John Mulaney recalls sobriety during Olivia Munn’s cancer journey

John Mulaney knows a thing or two about timing—both in comedy and in life. And during a recent chat with Ted Danson on the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast (May 21), the comedian offered a deeply personal reflection that proves just how far he’s come, not just as a performer, but as a partner, a dad, and a man in recovery.

Recounting a moment from wife Olivia Munn’s breast cancer journey, John, 42, shared a quiet realization that hit him while he was caring for her after major surgery. 

“I remember one day she’s in bed. She had the 10-hour double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, and she still has more to go,” he said. 

“And I brought her a tray with apple juice, something she wanted to eat that her mom had made in the kitchen, and then it had Oxycodone and some sort of nerve medication and a Xanax, which they also gave just for rest and recovery.”

Sounds like a regular moment for any supportive partner, but for John—who has openly discussed his past struggles with alcohol and cocaine—it was a breakthrough. 

“I’m walking, I go, ‘Oh it never crossed my mind that I was holding these medications in my hand,’” he said. 

“The obsession of it was gone. I thought, ‘Oh, I’m so far beyond that and I can be a good butler with the best client.’”

With three years of sobriety under his belt, John also admitted he was surprised by his ability to stay grounded through what could’ve easily been a trigger-filled period. 

“I will admit it’s a huge change,” he said. 

“Just a huge way of looking at everything. And I’m shocked I did it. I’m shocked I was able to do it. Become sober. To actually stick to it in every way. To not have, ‘Well I still do this.’ Nothing wrong or shameful about relapse, I’m shocked always that it landed.”

And even with the spotlight shining on his personal growth, John made it clear who the real star of their household is. 

“[I’m] always so addicted to the self-control of it in some ways,” he shared. “And so happy that I’m always present when I’m with my kids and Olivia and friends and everything.”

But for all his pride in his sobriety, John’s admiration truly belongs to Olivia, who announced her breast cancer diagnosis in 2023. 

Reflecting on that intense chapter of their lives, he said, “I always look back to when she was diagnosed in April, through that whole year, she wasn’t just courageous. She was fun. We had so much fun, it was so weird. So, it wasn’t just the courage of it. She also was just always her greatest, best self throughout it.”

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