John Mulaney shares the ‘intervention’ his wife Olivia Munn directed for him.
A few years ago, John Mulaney pivoted from his stand-up specials and marriage that had been part of his professional brand. Suddenly, he divorced his ex-wife and impregnated Olivia Munn.
This change, which took place over several months, did not suddenly come out of nowhere. The beloved comedian had just gone to rehab and was clearly rethinking his life.
Recovery from addiction is a journey, not just an event. As part of that, John Mulaney explains, Olivia Munn performed small interventions to keep him sober.
Olivia Munn gave John Mulaney an intervention when he needed it
Tuesday, November 12th GQ John Mulaney has been named the magazine’s Man of the Year.
Over the years, the comedian has been open about his struggle with substance abuse and addiction. Recently, his life has changed.
In recent years, he ended his marriage, went to rehab, and soon became a father of two with his new wife, Olivia Munn. Now, he’s opening up about his ongoing recovery.
“There was a time when I said I couldn’t fly, sleep, or play without Klonopin,” John Mulaney admitted. Klonopin is the brand name for clonazepam, a benzodiazepine that relieves anxiety among other things.
“I would have said, ‘This sucks because I don’t want to be on Klonopin and Xanax all the time, but I have to do it,'” he explained.
In December 2020, John Mulaney entered a rehabilitation facility, but was not prescribed anti-anxiety medication. It was about cocaine and alcoholism.
One ‘crazy’ night of drug taking was (almost) his wake-up call
The comedian said he had an “insane” night before going to rehab. That night I was worried that I might die from the amount of drugs I took.
“I thought, ‘Okay… I’m going to slow down completely.’ It was like Tuesday. And then Thursday night, I did it again,” John Mulaney explained.
Most recently, he characterized Olivia Munn as undergoing a “mini” intervention as part of her recovery. When she was six months pregnant, she began randomly drug testing her son.
“It’s like a relief…I like not having to even have that question in her mind or anyone else’s mind,” John Mulaney said.
“Peeing in that cup is like me taking this walk,” he explained. “It gives me confidence.”
John Mulaney noted that Olivia Munn’s intervention was just one aspect of his recovery journey and their relationship. He also admitted that getting together so early in his recovery journey didn’t allow them to be their best partners.
There’s more to John Mulaney and Olivia Munn’s marriage than intervention and restoration
In May 2021, the world first learned of John Mulaney and Olivia Munn’s romance. The couple married in July and have two children, Malcolm and Mae.
In particular, the public announcement of Mulaney’s breakup with his ex-wife, Anna Marie Tendler, troubled many fans. He has been praising his childless marriage for years in standup. Anyone is allowed to change their mind at any time, but his sudden divorce and change in direction towards having children alienated his fans, who had previously been fascinated by him.
John Mulaney’s invitation to Dave Chappelle as a surprise opener also alienated former fans. Chappelle’s controversy became Mulaney’s by proxy. But even his critics are happy to hear about his sobriety success.
