 Stadtmiller wrote about inspiring the Nina Howard character (played by Hope Davis) in "The Newsroom" after briefly dating Aaron Sorkin and showed their correspondence about the development of the "Bad Mandy" character in xoJane.Stadtmiller was born in San Diego in 1975 to Patricia and Jerry Stadtmiller, an ex-Marine and Vietnam veteran.In a 2018 interview, Stadtmiller stated that multiple bullet wounds to the face received during combat in Vietnam left her father completely blind and suffering anger management issues related to an acquired brain injury.