John Mulaney describes the intervention that led to a personal reset and several years of “work on myself” in his latest comedy special, John Mulaney: Baby J.
“I’ve been working on myself a lot these past few years,” he says at the top of his fourth Netflix special and the first since his stint in rehab, where he spent two months in a Pennsylvania rehab facility. . “I’ve realized that as long as I get constant attention, I’ll be fine.”
The joke refers to all the media attention surrounding the comedian, mainly gathered between 2020 and 2022 in relation to his drug abuse and treatment, as well as the birth of his son with actress Olivia Munn and his high-profile divorce from ex-wife Anna. Mary Tendler. Mulaney had already covered these topics to varying degrees, most notably during an appearance on Late night with Seth Meyers.
drop Tuesday, Baby J sees Mulaney comically describing the experience of his intervention, which included being surprised by a 12-member “star-studded” group of friends on Dec. 18, 2020. The incident saw Mulaney face a “‘we are the world'” of alternative comedians — Meyers, Fred Armisen and Nick Kroll — both in person in New York and via Zoom in Los Angeles All were on hand to address his abuse of cocaine, Adderall, Xanax, Klonopin and Percocet.
“I’m leaving for rehab, carrying a full bag of 30mg of Adderall, a full bag of Xanax, 3 grams of cocaine, and $2,000 in cash,” he recalled. “I had other plans that weekend.”
Moments later, Mulaney notes that he was two hours late for what he initially thought was a dinner with a college friend. (Equal to be Late at night appearance, Mulaney explained that this was after he had to pay his dealer cash when his Venmo was “maxed out”, and after he stopped to get a haircut Saturday Night Live studios in advance.)
The comedian reveals that this “very good lineup” of comedy stars promised they wouldn’t do anything about his condition afterward, Mulaney shared, and at least one person in the group thought he’d be dealt with by the interventionist who was hired by his friends love it How to catch a predator.
In another gag, Mulaney says not-so-subtly “don’t believe the persona” while discussing how the interventionist who called for help was told by his friends that he was “nice.” The joke seemingly references the “nice guy” and “woman” reputation he’s built through his comedy, as well as the criticism he’s faced following details of his divorce from Tendler and news of Munn’s pregnancy following years of jokes about not wanting kids .
In the end, though he describes the intervention as a “trick” and “prank”, while admitting that he is “still pissed off at them”, he thanks those involved. “To do this show and stand here — listen, I’m grateful to everyone for stepping in,” he said. “They intervened, they confronted me and they completely saved my life.”
At another point in the special, he talks about how he was able to relapse, including how he used WebMD to identify a doctor who would prescribe him medication with few questions asked. That included a New York doctor named “Dr. Michael,” who never shared his last name with the comedian, but who, according to Mulaney, sexually harassed him whenever he stopped by the doctor’s house to get new prescriptions.
“Maybe that was his whole thing,” Mulaney says after telling that every time he saw him, the doctor asked him to take his whole shirt off for a flu or vitamin shot. “It was just to let guys take their shirts off.”
The special not only covers Mulaney’s intervention experience and how he relapsed, but also provides an insight into his time in rehab, with the comedian sharing that he spent more than 50 hours awake before entering the care facility, where he spent the first four or spent five days in detox. .
In those first 12 hours, the comedian says he first dealt with a “legitimately good doctor” and, because of his “superhuman” tolerance for sedatives, saw him “bobbing and weaving in a pair of New Balance sneakers.” Mulaney also reveals that he had kept watch while he slept that first night after threatening to escape the facility, and that Pete Davidson, who had not attended his intervention, called to check in with him out of concern.
However, Davidson showed up on Mulaney’s phone as Al Pacino – something that caused the nurse on duty to wake him up. “Fun fact about Pete: he changes his phone number all the time,” he told the audience. ‘I do not know why. That’s his journey.”
Mulaney uses this moment to make it clear that Davidson was not doing drugs with him – a rumor that arose after the former SNL writer went into rehab – in a joke that references a phone call between them that the nurse thinks is happening to Pacino. “Some people suggested that he and I did drugs together because he has tattoos, and I’m clear,” Mulaney said. “I’ve never done drugs with Pete. He has always been a big supporter of my sobriety.”
Mulaney addresses his son Malcolm Hiệp towards the end of the special, describing a time when the duo visited a museum in Detroit. But for the most part, the comedian avoids discussing his post-rehab personal life, his relationship with Munn, and his divorce from Tendler. Instead, he discusses the impact of how recent years have changed his public image.
“I used to care so much what everyone thought of me. It was all I cared about…and I don’t anymore,” he said. “And I’m not doing that because I can honestly say, what is someone going to do to me that’s worse than what I would do to myself?”
“What are you going to cancel John Mulaney?” he adds. “I kill him. I almost did.
