Diablo Cody
A former stripper turned Oscar-winning screenwriter who exploded onto Hollywood with the whip-smart, heartfelt teen dialogue of 'Juno'.
Born 1978 (age 48)·American writer and producer·Birthday: June 14·Generation X
Biography
Diablo Cody's origin story is the stuff of modern Hollywood lore. Born Brook Maurio, she was working in advertising and secretly blogging about her experiences in a Minneapolis strip club when her sharp, confessional writing caught a publisher's eye. Her memoir, 'Candy Girl,' led to a spec script that became 'Juno,' a film that captured the cultural moment with its quirky, hyper-articulate protagonist and won Cody an Academy Award. Overnight, she transformed from an internet scribe to a sought-after voice, proving an outsider could crash the gates. She refused to be a one-hit wonder, creating the cult TV show 'United States of Tara' and directing the visceral horror film 'Jennifer's Body.' Cody's career is a defiant argument for authentic, personal storytelling, whether wrapped in indie charm or genre-bending audacity.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Diablo was born in 1978, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Diablo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1978
#1 Movie
Grease
Best Picture
The Deer Hunter
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Diablo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1978Born
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1983Started school
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1991Became a teenager
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Could drive
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
1996Could vote
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Turned 21
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2008Turned 30
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 40
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 48 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for her debut film, 'Juno,' in 2008.
- Created and executive produced the acclaimed Showtime series 'United States of Tara,' starring Toni Collette.
- Authored the memoir 'Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper' based on her own experiences.
- Made her directorial debut with the 2013 film 'Paradise,' which she also wrote.
Did You Know?
She chose her pen name 'Diablo Cody' from listening to the song 'El Diablo' by the band Arcadia and the city of Cody, Wyoming.
She wrote the script for 'Juno' in the coffee shop of a Target store in Minnesota.
Before fame, she wrote for the 'City Pages,' an alternative newspaper in Minneapolis.
She has a tattoo of a hamburger on her forearm.
“I'm a firm believer that you should write what you know, and I knew about being a stripper and I knew about being pregnant.”
