John Mulaney has gotten real about the toll that getting off drugs took on his body as he opened up about hiding his addiction issues.
The 41-year-old comedian – whose partner Olivia Munn recently got breast cancer surgery – was the guest on the new episode of Netflix chat show My Next Guest With David Letterman.
In it he opened about his rehab stint from late 2020 to early 2021 with the 77-year-old television legend as he said: ‘It’s not immediately great nights of sleep and serenity.’
He explained that despite having an all-star group of friends who convinced him to go to rehab he was a bit jaded by it all and it was an especially rough experience when it started to take a physical toll on him.
Mulaney said: ‘I had zero gratitude. The actual detox from drugs was very physically uncomfortable, and I’d been on a lot of benzodiazepine like Xanax and Klonopin.
John Mulaney has gotten real about the toll that getting off drugs took on his body as he opened up about hiding his addiction issues on the new episode of Netflix chat show My Next Guest With David Letterman
‘Getting off those can be very rough. I was in the detox hospital room and I was grinding my teeth so much that a molar cracked.’
The process was especially hard early on as he admitted to wanting to leave after just four days and even told his doctor that he was leaving.
The comedian explained: ‘He didn’t argue or anything. He just went, “John, we both know how this movie ends.’ And that was it.”‘
Things have changed substantially in the stand-up’s life as he told Letterman that December 20 will mark three years of sobriety for him.
Last month the comedian broke his silence after girlfriend Olivia Munn revealed her breast cancer diagnosis, penning a sweet message to his other half after she shared the startling health update.
Mulaney, who shares two-year-old son Malcolm Hiệp Mulaney with Munn, commented on a post his girlfriend made announcing her diagnosis in March.
The comedian gushed both he and their son ‘adore’ Munn as he thanked her for ‘fighting so hard’ to be with there them.
‘Thank you for fighting so hard to be here for us. Malc and I adore you,’ he commented, along with a red heart emoji.
In her post, Munn, 43, revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and had undergone four surgeries in the past 10 months.
Mulaney said: ‘I had zero gratitude. The actual detox from drugs was very physically uncomfortable, and I’d been on a lot of benzodiazepine like Xanax and Klonopin. ‘Getting off those can be very rough. I was in the detox hospital room and I was grinding my teeth so much that a molar cracked’; he is seen at The Oscars last month
Last month the comedian broke his silence after girlfriend Olivia Munn revealed her breast cancer diagnosis, penning a sweet message to his other half after she shared the startling health update; the couple pictured attending the Oscars in March
The couple share two-year-old son Malcolm Hiệp Mulaney together
Mulaney left this sweet comment on Munn’s post
Mulaney, who was previously married to Anna Marie Tendler, has been in a relationship with Munn since 2021.
In her post announcing her diagnosis, Munn wrote: ‘In February of 2023, in an effort to be more proactive about my health, I took a genetic test that checks you for 90 cancer genes. I tested negative for all, including BRCA (the most well-known breast cancer gene).
‘My sister Sara had just tested negative as well. We called each other and high-fived over the phone. The same winter I also had a negative mammogram.
‘Two months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer.’
She continued: ‘In the past ten months I have had four surgeries, so many days spent in bed I can’t even count and have learned more about cancer, cancer treatment and hormones than I could ever have imagined.
‘Surprisingly, I’ve only cried twice. I guess I haven’t felt like there was time to cry. My focus narrowed and I tabled my emotions that I felt would interfere with my ability to stay clearheaded.
‘I’ve tended to let people see me when I have energy, when I can get dressed and get out of the house, when I can take my baby boy to the park. I’ve kept the diagnosis and the worry and the recovery and the pain medicine and the paper gowns private.
‘I needed to catch my breath and get through some of the hardest parts before sharing.’
Olivia went on to praise her OBGYN for deciding to calculate her Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score, adding: ‘The fact she did saved my life.’
‘Dr. Aliabadi looked at factors like my age, familial breast cancer history, and the fact I had my first child after the age of 30. She discovered my lifetime risk was at 37 per cent.
Mulaney, who shares two-year-old son Malcolm Hiệp Mulaney with Munn, commented on a post his girlfriend made announcing her diagnosis last month
In her post, Munn revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and has undergone four surgeries in the past 10 months
Olivia praised her OBGYN for deciding to calculate her Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score, adding: ‘The fact she did saved my life’
Olivia revealed she had also undergone a double mastectomy, adding: ‘I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next’
She shared the health update in a statement posted in March
‘Because of that score I was sent to get an MRI, which led to an ultrasound, which then led to a biopsy. The biopsy showed I had Luminal B cancer in both breasts. Luminal B is an aggressive, fast moving cancer.
’30 days after that biopsy I had a double mastectomy. I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next.’
Olivia, who attended the Oscars 2024 at the weekend alongside John, added: ‘I’m lucky. We caught it with enough time that I had options. I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day.’
She then urged her followers to ask their doctors to calculate their Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score as well as insisting women keep up with their annual mammograms and breast MRIs.
Munn at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party with Maloney over the weekend
‘I’m so thankful to my friends and family for loving me through this. I’m so thankful to John for the nights he spent researching what every operation and medication meant and what side effects and recovery I could expect.
‘For being there before I went into each surgery and being there when I woke up, always placing framed photos of our little boy Malcolm so it would be the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes,’ the star wrote.
Olivia concluded: ‘Thank you to the friends who’ve had breast cancer and the friends who connected me to friends who have had breast cancer for guiding me through some of my most uncertain and overwhelming months.
‘I am extremely grateful for nurses, patient coordinators and staff at the Cedars-Sinai in LA and Saint John’s in Santa Monica. I want to specifically thank my surgical oncologist Dr. Armando Giuliano, my reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Jay Orringer, my oncologist Dr. Monica Mita and especially my guardian angel, Dr. Thais Aliabadi.’
Olivia wrote in her caption: ‘I hope by sharing this it will help others find comfort, inspiration and support on their own journey.’
