Olivia Munn and John Mulaney's Love Story: From a Whirlwind Romance to Undergoing Health Battles

A look back at Munn and Mulaney's whirlwind romance.

Olivia Munn and John Mulaney are supporting one another through thick and thin. Munn recently revealed she had breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy, and praised Mulaney in a heartfelt Instagram post for stepping up to take care of their son, Malcolm, and being there for her.

News that the two were dating first broke in 2021, and Munn gave birth to Malcolm later that year – and they've been happy together ever since. Their most recent outing was in March, when the comedian and the actress attended the 96th annual Academy Awards. Following the evening, the pair kept the romance going at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party. 

Sadly, just days later, Munn revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. 

As ET looks back on their ongoing time together, here's a timeline of Munn and Mulaney's romance: 

First Interaction and Previous Relationships 

Before getting together, Munn and Mulaney were both in high-profile relationships of their own. The Newsroom actress dated NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers from 2014 to 2017 while Mulaney had been married to multimedia artist Annamarie Tendler since 2014. 

Munn and Malney, however, first met in 2013, while attending Seth Meyers and Alexi Ashe's wedding. It was there Munn tried to start up a friendship with the former Saturday Night Live head writer.

"We were at a wedding together and I was like 'Oh my gosh, do you and your fiancèe want to go have dinner or something and go hang out?'" Munn told HuffPost Live in 2015. "At first it was cool, and then I kept going up to him at the wedding like, 'So, you having fun?' I was just so obsessed with hanging out with and talking with him." 

She said she later sent him an email but he never replied. "I might've got the wrong email -- probably," she cracked. "That's what I tell myself."

Instagram / Olivia Munn

Despite not hitting it off right away, the two remained friends over the years, with Munn publicly supporting Mulaney after he checked himself into rehab for addiction issues in 2020. At the time, she took to Twitter by writing, "Sending SO MUCH love and support to John Mulaney. You got this." 

Mulaney, who has been open about struggling with alcohol and cocaine addiction in the past, revealed that he began drinking at the age of 13 "for attention" and has subsequently battled addiction in his teens and in his twenties.

In May 2021, following his 60-day stint in rehab, Mulaney and Tendler split. In a statement, Tendler said it was Mulaney who decided to divorce after six years of marriage. "I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage," she said. "I wish him support and success as he continues his recovery."

Going Public and Growing Family

Days after news of Mulaney's divorce from Tendler, multiple outlets reported that he was dating Munn. By June, they were photographed on a lunch date in Los Angeles, appearing in good spirits. 

"This is very new, they're taking it slowly," a source told People about their romance at the time.

By September, Mulaney revealed that he was going to be a father, with Munn being pregnant with their first child together. And in what now feels like a full-circle moment, Mulaney broke the news that they were expecting during an appearance on Meyers' late-night show. 

"In the spring, I went to Los Angeles and met and started to date a wonderful woman named Olivia," he said. "I got into this relationship that's been really beautiful with someone incredible. She held my hand through that hell, and um, we are having a baby together."

"I'm gonna be a dad!" Mulaney added as Meyers congratulated him. "I'm really -- we're both really, really happy."

Michael Simon/Shutterstock

A month later, Munn opened up to ET about what she was looking forward to most when it came to motherhood. "Honestly, I'm just excited about meeting whoever it is, and bringing a little person into this world," she said.

In November, she went on Today and talked about how she and Mulaney were feeling ahead of the nearing due date. "We're just really excited, we talk about the same stuff, which is like, which rocker, what kind of crib do you put the baby in?" she shared. "What does the baby wear? Honestly, thank God for Facebook and Instagram and blogs because there's a lot of moms who put out such great information that really has been a saving grace for me because ... I'm really good with my dog. If it's anything like having dogs, then I can do that, but I have a feeling it's going to be much different."

Munn and Mulaney welcomed their first child on Nov. 24, 2021. The then-39-year-old comedian and 41-year-old Munn had a boy named Malcolm Hiệp Mulaney, whose middle name honors Munn's Vietnamese heritage. 

While the two have been very public about their experiences as new parents, from birthdays to teething, Munn told the Los Angeles Times she's not planning to speak out about her relationship with Mulaney. 

"It's definitely not foreign for me to have people speculate incorrectly about things and to have rumors run rampant in one way," Munn said about speculations about their romance. "They think they know our relationship so well. When in reality, they don't. There's no way anyone could know what any of his relationships were or what our relationship is."

Instagram/oliviamunn

Munn added that speaking out will only "feed into a narrative that's just not true." She noted that people tend to "ignore really specific public signs and actions that completely contradict the false narrative." "For whatever reason, it's easier to blame me," she said of Mulaney's past marriage.

"If I try to say anything, I run the risk of being called messy or not telling the truth," she continued. "The only way to win, for me, is to pull back and to not play the game at all."

Despite that, in August of this year, Munn shared how she surprised Mulaney on his 40th birthday, showing just how strong the two are getting on over a year later. 

On Instagram, she posted photos of her and their son Malcolm showing up with balloons and a cake at the Nashville, Tennessee stop of his From Scratch comedy tour. Malcolm even serenaded his father with a rendition of "Happy Birthday." "Malcom surprised John on stage last night to sing HBD with the whole audience," Munn wrote, while Mulaney later posted, "There is truly no better way to turn 40."

Supporting Each Other On and Off The Red Carpet

In January 2024, the two made their red carpet debut as a couple at the Governors Awards.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

In March, Munn and Mulaney walked the red carpet during the 96th annual Academy Awards, where the former SNL staffer presented an award. The pair then marked another milestone that night -- walking alongside each other at the Vanity Fair Oscars party. 

Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Just days later, on March 13, 2024, Munn candidly revealed that in 2023, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy. In her emotional post, Munn shared how Mulaney stood by her through her diagnosis and surgeries. 

"I'm so thankful to John for the nights he spent researching what every operation and medicine meant and what side effects and recovery I could expect," she wrote. "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." 

In a comment on Munn's post, Mulaney wrote, "Thank you for fighting so hard to be here for us. Malc and I adore you. ❤️"


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