John Mulaney has revealed that Olivia Munn staged a “mini intervention” for him when she was six months pregnant.
In an interview for GQ’s 2024 Man of the Year issue, the 42-year-old comedian explained how his wife, 44, has played a crucial role in his recovery journey since he entered rehab for cocaine and alcohol addiction in December 2020. Mulaney admitted that Munn even began administering random drug tests, a practice she continues to this day.
“It’s like a relief… I like to be able to not even have that be a question in her or anyone else’s mind,” Mulaney said. “Something about peeing in that cup is like, I’m walking this walk. It gives me confidence.”
The couple first crossed paths in 2013 at Seth Meyers and Alexi Ashe’s wedding, but it wasn’t until 2021 that they reconnected. Following his split from ex-wife Anna Marie Tendler in July that year, Mulaney was looking for a new apartment in New York when Munn offered to connect him with a friend. Their conversations deepened and soon evolved into a more intimate bond.
Amid their budding relationship, Munn discovered she was pregnant – a moment she recently described as a “surprise.” While they initially planned to co-parent separately, with Munn living in Los Angeles and Mulaney in New York, the former Saturday Night Live writer began visiting her more often. Mulaney had recently checked out of rehab following a relapse during the 2020 pandemic, but the excitement of their child’s arrival seemed to be “the one thing that made him seem light and happy,” Munn recalled.
Reflecting on the early days of their relationship, the New Girl star told GQ: “I remember he was really excited to tell his parents. I was watching someone newly sober, at the edge of a cliff, and I didn’t know him well enough to help him… In my head, I’m thinking, ‘I don’t know really what’s happening with this guy. It feels pretty shaky.’”
However, she was struck by his on-stage energy after seeing him perform, as she recalled thinking: “Man, he’s on fire. He’s just that phenomenal.”
The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Malcolm, in November 2021. Mulaney’s divorce from Tendler was finalized in February 2022. After navigating highs and lows together, including Munn’s battle with breast cancer, the pair were married in July 2024 and two months later celebrated the birth of their daughter Méi via surrogate.
With Munn’s unwavering support, as well as encouragement from friends and family, Mulaney has reached a point where he can fully reflect on his struggles with addiction. “There was a time when I would have told you that I could not fly, sleep, or perform unless I had a Klonopin,” he explained.
Mulaney also shared memories from the height of his addiction, including an “insane” night when he feared he might die from drug use. “I thought, ‘Okay… I’m going to totally slow down. That was, like, a Tuesday. And Thursday night, I did it again,’” he confessed.
