John Mulaney: when was Baby J comedian in rehab, why did he divorce his wife - who is new partner Olivia Munn?

Comedian John Mulaney's newest comedy special, Baby J, landed on Netflix today. It was his first special since 2019 and followed a tumultuous period for the star. 

He begins his stand-up show saying “I apologise for beginning the show on such a dark note. But I didn’t want to start way too upbeat. I’ve had a weird couple of years, you’ve had a weird couple years.”

That was something of an understatement - as the world went through a global pandemic, Mulaney was dealing with his own personal issues. The Saturday Night Live star had previously struggled with drugs and alcohol issues but had been sober for several years.

Since 2020, Mulaney has gone through two stints in rehab, a divorce, the birth of his first child, and produced a new stand-up special. He won’t have been short of material, given everything that has happened to him recently.

When was John Mulaney in rehab?

Mulaney has struggled with drug and alcohol issues for many years, but in 2014 he announced that he had been sober since 2005.  

In September 2020, Mulaney relapsed and checked into rehab - the following month he hosted a Halloween episode of Saturday Night Live. However, he relapsed again and in December 2020, following an intervention by his friends including Seth Meyers, Bill Hader, and Fred Armisen, he checked into another rehab facility. 

He left rehab after two months and later announced that he was separating from his wife, multimedia artist Anna Marie Tendler, who he had been married to since 2014. The same month it was revealed that Mulaney was in a relationship with actress Olivia Munn.

In September 2021, he and Munn announced that they were expecting a baby - their son, Malcolm, was born in November 2021.

Why did John Mulaney divorce his wife?

Mulaney and Tendler began dating in 2010, before getting engaged in 2013 and marrying the following year. She had been a frequent subject in his stand-up routines and was seen as an integral part of the comedian’s routines by many fans.

Mulaney filed for divorce from Tendler after leaving rehab, and it seems to have been a one-sided decision. Tendler is also a photoartist, and in May 2021, after the pair had separated, she shared an image of her sat across from an empty table, with the caption ‘Dinner in March’. 

Tendler said when their divorce was made public: “I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage.”

When the pair officially filed for divorce in July 2021, they cited irreconcilable differences as the reason, but no further information has been made public.

Who is Olivia Munn?

Mulaney’s new partner, Olivia Munn, is an actress best known for playing Sloan Sabbith in The Newsroom and Gina in war drama Six. She also had smaller roles in the films Office Christmas Party, Ocean’s Eight, The Predator, and X-Men: Apocalypse. 

She dated NFL quarterback Aaron Charles Rodgers, who plays for the Green Bay Packers, from 2014-2017. Olivia and John first met at mutual friend’s Seth Meyers’ wedding in 2013 but began dating following John’s separation from Tendler. 

They both became first time parents with the birth of their son Malcolm, and John regularly shares photos of him on Instagram.

When is Baby J on Netflix?

Mulaney’s newest Netflix special, Baby J, landed on the platform on Tuesday 25 April. His previous Netflix specials - The Comeback Kid, Kid Gorgeous at Radio City, and John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch - are all available to watch now.