John Mulaney Talked About His Addiction and Revealed He Started Drinking at Age 13
John Mulaney reportedly entered rehab for drug and alcohol abuse just days before the Christmas holiday. In a 2019 interview, the comedian described his addiction and revealed that he started drinking at 13.
John Mulaney is reportedly in rehab
On Dec. 21, 2020, Page Six reported that Mulaney was checking into a rehabilitation center for cocaine and alcohol abuse. A source close to the comedian told the outlet that his family is fully supportive of his decision to check into the Pennsylvania facility for 60 days.
“John’s friends and family are happy that he’s finally getting some help and focusing on his health,” the source said. “His fans know he’s struggled in the past with sobriety, he has talked about it openly. Unfortunately, he has struggled again during the pandemic. He’s on board with his recovery; he’s not fighting against rehab.”
His wife deleted her Instagram a few days before
Three days before Mulaney reportedly entered rehab, his wife, Annamarie Tendler, deleted her Instagram account. The two have been married since 2014.
Mulaney’s Instagram and Twitter accounts are still active. However, the last time the comedian posted was Dec. 14, when he discussed his voice-over role as Spider-Ham in Marvel’s Into the Spiderverse.
John Mulaney talked about his addiction in 2013
In a candid interview with Esquire in 2019, Mulaney revealed that he dealt with drug and alcohol abuse since childhood. He started drinking at the age of 13 to deal with the awkwardness of being a teen.
“I drank for attention,” he recalled. “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.”
Mulaney said he then began experimenting with drugs. “I never liked smoking pot,” he told the outlet. “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?’”
The stand-up comic said he spent his high school and college years doing embarrassing things. It wasn’t until he turned 23 that he realized he wanted to stop.
“I went on a bender that weekend that was just, like, fading in and out of a movie,” Mulaney said. “It was just crazy — I didn’t kill anyone or assault anyone. But yeah, I was like, ‘You’re f***ing out of control.’ And I thought to myself, ‘I don’t like this guy anymore. I’m not rooting for him.’”
Mulaney said that he quit on his own and did not enter a rehab program. At the time, he told the outlet that he has been sober since 2005.
