John Mulaney EXPOSED

By Mary Courtney Finn

If you’re a fan of Saturday Night Live or Netflix comedy specials, it’s likely you are familiar with the name John Mulaney. Comedian and actor John Mulaney got his start on Saturday Night Live as a comedy writer, launching his career into full force. Although you might only know the funny and lighthearted side of Mulaney, recent news uncovers a whole new side of Mulaney as a person and significant other. In 2014, Mulaney married makeup artist, Anna Marie Tendler, and their relationship became one of the more popular celebrity relationships to keep up with. However, a recent divorce, new love interest, and brand-new child has brought John Mulaney back into the spotlight, but not for particularly noble or admirable reasons (turns out divorcing your wife and having a baby with your new girlfriend months later doesn’t go down well… shocker). 

However, his love life is not the first time Mulaney has been in the news for bad press. Mulaney voluntarily discussed his issues with substance abuse and addiction but told viewers he had been sober since 2005. So, you can imagine it came as a shock to Americans when Mulaney checked into rehab in 2020 for alcoholism, cocaine addiction, and prescription pill problems. While it seems Mulaney has gotten clean again since his most recent rehab stint, many fans applauded Anna Marie Tendler for standing by Mulaney’s side during such trying times. It seems, though, that helping him get clean was not a good enough reason for Mulaney to stay married to Tendler. In July of 2021, Mulaney filed for divorce, and almost immediately after, began a relationship with actress Olivia Munn. As if that didn’t hurt Tendler enough, Mulaney then announced in September that Munn and he were expecting a child together. Seems like a rather quick relationship turnaround, right? Well, what hurt Mulaney fans, even more, was Tendler’s honest update on life after her divorce in Harper’s Bazaar. 

In the raw and open account of her relationship through the years with Mulaney, Tendler details a very emotional time in their relationship where she and Mulaney decided to not have children together because Mulaney did not want to. Although Tendler would have liked to have children with Mulaney, she explains she loved him and respected this decision. After learning about this so-called “joint decision” to not have children, it seemed rather disrespectful to Tendler when it was announced that Mulaney and Munn were expecting a child. While things in relationships can certainly change, it was apparent from the article that Tendler was not only disturbed by the events that transpired but also that she was deeply hurt by the seemingly two-sidedness of Mulaney. 

I can certainly say after reading the article that my heart hurt deeply for Tendler and all she has endured in the last year. I can’t imagine how difficult going through a public divorce must be, but being betrayed and replaced by a former spouse seems like it would cause deep-rooted issues for someone for the rest of their life. While Tendler explained that she is working on bettering herself post-divorce, I imagine her heart is still very much hurting. No divorce is easy for someone to go through, but I think Mulaney’s actions throughout the process have shown him to be an inconsiderate and audacious celebrity that has gotten away with a lot because of fame.