John Mulaney issues strong statement addressing trolls targeting wife Olivia Munn and kids: ‘Absolutely insane’
John Mulaney issues a statement via Instagram stories, after his wife Olivia Munn was slammed following her views on Ms Rachel.
American actor-writer John Mulaney has come out strongly against the hate and threats directed at his wife, actor Olivia Munn and their children after her remarks about not watching Ms. Rachel’s content. In a statement shared on Wednesday via Instagram stories, the 42-year-old comedian denounced the wave of backlash that followed a recent interview in which Olivia discussed the kind of children’s programming she allows in their home.
Calling out the disturbing messages that followed, John said the situation had spiraled into something “unbelievable,” all stemming from what he described as “an innocent comment” his wife made about their household’s screen-time choices. He expressed disbelief that her words were twisted to suggest indifference toward humanitarian issues, particularly the suffering of children in Gaza.
He revealed that Olivia had received “violent and threatening comments and messages” directed at both her and their children, Malcolm and Méi. Calling the behavior “wildly out of line,” John made it clear that such reactions were “so unhelpful to any conversation” and stressed, “This kind of behavior isn't activism.”
“An innocent comment my wife Olivia Munn made about what children's programs we like has somehow -unbelievably been conflated with not caring about the deaths of children in Gaza. Because of this, my wife and my two kids are now receiving violent and threatening comments and messages in her DMs. This is absolutely insane and needs to stop. The people doing this are so wildly out of line and so unhelpful to any conversation. You took a nothing comment to a dark and dangerous place. This kind of behavior isn't activism,” he wrote.
The controversy began when Olivia, in an interview last week, shared that she avoids certain kids’ shows for her own sanity. “I know kids love [Ms. Rachel]. But the thing is, if I can't watch it, I'm not going to spend the rest of my life going crazy. These kid shows drive me crazy,” she was quoted as saying.
Following the backlash, Ms. Rachel—who has been vocal about supporting humanitarian aid for children in Gaza—responded to the headlines. In an Instagram comment dated on Monday, she wrote, “I'd rather you cover my advocacy for kids in Gaza.” She emphasized that her message was not directed at Olivia, adding, “I don’t care that she doesn’t want to watch the show,” and sent “all my love to her and her family.”
Olivia also addressed the reaction in a statement of her own on Tuesday, expressing that she “never anticipated” the scale of the response. “My comments were never meant to diminish the joy, comfort and impact she brings to so many families. I don’t want something taken out of context to be a moment that steals even a minute of joy for anyone,” she said.
