Inside Olivia Munn and John Mulaney's Perfectly Imperfect Love Story
Olivia Munn would be the first to admit that when it comes to husband John Mulaney she errs on the side of overprotective.
"Olivia is constantly trying to keep me out of danger and keep me alive through a series of texts throughout our entire relationship,” the comedian, who turns 43 Aug. 26, detailed at InStyle’s Imagemaker Awards in October while presenting the actress with the Woman of Impact honor. "Here is a text she sent me when I was going to the Tom Ford store in Chicago: 'Baby, be so careful today. You can get monkeypox trying on clothes at a store and/or not washing your new clothes.'"
And that wasn't the only warning she tried on for size."OK, this was like the 200th time I took our son on a walk in the stroller in Chicago," John—who shares kids Malcolm, 3, and Méi, 11 months, with Olivia—listed in another example. "She wrote me out of nowhere, no context, 'Please be so careful today. So many crazy things can come out of nowhere.' I texted back, 'Like what?' Olivia responded, 'Crazy cars.' You don’t hear enough about crazy cars.'"
But when it comes to their road to romance, perhaps fans have heard more than enough.
One month after John checked into rehab in September 2020, he relapsed, leading Seth Meyers, Nick Kroll, Fred Armisen, Natasha Lyonne and other friends to stage an intervention that December.
In both interviews and his Netflix special Baby J, John has credited those pals with saving his life, but his union to artist Anna Marie Tendler didn't fare quite as well.
In May 2021, Anna revealed she was "heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage." Just days after the divorce announcement, word spread that the comic was dating Olivia.
Well, dating isn’t exactly the right word.
"It wasn’t anything close to 'dating,'" the X Men: Apocalypse star shared with GQ in November. Rather, they'd reconnected in 2021 when she referred him to a friend for a post-rehab living situation eight years after they met at Seth’s wedding to lawyer Alexi Ashe. As a result, said Olivia, "I barely knew him."
Five months later, John announced they were expecting a baby. But again, it wasn’t like the pair—who lived in New York and L.A. respectively—were diving deep into a romantic relationship, more like a co-parenting one.
"It wasn’t necessarily 'We’re going to be married and live together' or any of that," continued Olivia, who ended her three-year relationship with Aaron Rodgers in 2017, "but it was 'I will be involved in some way.'"
But between the speed of their courtship and the seemingly-out-of-nowhere end to John's seven-year union, the Internet did its thing.
In reality though, "I went to rehab in September," the Everybody's Live host detailed on a September 2021 episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers. "I got out in October. I move out of my home from my ex-wife. I host Saturday Night Live on Halloween. I relapse on drugs after the show."It wasn’t until that spring—following his second rehab stay—he clarified, that he went to L.A. and connected with Olivia."She's kind of held my hand through that hell," John continued, “and we’re having a baby together.”
Still, some followers made their own assumptions. "They think they know our relationship so well. When in reality, they don’t," Olivia told the Los Angeles Times in November 2021, the same month Malcolm was born. "There’s no way anyone could know what any of his relationships were or what our relationship is.”
And because anything she’d say would "feed into a narrative that’s just not true," she continued," she refrained from going into detail, noting people often "ignore really specific public signs and actions that completely contradict the false narrative and that, for whatever reason, it’s easier to blame me."
"If I try to say anything, I run the risk of being called messy or not telling the truth,” The Newsroom alum continued. "The only way to win, for me, is to pull back and to not play the game at all."
So for the next few years, Olivia and John divulged more of their parenting experiences than they did details of their romance. In fact, the duo didn’t even make their red carpet debut as a couple until January 2024.
And two months later in March, they unveiled something much bigger, Olivia revealing she'd been diagnosed with stage 1 Luminal B breast cancer the previous April.
"You never know what’s going on in someone’s life," the 45-year-old explained to Michael Strahan on a May 2024 episode of Good Morning America, "that privately people are battling things that you’d never know."
However, Olivia decided to publicly share her cancer journey to encourage people to do a Breast Cancer Risk Assessment—noting it was her high-risk score that led her to get an MRI after having previously gotten a clear ultrasound, mammogram and genetic testing results.
By the end of May 2023, she’d undergone three surgeries: A nipple delay, lymph node dissection and double mastectomy. And because she and John still had dreams of growing their family, she had an egg retrieval procedure, which she’d done twice before, the following month and created embryos.
"That’s a scary process because I have a cancer that feeds off of hormones, so I knew there was a risk," the Your Friends & Neighbors celeb remembered on GMA. "And our doctor said, 'Look, we’re gonna get one for you and then we’re gonna call it.' Our doctor called and he said, 'Hey, we got the results back: It’s two healthy embryos.' We just started bawling crying, both of us."
Olivia proceeded to have two more surgeries: breast reconstruction in September 2023 and a partial hysterectomy/oophorectomy to remove her uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries that April after struggling with the side effects of the ovarian suppression drug Lupron.
Through it all, John was by her side."Olivia and I have been through a lot of things together in the past couple years," he told Vogue in May 2024. "Just side-by-side, supporting each other through anything. And as her guy, I felt both scared and protective. Even with Malcolm in her lap and me there holding her hand, she was going to be physically fighting this disease alone."
Though Olivia expressed how having him there made the experience less isolating.
"It was such a struggle to go through every day, but he was there making the hard things so much easier," she told E! News in February. "He was making the things that made me really emotional less sad and just made me feel really protected and safe."
Because carrying a baby was no longer feasible, she and John explored welcoming a second child via surrogate. And as they waited for their little one to arrive, they tied the knot in July 2024. The guest list included Malcolm, their officiant Sam Waterson, who starred with Olivia on The Newsroom, and his wife Lynn Louisa Woodruff. John even found a way to make Méi a part of the big day ahead of her birth.
"I was telling John, 'Oh man, I wish that she was here because, in the photos, when she looks back on the day Mommy and Daddy got married, Malcolm will be there but she won’t be there,'" Olivia said on an April episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. "So, he found this vintage locket and he put her sonogram picture inside and he surprised me with it. It was very emotional."
Although, there were plenty of laughs too thanks to Malcolm.
"He actually went to the bathroom in his diaper during it and announced it mid-vows," John said during a March episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. “Very sweaty little 2-year-old in a tuxedo just went, 'I'm pooping.'"
Two months later, Méi made her debut.
"I had so many profound emotions about not being able to carry my daughter," Olivia wrote in a September 2024 Instagram post. "When I first met our gestational surrogate we spoke mother to mother. She showed me so much grace and understanding, I knew I had found a real-life angel. Words cannot express my gratitude that she kept our baby safe for 9 months and made our dreams come true."
And while she and John keep it real about parenting ups and downs, they’re loving the ride.
"Malcolm is 3 so he’s on the go. He needs a lot of entertainment," she told E! in February. As for Méi, "She is just the squishiest, happiest baby. She’s so easy. We just kind of cart her around everywhere. Just being at home and being with them is our favorite thing to do."In terms of her cancer journey, Olivia shared at the February TIME Women of the Year gala that she still has “years to go” in her treatment. And while the road isn’t easy, she’s glad John is there to walk this path with her and still find many moments of joy.
"We were talking the other day that, in the past couple years, we've laughed so much through everything," he told E! News in November. "So I don't mean to sound corny or overly saccharine, but we've been so tight and had a lot of fun, despite everything."
The proof? It's in her and John's family photos. Check out their sweetest moments.
On Sept. 22, 2024, Olivia Munn and John Mulaney announced they had welcomed their second child, daughter Méi June Mulaney, via surrogate one week prior.
Olivia and John shares several pics in their birth announcement for their baby girl, including this sweet photo of the three in the hospital.
As part of her birth announcement for baby Méi, Olivia shared this pic of the two enjoying a sweet moment.
Méi joins big brother Malcolm, who was born in 2021. After her birth, Olivia and John shared pics of one of their first outings as a foursome.
Olivia also shared this pic of newborn Méi catching some zzz's.
John and Olivia celebrated Malcolm's second birthday in November 2023.
The parents took Malcolm to the Gem State in June 2023.
Olivia shared this photo of her family of three on Father's Day 2023.
John and Olivia hit the beach with Malcolm in March 2023.
The couple rang in theirMalcolm's first birthday in November 2022, with Olivia joking that her mom Kim was getting "impatient" with the cake-cutting.
John celebrated his 40th birthday with Olivia and Malcolm in August 2022.
Olivia snapped a sweet moment between John and their son on stage at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado in April 2022.
The family of three posed alongside fellow parents Dan Levy and Rachel Specter with their daughter Penny.
Olivia and John celebrated Malcolm turning 4 months old on March 24, 2022.
"Daddy" John cuddled with Malcolm on his 4-month birthdate before heading out to Texas.
The actress shared, "It's been 4 months since the happiest, chillest baby came into my world."
John peered over at his baby boy in this throwback photo from his birth. The comedian wrote in March 2022, "Four months ago I met a 6 lb boy who changed my life forever."
Olivia captioned this adorable embrace with a teddy bear emoji.
Olivia shared a pic of Malcolm with his grandma a.k.a. the "retired tiger mom."
Olivia gushed over her baby boy.
Olivia and John introduced Malcolm to friends Henry Golding and Liv Lo Golding, as well as the couple's daughter Lyla, in January 2022.
John and Henry were seen laughing as they held up their tiny tots.
The friends snapped a selfie while introducing their babies.
As Olivia wrote, "Malcolm met Lyla today."
Olivia and John were pictured arm-in-arm during a sweet moment, seemingly gazing at their little one in January 2022.
"Uncle" Pete Davidson visited Malcolm in January 2022.
John gave his son a kiss on the cheek.
Malcolm fell asleep in dad's carrier during an outing at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Calif.
The Newsroom actress celebrated New Year's Day 2022 with a new pic of Malcolm.
John shared a selfie with his Malcolm, kept cozy in a blue beanie, while they took a walk.
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