Comedian John Mulaney has responded to backlash surrounding his wife Olivia Munn. He called out what he described as “threatening comments and messages” she received after a recent interview comment about popular children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel.
What caused the controversy?
The backlash follows Munn’s interview with PEOPLE, where she opened up about what kind of kids’ shows she’s willing to tolerate for her two children.
In the interview, Munn said she finds many children’s shows hard to sit through—including Ms. Rachel’s.
“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,” she told the magazine. “These kids shows drive me crazy. Malcolm asked for Blue’s Clues [recently], and I don’t know who showed him Blue’s Clues, but they are on my [expletive] list now.”
The quote quickly made its way online, where it was met with criticism.
Part of the reason: Ms. Rachel—real name Rachel Accurso—recently spoke out about the humanitarian crisis children in Gaza are facing. Some online users linked Munn’s comment about Ms. Rachel to her lack of public support for the same cause, and things escalated from there.
The interview appears to have been removed from the magazine’s site since.
Mulaney speaks out
Mulaney addressed the backlash in an Instagram story, calling it a stretch—and harmful.
“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,” he wrote.
He added that Munn and their family have received violent messages online since the quote went viral.
“This is absolutely insane and needs to stop,” Mulaney continued. “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.”
What do netizens think?
The reaction hasn’t been one-sided. On X, comedian Mike Recine reposted Mulaney’s story with the caption: “Finally mentioning Gaza after almost two years because someone was mean to my wife.”
Under his post, users debated whether the backlash or the expectation was fair.
“Was it helpful to randomly abuse this person for not liking a TV show?” one person asked.
“Oh no! Some mean people forced me to think for one second about the starving blown up and incinerated children of Gaza! Those monsters!” another wrote.
“I don’t think famous people have any responsibility to make political statements about current events,” someone else offered. “Was Munn making a political statement or just saying she thinks kids shows are annoying in general?”
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