Olivia Munn gave her 3.1 million Instagram followers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how her future husband John Mulaney supported her during her battle with breast cancer this week.
The 45-year-old actress posted an intimate video of the 42-year-old comedian comforting her in her hospital bed shortly before she went under the knife for double mastectomy surgery in 2023.
Munn initially kept her cancer battle secret, and she didn’t publicly reveal that she had been diagnosed with cancer until March of 2024.
In the video, Mulaney sat on the edge of Munn’s hospital bed as he held her hands and spoke to her, though what they said wasn’t audible over the hospital’s din.
But his words seemed to have a positive effect on Munn — who shares two young children with the entertainer — as she nodded and displayed a soft smile at her love.
The short clip concluded with Mulaney, who was masked up amid the coronavirus pandemic, leaning forward and resting his forehead against Munn’s.
Olivia Munn, 45, gave her 3.1M Instagram followers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how her future husband John Mulaney, 42, supported her during her battle with breast cancer this week
Munn had a double mastectomy in May 2023 but didn’t reveal her breast cancer diagnosis until March 2024; pictured with Mulaney in February in West Hollywood
‘This was May 2023 right before I was wheeled in for my double mastectomy, the first of 5 surgeries I would have in a determined battled to beat breast cancer,’ Munn began her lengthy caption.
‘Today is #WorldBreastCancerResearchDay,’ she continued, referring to August 18. ‘My breast cancer and my mother’s breast cancer are both very aggressive, fast-moving cancers. And because of funding for breast cancer research we both had a path to survival.’
She noted the importance of endocrine therapy, which she said was ‘discovered to be effective only 20 years ago.’
‘It’s a hormone therapy that works to keep hormones from reaching cancer cells, which is a treatment plan I’m currently on,’ Munn explained.
‘Because of funding for breast cancer research, there are treatment plans that give me and so many others hope,’ she continued, before adding that ‘Funding is still desperately needed to help find cures, perfect the treatments and most importantly determine which patients need them.’
Munn then urged her fans to donate to support breast cancer research and suggested the Susan G. Komen foundation, the Breast Cancer Research Fund and the American Cancer Society as worthy recipients for donations.
She ended her caption with a show of solidarity for others dealing with similar health crises.
‘To anyone who’s going through cancer are had gone through cancer, I stand side by side with you and wishing you luck and strength every step of the way [sic],’ she wrote, before urging her followers to take an online cancer risk assessment.
In the video, Mulaney could be seen speaking to his future wife and holding her hands, before they touched their foreheads together, but the hospital din made it impossible to hear what was said
She urged her fans to donate for World Breast Cancer Research Day. After her double mastectomy, she went under the knife again to have breast reconstruction surgery, along with a lymph node dissection and a hysterectomy, before ultimately going into remission; seen in February in NYC
Munn revealed in July that her mother Kim had been diagnosed with the same kind of breast cancer that she was diagnosed with two years earlier
Several commenters admitted they were in similar positions as Munn was at the time.
‘I am having my double mastectomy tomorrow. Thank you for sharing your story,’ wrote one user. ‘I am nervous but determined to also have the same outcome!!’
Another person wrote, ‘My sister is in the recovery room right this very moment, after her double mastectomy today. Thank you for posting this today and for sharing your story. It is so important! ❤️’
Following her double mastectomy, Munn went under the knife again to have breast reconstruction surgery.
It wasn’t the end of her cancer surgeries, as she also had a lymph node dissection and a hysterectomy, before ultimately going into remission.
Then, last month, Munn revealed that her mother had been diagnosed with the same kind of breast cancer that she had dealt with.
She announced that her mother had also gone through a double mastectomy, as well as 12 rounds of chemotherapy.
The news was accompanied by an Instagram album that included a heartwarming video of her mother Kim ringing the bell that indicates her chemotherapy is complete.
Along with her daughter, Kim’s support system included her husband Sam, as well as Olivia’s husband John Mulaney who ‘came often to sit and gossip with her’
She also uploaded a video of Kim and John lounging on the couch together at home, chitchatting a sharing a laugh with one another
However her treatment plan is apparently ongoing, as Olivia noted that her mother ‘will continue monthly Herceptin transfusions until this fall.’
Along with her daughter, Kim’s support system included her husband Sam, as well as Olivia’s husband John Mulaney who ‘came often to sit and gossip with her.’
‘After my own breast cancer diagnosis in 2023, I urged my mother and sister to take the Breast Cancer Lifetime Risk Assessment test,’ wrote Olivia.
‘My mother scored 26.2%. Her yearly mammogram had just come out clear but because of that high score I insisted she get an MRI,’ she recalled.
‘Shortly after that MRI, my mother was diagnosed with Stage 1 Her2 breast cancer. She has since completed 12 rounds of chemo and will continue monthly Herceptin transfusions until this fall,’ the The Newsroom actress revealed.
‘From my mom being there after my double mastectomy to me being there after hers. From me having to find an oncologist, to my mom and I sharing one. I can tell you this: going through cancer is really hard. But there’s something about watching a loved one go through it that is even more heartbreaking,’ she confessed.
‘My mom’s husband, Sam, and I learned everything we could about Her2, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, cold caps…’ Olivia wrote.
‘My moms husband, Sam, and I learned everything we could about Her2, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, cold caps…’ Olivia wrote.
‘My mom’s husband, Sam, and I learned everything we could about Her2, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, cold caps…’ Olivia wrote; Kim and Sam are pictured together
Her album included a touching photo of Kim in the middle of her recovering cradling Olivia and John’s daughter Méi, whom they welcomed via surrogate last September
The suite of pictures concluded with a throwback snap of Kim and baby Olivia, mirroring the shot of Kim with her infant granddaughter
‘I spent many nights taking care of my mom when the chemo became too much, wishing I could fight the fight for her, even if only for a day to give her a little break. It’s no small feat to realize you can’t do it for them,’ she reflected.
‘To anyone out there who is taking someone or has made it their profession to do so, thank you. These fights can feel impossible without you,’ added Olivia.
‘The Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment test saved my life and now my mom’s. This is a free, online test. Anything above 20% is considered high risk for breast cancer and you should insist that your doctor order a breast MRI,’ she urged fans.
‘According to Dr. Thais Aliabadi every woman should take the test starting at the age of 30. She advises recalculating anytime you have started hormone treatment, had a baby or have a relative newly diagnosed with breast cancer.’
She noted: ‘We’re taught about our periods, yearly Pap smears and mammograms at 40. And now we need every gynecologist to incorporate the lifetime risk test into their care plan. All of these things matter, you can’t leave one off. My mom wanted me to tell you that she hopes by sharing her story it will help save someone’s life.’
Olivia movingly concluded: ‘I want to say how proud I am of my mom. She’s handled all of this with bravery and humor while still driving us crazy (just days after her double mastectomy she tired to do laundry and make dinner- she’s insane.)’
Her album included a touching photo of Kim in the middle of her recovery cradling Olivia and John’s daughter Méi, whom they welcomed via surrogate last September.
The couple are also parents to a three-year-old son called Malcolm, who was just one year old when Olivia discovered that she herself had cancer.
During her own ordeal with cancer, the 45-year-old actress underwent four surgeries in 10 months including a double mastectomy, driving the disease into remission
Although having little Malcolm at home made the initial news scarier, the task of taking care of him helped Olivia cope with her treatment
In her Instagram post documenting her mother’s treatments, Olivia featured photos of Kim with Sam and being visited in the hospital by John.
She also uploaded a video of Kim and John lounging on the couch together at home, chitchatting a sharing a laugh with one another.
The suite of pictures concluded with a throwback snap of Kim and baby Olivia, mirroring the shot of Kim with her infant granddaughter.
John and Olivia brought their daughter into the world via surrogacy, after Olivia’s cancer treatments caused her to go through early menopause.
Olivia’s cancer battle began in 2023 with a jarring diagnosis – just three months after she had a mammogram that indicated she was healthy.
Her astonishment was compounded by the fact that she had gotten a negative test for a cancer gene mutation not long beforehand.
She ‘did all the tests that I knew about’ and as a result was ‘walking around thinking I had no breast cancer’ shortly before she was diagnosed, she told People.
When she received news that she had cancer in both breasts, she ‘was not someone who obsessed over death or was afraid of it in any way’ but confessed that ‘having a little baby at home made everything much more terrifying.’
Olivia and John’s married last year after a romance that first went public in mid-2021, on the heels of the comedian’s split from his first wife Anna Marie Tendler; pictured 2024
Olivia, who was about to start shooting a film at the time, realized ‘cancer doesn’t care who you are; it doesn’t care if you have a baby or if you don’t have time. It comes at you, and you have no choice but to face it head-on.’
Although having little Malcolm at home made the initial news scarier, the task of taking care of him helped Olivia cope with her treatment.
‘When I’m with him, it’s the only time my brain doesn’t think about being sick. I’m just so happy with him,’ she explained.
‘And it puts a lot of stuff into perspective. Because if my body changes, I’m still his mom. If I have hot flashes, I’m still his mom. If I lose my hair, I’m still his mom. That’s really what matters the most to me. I get to be here for him.’
‘And it puts a lot of stuff into perspective. Because if my body changes, I’m still his mom. If I have hot flashes, I’m still his mom. If I lose my hair, I’m still his mom. That’s really what matters the most to me. I get to be here for him.’
Olivia and John’s married last year after a romance that first went public in mid-2021, on the heels of the comedian’s split from his first wife Anna Marie Tendler.
