Diablo Cody

Diablo Cody Bio

Brook Maurio, known professionally by the pen name Diablo Cody, is an American writer and producer born on June 14, 1978, in Lemont, Illinois. Cody gained widespread recognition for her candid blog documenting her experiences as a stripper and her subsequent memoir, Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, published in 2005. Her breakthrough came with her screenwriting debut, Juno (2007), a coming-of-age comedy about a teenager facing an unplanned pregnancy that earned her critical acclaim and established her distinctive voice in Hollywood.

Throughout her career, Cody has written and produced numerous films across various genres, demonstrating versatility as a storyteller. Her notable works include Jennifer’s Body (2009), Young Adult (2011), Ricki and the Flash (2015), Tully (2018), and Lisa Frankenstein (2024). Beyond film, Cody has created successful television series, including United States of Tara (2009-2011) and One Mississippi (2015-2017). She made her Broadway debut with the musical Jagged Little Pill, based on the Alanis Morissette album, showcasing her ability to craft compelling narratives across multiple mediums.

Early Life and Background

Born Brook Busey in the Chicago suburb of Lemont, Illinois, Diablo Cody was raised by her parents Pam and Greg Busey alongside her older brother Marc. Her mother is of Italian descent while her father has German ancestry. Cody was raised in the Apostolic Christian faith and attended Saints Cyril & Methodius School and Benet Academy, both Roman Catholic schools in the Chicago suburbs. During her formative years, she went by her birth name Brook.

Cody pursued higher education at the University of Iowa, where she graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in Media. While attending university, she worked in the acquisitions department of the main library. Following graduation, her early professional experiences included secretarial work at a Chicago law firm and proofreading copy for advertisements broadcast on Twin Cities radio stations. These formative years in the Midwest would later inform her authentic and often irreverent writing style.

After relocating to Minneapolis, Cody began exploring creative writing through blogging. What started as a parody blog called Red Secretary eventually evolved into more personal online writing. This period of experimentation with voice and narrative laid the groundwork for her future career in entertainment, allowing her to develop the sharp, conversational style that would become her signature in screenwriting and television production.

Path to Writer

In March 2003, Diablo Cody launched an adult blog called The Pussy Ranch, using a pen name she invented while driving through Cody, Wyoming, and listening to the song El Diablo by Arcadia. On impulse, she signed up for amateur night at a Minneapolis strip club called the Skyway Lounge. Finding that she enjoyed the experience and recognizing reader interest in her writings, she eventually quit her day job to become a full-time stripper. She also worked peep shows at Sex World, an adult novelty and DVD store in Minneapolis.

While still working as a stripper, Cody began writing for City Pages, an alternative weekly newspaper in the Twin Cities. Her distinctive voice and unfiltered perspective caught the attention of Mason Novick, who would become her manager. Novick recognized the commercial potential in her sharp, sarcastic writing style and helped secure her a publishing contract with Gotham Books. This opportunity led to the publication of her memoir, Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, at age 27, documenting her experiences in the adult entertainment industry.

Encouraged by Novick to explore screenwriting, Cody completed her first script, Juno, in February 2005. The coming-of-age story about a teenager dealing with unplanned pregnancy was optioned by a producer by summer of that year. Her rapid transition from blogging to memoir writing to screenwriting demonstrated remarkable adaptability and natural talent for narrative storytelling. The script circulated widely in Hollywood before the film’s production, generating significant buzz and establishing Cody as a fresh, exciting voice in the industry.

Diablo Cody Career

Early Career (2003-2006)

Diablo Cody’s professional writing career began in earnest with her blogging work in Minneapolis. The Pussy Ranch blog provided her with a platform to develop her distinctive voice, blending humor, vulnerability, and unflinching honesty. Her work for City Pages further honed her journalistic skills and introduced her to the world of professional writing. The publication of her memoir, Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, in 2005 marked her entry into book publishing and demonstrated the commercial appeal of her unique perspective.

The completion and optioning of her Juno screenplay in 2005 represented a pivotal moment in Cody’s early career. The script, written within months of her manager’s encouragement, quickly gained traction in Hollywood. This period of rapid transition from relatively obscure blogger to sought-after screenwriter showcased the power of her distinctive voice and the industry’s appetite for fresh narratives. The groundwork laid during these years would culminate in one of the most remarkable debut successes in modern screenwriting history.

Breakthrough (2007-2010)

Diablo Cody experienced a career-defining breakthrough with the release of Juno in 2007. Directed by Jason Reitman and starring Ellen Page and Michael Cera, the film was a critical and commercial success. Juno was runner-up for the Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award and won second prize at the Rome Film Festival. The film received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. For her debut screenplay, Cody won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, along with honors from BAFTA, the Writers Guild of America, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the National Board of Review, and the Satellite Awards.

The success of Juno opened numerous doors for Cody in the entertainment industry. In July 2007, Showtime announced production of a pilot for her television series United States of Tara, a comedy about a mother with dissociative identity disorder based on an idea by Steven Spielberg. The series, starring Toni Collette, premiered in January 2009 and ran for three seasons. Additionally, Cody sold scripts to major studios, including Girly Style to Universal Studios and Jennifer’s Body to Fox Atomic. Jennifer’s Body, a horror film starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, was released in September 2009, further demonstrating Cody’s versatility across genres.

During this breakthrough period, Cody also revised the script for the musical film Burlesque and made a cameo appearance as herself in a 2008 episode of the television series 90210. In 2009, she signed on to script and produce a film adaptation of the Sweet Valley High book series. This period of intense creative output and industry recognition established Cody as one of Hollywood’s most promising new writers, with opportunities to work across film, television, and publishing.

Notable Works and Milestones

Diablo Cody’s career is marked by several significant works and achievements beyond her initial breakthrough. In 2011, she wrote and produced the comedy-drama Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt. The film earned Cody nominations from the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Writers Guild of America. She made her directorial debut with Paradise (2013), a comedy-drama about a woman who abandons religion after surviving a plane crash, starring Julianne Hough, Holly Hunter, and Octavia Spencer.

Throughout the 2010s, Cody continued producing notable films, including Ricki and the Flash (2015), starring Meryl Streep in Jonathan Demme’s final feature film, and Tully (2018), reuniting her with Charlize Theron and director Jason Reitman. On television, she created One Mississippi (2015-2017) for Amazon Prime. Her Broadway debut came with Jagged Little Pill, a musical based on the Alanis Morissette album, which premiered in November 2019 and earned Cody the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. Her most recent film, Lisa Frankenstein, released in February 2024.

Diablo Cody Award Nominations

Diablo Cody has received numerous award nominations throughout her career, recognizing her contributions to screenwriting and theatrical production. Her debut screenplay for Juno garnered widespread acclaim, earning nominations from the Golden Globe Awards, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, and the Writers Guild of America. The film itself received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, bringing significant attention to Cody’s writing. Her work on Young Adult (2011) also resulted in nominations from major industry organizations, including the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Writers Guild of America. For her theatrical work on Jagged Little Pill, Cody received recognition from the Tony Awards and other theater organizations, highlighting her versatility across entertainment mediums.

Diablo Cody Awards Won

Diablo Cody has won prestigious awards recognizing her exceptional talent as a screenwriter and playwright. Her most significant achievement came in 2008 when she won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Juno, making her debut script one of the most celebrated in recent cinema history. That same year, she also won the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay for Juno. Additionally, Juno earned her the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay, and honors from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the National Board of Review, and the Satellite Awards. For her work on the Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill, Cody won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, further cementing her reputation as a versatile and accomplished writer across multiple entertainment platforms.

Diablo Cody Family

Diablo Cody, born Brook Busey, is the daughter of Pam and Greg Busey. Her mother is of Italian descent, while her father has German ancestry. She was raised in Lemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, alongside her older brother Marc. Cody was raised in the Apostolic Christian faith and attended Roman Catholic schools during her childhood, including Saints Cyril & Methodius School and Benet Academy. Her Midwestern upbringing and religious background have influenced her perspective and occasionally informed her writing, though she has since explored themes of questioning faith in works such as her directorial debut, Paradise.

Personal Life

Diablo Cody married Jon Hunt in 2004, and during their marriage, which lasted until 2007, she was known as Brook Busey-Hunt. In her memoir, she wrote fondly of her relationship with Hunt. In 2009, Cody married Dan Maurio, who worked on the talk show Chelsea Lately. The couple has three sons, born in 2010, 2012, and 2015. Cody has appeared frequently as a roundtable guest on Chelsea Lately alongside her husband. Outside of her professional work, Cody is a lifelong roller-coaster enthusiast and has a tattoo of the Giant Dipper at San Diego’s Belmont Park on her right arm. She is also close friends with fellow screenwriters Dana Fox and Lorene Scafaria, with whom she often collaborates and shares creative feedback.