get a personalized welcome video or letter from me thanking you. You get early access to IRL events before anyone else. You have access to Direct messaging me on here, in a private chat, rather than the communal one, and I will respond as and when I can. Substack advised against me offering marriage, so I’m afraid that’s off the table… but know you’re in my heart as such a generous, legendary supporter of my work.
In whichever capacity we find each other, Thank you for being here and considering any of this. I am always amazed when anyone gives a flying fuck what I have to say about anything.
