‘John Mulaney: Baby J’ Comedy Special

Comedian returns after rehab

STELLA SCHNEIDER / ASST. A&C EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

“John Mulaney: Baby J” is coming to Netflix on April 25. This will be John Mulaney’s third Netflix comedy special, following “The Comeback Kid” and “Kid Gorgeous.” Before working with Netflix, Mulaney’s first hour-long TV special was titled “New in Town.” 

Recently, Mulaney also created the musical comedy special “John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch.” His new stand-up special will have a very different tone from his previous work, as much of the content is based around his time in rehabilitation. 

Mulaney first rose to fame writing for “Saturday Night Live” and has gone on to a full career in comedy and even starred as a voice actor in various films.

His new special is advertised as a “wide-ranging conversation,” looking at Mulaney’s life over recent years. In a teaser for the special coming out, Mulaney jokes about the stories he is telling.

“And as you process and digest how obnoxious, wasteful, and unlikeable that story [from before rehabilitation] is, just remember that’s one I’m willing to tell you.”

USD junior Abby Stallard has been watching Mulaney’s work for a while and is looking forward to the release of his new special.

“I hope he is really open to the truth and doesn’t put up any barriers. It must be very therapeutic for him to have such honesty about a difficult time in his life, and I think that he can find the humor in his situation and make light of a really grave situation,” Stallard expressed.

In December 2020, Mulaney checked into a rehabilitation facility after his addiction to alcohol, cocaine and prescription drug use flared up after 15 years of being clean.

Mulaney was a guest on “Late Night With Seth Meyers”  in late 2021 and opened up about his struggles with becoming sober, his new relationship with Olivia Munn and the baby they were expecting. During the show, Meyers and Mulaney talked about the night when friends of Mulaney came together and staged an intervention to get him the help he needed. 

“When I opened the door, I knew it was an intervention. That’s how bad of a drug problem I had,” Mulaney expressed. “Sitting here tonight, I’m so grateful to you and to everyone there for saving my life.”

Mulaney began his “John Mulaney: From Scratch” tour in 2021 and performed around the nation for the following year opening up about his experiences getting clean. “John Mulaney: Baby J” was filmed in February at the Boston Symphony Hall, featuring a similar set to that on tour. The story of his intervention was highlighted in his set from the tour and will appear in the new stand-up special. 

USD senior Cheryl Pham has been watching Mulaney’s specials and thinks the conversation around addiction is important.

“Addiction is always glamorized in Hollywood, but to see the real side of it from him instead of it being used as a plot device is powerful. At the very least, I hope the openness helps people,” Pham explained. “I hope in his new special he talks about growth.”

Using a comedy special to explore important topics and struggles has been done by other performers in the past, and Stallard expressed how people are receptive to this type of honesty on stage. 

“Someone standing on a stage alone talking about themselves in front of a ton of people is honestly the most vulnerable that you can get. Comedy is telling stories and elaborating on the human experience, so I think it will be really powerful,” Stallard explained. 

This new comedy special will highlight some of the difficult parts of Mulaney’s rehabilitation, but will keep the same humor his audience is used to.