“The obsession of it was gone” - John Mulaney  recalls feeling he’s come a long way in sobriety journey during Olivia Munn’s cancer treatment

John Mulaney’s recovery story has come with its own set of challenges and unexpected moments of clarity. One such moment came during a personal chapter in his life, his wife's cancer treatment. The comedian, now aged 42, shared the experience with Ted Danson during the May 21 episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name. Mulaney recalled a memory from the day of Olivia Munn’s ten-hour double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

“I remember one day she's in bed. She had the 10-hour double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, and she still has more to go, And I brought her a tray with apple juice, something she wanted to eat that her mom had made in the kitchen, and then it had Oxycodone and some sort of nerve medication and a Xanax, which they also gave just for rest and recovery.” he shared.

Mulaney noted that he observed a major shift in his addiction when he handled the medications without any cravings.

“I'm walking, I go, ‘Oh it never crossed my mind that I was holding these medications in my hand, the obsession of it was gone. I thought, ‘Oh, I'm so far beyond that and I can be a good butler with the best client.’” he added.

John Mulaney shares the mental shifts that helped him stay sober:

Over the years, John Mulaney had struggled with addiction. The stand-up comedian, famous for being an SNL member, went to rehab in September 2020. In an interview with Esquire, John shared that he had been sober since 2005. However, his sobriety journey was affected when he relapsed, as per reports shared by E News.

In his conversation with Ted Dawson, John Mulaney highlighted the evolving nature of recovery and the mental shifts that came with his long-term sobriety.

“People stay the same in so many ways and I'm still the same person I was when I was like, five, in so many ways, But I will admit, it's a huge change. Just a huge way of looking at everything. I'm shocked I did it. I'm shocked I was able to do it.” Mulaney admitted.

When Danson asked, “Become sober?”, John Mulaney clarified what he meant:

“To actually stick to it in every way. To not have, 'Well, I still do this.' To not, ‘Well, I'm trying.’ Like, nothing wrong or shameful about relapse. I just mean I'm shocked, always, that it landed.”

Their conversation continued with Danson questioning whether John Mulaney still experienced temptations:

“Do you ever feel aggrieved enough to be tempted by drugs, or can you see those triggers ‘two miles out’?”

Mulaney acknowledged that those moments did exist,

“Oh yeah, I’m very lucky that life's been so great that it's always 30 miles out, but I’ll be doing something and I go, ‘Huh, you really want to be this exhausted, stretched thin, a little aggrieved?’” shared John.

Danson then probed further:

“The word ‘entitled’ pops into your brain?”

To which Mulaney replied:

“A little bit, yeah, luckily those things are miles and miles off. That’s part of it, is just always knowing, so addicted to the self-control of it in some ways and so happy that I’m always present when I’m with my kids and Olivia and friends and everything.

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In the end, John Mulaney summed up his outlook with a quiet acknowledgment of the past:

“I was in a bad neighborhood of my brain for a while. You always have respect for it, that it’s still there. You go, ‘I see you. I know you’re there. But that’s not my daily life.’”

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