The duo behind CrazyJewishMom reveal what they've learned since going viral

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Kate Siegel and Kim Friedman On "Mother, Can You NOT?"
Kate Siegel and Kim Friedman On "Mother, Can You NOT?"

In just a few short years, the Instagram account CrazyJewishMom has dominated the social media space. With a fanbase of almost a million followers, Kate Siegel and Kim Friedman (the mother-daughter duo behind CrazyJewishMom) have gone viral more times than they can count. Whether it is Kim's bluntness about Kate's lack of an engagement ring or her trying to convince her daughter to move out of the "death trap" (her NYC apartment), followers can always count on CrazyJewishMom to deliver plenty of LOL moments.

Siegel's debut book is no exception. "Mother, Can You Not?" highlights the same larger-than-life antics between the pair that so many people have grown to love. Their stories showcase a side to the mother-daughter relationship that most viewers rarely see. It's an intimate look at a bond that although strong to begin with, has strengthened during their time in the spotlight.

We recently sat down with Kate Siegel and Kim Friedman to discuss their rise to fame, what life has been like for them after going viral, and more!

YouShouldKnow is a feature that showcases up-and-coming social stars. To see more of past interviews, including more CrazyJewishMom exclusives, click here.

Has your relationship ever changed since going viral?
Kate Siegel: I don't think so. I think it's been really fun to be working on something professionally with your family.

Kim Friedman: But our relationship hasn't changed at all.

Kate Siegel: No not at all.

Kim Friedman: I text her incessantly, I worry about her not getting married, and I also seriously worry that she does not have medical benefits. She's a freelance writer and I'm so happy she wrote this book, but come on. Ariana Huffington is a best-selling author, she runs Huffington Post and she has health benefits. You could have a job like her!

Kate Siegel: There's always something more.

What's the biggest thing you've learned from each other during this journey?
Kate Siegel: I have learned to care a little less. She was saying on BUILD that one of the biggest thing she learned is that criticism doesn't bother her and I think something that I've had to embrace. Our lives have become so publicly available and you can't please everyone. There's always will be something negative to say. Like Malala [Yousafzai] has critics.

Kim Friedman: And what did I say? "Oh please!"

Kate Siegel: Yeah, that's something she's always said to me, but in this weird viral journey we've been on, it is something I've really had to embrace.

Kim Friedman: I didn't have that in my 20s. Of course I worried about what people thought, but as you get older, you realize that people don't really care about things outside their own little world. I don't know when I came to it, but I realized that I need to do what I want to do and say what I want to say, and if people don't like it doesn't bother me at all. I think she's close to that realization too.

Kate Siegel: I'm not there yet.

Kim Friedman: But she's getting there!

Kate Siegel: I also think that it's important to listen to feedback, but being able to brush off criticism that's for the sake of criticism is important.

Kim Friedman: For me, I always knew she was a good writer. In high school, she blew me away. But I have to say that I'm so impressed with this book and what an incredible writer she is. I didn't learn this -- but I'm impressed with the way she's combined the entrepreneurial with writing. She's writing this book, she loves posting on Instagram, and doing the business side of things. Thus, I think she should still be writing, but also asking Tim Armstrong for a job at AOL! You could have your own HuffPost, like KatePost.

Kate Siegel: You are such a monster!

Kim Friedman: Why, it's true?

And I have to ask, are you ever moving out of the death trap?
Kim Friedman: I had to sleep there last night. First of all, I want you to know there's a family of mice that live under her stove.

Kate Siegel: Could the apartment be better? Sure.

Kim Friedman: You have to walk through the kitchen and the mice family to get to the bedroom. To get to the apartment you go up four flights of the worst, most broken down stairs. And then there's the lovely fire escape outside of your window that anybody could climb up and get onto. It's a death trap.

Kate Siegel: At some point I could move.

Kim Friedman: You could get a job here at AOL and then you could move. Mr. Armstrong, are you reading this post?

YouShouldKnow is a feature that showcases up-and-coming social stars. To see more of past interviews, including more CrazyJewishMom exclusives, click here.

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