Abbi Jacobson Is Refreshingly Clear-Eyed About Money

By Megan Reynolds April 26, 2017

Stars: they’re just like us. Sort of.

Broad City works so well because of its relatability. Abbi and Ilana have roommates, smoke weed, and explore the wonders of the Gowanus Whole Foods on painkillers with the wide-eyed rapture gleaming rows of Kettle Chips and a never-ending bulk foods section deserves. Abbi Jacobson is another one of the famous people interviewed for Wealthsimple’s Money Diary.

Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson is Done with the Potatoes

Maybe it’s because she’s recently come into the success that she enjoys now that makes her story so compelling, but it provides a nice background for understanding a little bit of the hustle required in getting a show like Broad City made.

As someone who is now making more money than she did in the past, Jacobson’s outlook is clear: “I’m careful to save money, because I get a little nervous that the success I’ve been finding won’t just keep going,” she says. “But I also work hard all the time to ensure it won’t all go away.” Is that impostor syndrome, rearing its ugly head? Not really — just a simple acknowledgement that success in any form is not a guarantee. Once you have that success, sleep with one eye open and a hand on your money. Keep it safe because you never know when the other shoe will drop.

When she first moved to New York, she struggled, but what I find the most refreshing is that she acknowledges outright that she could’ve had help if she wanted it and is clear and upfront about that privilege.

Like a lot of people, I worked as a waitress and a caterer, putting money away for tuition, with a little spending money on the side. My first couple of years in New York, working full-time as a waitress, I was always so broke it was a little scary. I’m lucky that I always had a safety net — I knew that if I needed help, my parents wouldn’t let me end up on the streets. But I didn’t really take advantage of that; instead I learned to live cheap. It was a thrifty, if fearful, existence.

Having parents who are able to help is one thing; acknowledging that the safety net is there in the first place is quite another. This kind of transparency feels revolutionary because a lot of people just aren’t willing to own up to this fact — if a river of secret money kept them aloft through the lean years, well, you’ll likely never find out.

Support The Billfold

The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.