In a likely sign of things to come, John Mulaney becomes the first major talent to cancel his For Your Consideration event, linked to his new Netflix special, Baby J.
The screening, followed by a conversation between moderator Jon Stewart and the Emmy-winning comic, was scheduled for Saturday night in Netflix’s FYC room. Given the little press Mulaney has been doing after rehab and the excitement surrounding his new hour, the event was poised to be well attended.
The writer-performer’s decision to cancel, which was confirmed by his spokesperson, comes amid recently released strike rules that make it clear that writers must “inform the company that you are prohibited from making these promotional appearances about your work until the strike is over.”
Potentially what made Saturday’s event that much more problematic for Mulaney was that it would take place in Netflix’s own “PHYSEE space” at Red Studios. Under strike rules, campaigning at one of the company’s locations is also considered “entering the premises of an affected company”.
Mulaney’s special, which was discontinued on April 25, comes after he spent two months in Pennsylvania rehab to deal with his use of cocaine, Adderall, Xanax, Klonopin and Percocet. “I’m leaving for rehab. I’ve got a full bag of 30mg of Adderall, a full bag of Xanax, 3 grams of cocaine, and $2,000 in cash on me,” he recalled in the special, his fourth for Netflix. “I had other plans that weekend.”
