John Mulaney has checked into a Pennsylvania rehabilitation center.
According to Page Six, Mulaney checked in to the facility over the weekend after battling alcohol and cocaine addiction during quarantine. A source told the outlet that his friends and family are happy he’s “finally getting some help and focusing on his health.”
“His fans know he’s struggled in the past with sobriety; he has talked about it openly,” the source said. “Unfortunately, he has struggled again during the pandemic. He’s on board with his recovery, he’s not fighting against rehab.”
Mulaney most recently spoke out about his history of addiction in an interview with Esquire last year. The magazine reported that Mulaney started drinking at 13, and “spent the entirety of his teens and the early part of his twenties as an addict, spiraling out of control.” From the profile:
I was really outgoing, and then at twelve, I wasn’t. I didn’t know how to act. And then I was drinking, and I was hilarious again.” Drugs soon followed. “I never liked smoking pot. Then I tried cocaine, and I loved it. I wasn’t a good athlete, so maybe it was some young male thing of This is the physical feat I can do. Three Vicodin and a tequila and I’m still standing. Who’s the athlete now?”
Mulaney decided to give up drinking and drugs at 23, when he realized he didn’t like who he was when he was using substances. At the time he was able to “flip a switch” to get sober, according to Esquire.
This time it sounds like Mulaney needs a little more help, which makes complete sense—the pandemic has been a difficult time for people in recovery, and the isolation and stress of life under quarantine has made it easy to relapse. I’m glad Mulaney is getting the help he needs!
Want to feel old? It’s been roughly 13 years since we used to routinely talk about how Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry look like each other.
And now, with clear eyes and a fully formed prefrontal cortex, I wonder: Do they? In any case, that is the idea behind Deschanel starring in Perry’s latest music video, in her place:
- Wilmer Valderrama and Amanda Pacheco are expecting their first child. Tangentially related: This Us Weekly report resurfaced a factoid buried deep in my brain, which is that Valderrama and Demi Lovato dated for like, six years. [Us Weekly]
- Riverdale star Casey Cott is engaged to a girlfriend whose name we don’t know. [Page Six]
- No. 1 Gilmore Girls boyfriend Dave Rygalski (Adam Brody) and wife Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) have about the same amount of enthusiasm for the new Gossip Girl reboot as the rest of us. Brody said they might “dip their toes in.” Sounds like a no to me! [Vulture]
DISCUSSION
Mulaney was open about his drug use in many of his stand up specials. I love his comedy (I grew up in similar circumstances, so many of his bits hit home perfectly) and wish him nothing but the best. I hope he, his wife and Petunia get through this and come out stronger at the end.