John Mulaney is back. After a long road of controversy and recovery, there are many signs pointing to big career moves ahead. If you’re unfamiliar, John Mulaney is a popular stand-up comedian and writer for shows such as SNL, Documentary Now, and Big Mouth. He started off on SNL, rubbing a lot of people the right way with his comfortable and relatable comedy, but he eventually made a name for himself in stand-up comedy with his comedy specials New in Town and The Comeback Kid. Mulaney seemed to be in an unstoppably uprising career, until it was stopped.
In 2020, John Mulaney checked into rehab for substance abuse. He has discussed his issues with narcotics in the past, claiming them to be over, which as he reveals in his newest comedy special, Baby J, was far from the truth. This alone was not necessarily controversial, and many sent prayers for a speedy recovery, but he had a slight slip-up when getting back on his feet. After getting back from rehab, John Mulaney divorced his wife of six years and immediately began a relationship with an actress named Olivia Munn, which you may know from her role as Nick’s hot mess girlfriend Angie on New Girl. Many found this uncomfortable, since Olivia Munn had allegedly been hitting on John Mulaney throughout his entire marriage. On top of that, the controversy grew as Mulaney, who had previously stated to never want kids with his ex-wife, found himself a father to Munn’s child just a few months after the divorce.
After this controversy, many turned their backs on Mulaney. But few can deny their enjoyment of Baby J and the steps he has been making since then. Him and Olivia Munn are still together, which in my opinion makes the whole situation feel a lot less bad, and he’s on track to host next year’s Oscars. A few weeks ago, at the 2024 Oscars, John Mulaney’s monologue left the audience wanting more, with multiple news sources marking him for leaving the best impression. Now we can only wonder, what’s next?