John Mulaney Announced He's Having A Baby With Olivia Munn, Igniting A Strange Discourse War On Twitter
Comedian John Mulaney has had an eventful year, to say the least. In September of 2020, the 39-year-old comedian privately completed rehab stint before a December 2020 relapse that saw him publicly check into rehab. He checked out in February of 2021. In May, it was announced he and his wife, Annamarie Tendler, were getting a divorce. It also leaked that Mulaney was dating model and actress Olivia Munn, who had tweeted her support for Mulaney some months prior. Now, Mulaney and Munn are having a baby.
In a recent interview with Seth Meyers, Mulaney discussed his personal life for the first time in a year. He discussed the timeline of the events, including the intervention Meyers and other Saturday Night Live cast members staged for him after his October 2020 hosting gig. He also laid out the timeline of his romantic life: he moved out of the home of Tendler after his September rehab stint. He didn't say when he started dating Munn, but acknowledged that her support, their upcoming child together, and the support of his friends have helped him navigate post-recovery life.
"You guys saved me from drugs, and Olivia and this baby have helped save me from myself in this early journey out of recovery. And yeah, I don’t have a joke for that. I’m really grateful," he said.
It certainly sounds like Mulaney had an intense year filled with personal and romantic struggle, but ultimately, triumph. However, many on social media have looked unfavorably towards his budding relationship with Munn, with some even going so far as to express feelings of betrayal.
Like many married comedians, Mulaney had several riffs on his wife and home life in his popular standup specials. He spoke about Tendler lovingly, and memorably had a routine where he joked "I would never say my wife is a bitch and I don't like her. My wife is a bitch and I like her so much." The May 2021 news that the pair were getting a divorce and that Mulaney was dating Munn seemed to be a sticking point for people who had invested a parasocial interest in Mulaney's personal life.
While tweets criticizing Mulaney's personal choices as compared to how he portrayed his life in his standup spread on Twitter, a significant amount of tweeters were left awed at how weird people were being about the situation.
Ultimately, it seems that Mulaney is happy and healthy after a difficult period in his life, and some details about his personal life, such as when he began dating Munn and the nature of his divorce from Tendler, are understandably kept private. Twitter user @TheNolaChick put it thusly: