Stand-Up Comedian John Mulaney Enters Rehab

In a report obtained by Page Six's Emily Smith, former Saturday Night Live writer and noted stand-up comic John Mulaney has checked into rehab for cocaine and alcohol abuse.

In Smith's article, an unnamed source stated that "John's friends and family are happy that he's finally getting some help and focusing on his health." Additionally, Mulaney is "on board with his recovery, [is] not fighting against rehab."

The comedian is known for the openness he's shown about his past with substance abuse, speaking at length about how alcohol acted as a coping mechanism at a young age for his developing anxiety.

"I was really outgoing, and then at twelve, I wasn't," Mulaney said in an interview with Esquire in 2019. "I didn't know how to act. And then I was drinking, and I was hilarious again."

Following these earlier instances of abuse, Mulaney had a realization in his early twenties, quitting alcohol and cocaine in the same month following an ill-fated binge.

In the same interview with Esquire, Mulaney detailed his catalyst for change. "I went on a bender that weekend that was just, like, fading in and out of a movie," he said. "[After], I was like, You're fucking out of control. And I thought to myself, I don't like this guy anymore. I'm not rooting for him."

For Mulaney, the ongoing pandemic exasperated those anxieties. The same source from Page Six says that "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."

Mulaney's colleagues have been quick to encourage the 38 year old's choice to get help, with likes of comedian Patton Oswalt and voice actor John DiMaggio expressing their support via Twitter.