John Mulaney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Mulaney
Mulaney in 2014
Born	(1982-08-26) August 26, 1982 (age 42) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up television film
Education	Georgetown University (BA)
Genres	Observational comedy sketch comedy surreal humor black comedy satire
Subject(s)	American culture everyday life social awkwardness religion pop culture
Spouse	Annamarie Tendler ​ ​ (m. 2014; div. 2022)​ Olivia Munn ​ (m. 2024)​
Children	2

John Edmund Mulaney (born August 26, 1982) is a funny American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He became well-known for writing on the TV show Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 2008 to 2013. He even helped create a popular character called Stefon. John has hosted SNL six times, joining a special group called the SNL Five Timers Club in 2022.

He has many popular stand-up comedy shows, like Kid Gorgeous (2018) and Baby J (2023). He won two Emmy Awards for writing these shows. John also made a fun musical comedy special for kids called John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch (2019) on Netflix.

Mulaney also starred in his own TV show called Mulaney (2014–2015). He performs as George St. Geegland with his friend Nick Kroll in a comedy duo. They even had a show on Broadway called Oh, Hello on Broadway. John also helps write and produce the TV series Documentary Now! (2015–present). In 2024, he hosted a Netflix talk show called John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA.

You might also know his voice from animated shows and movies. He voices Andrew Glouberman in Big Mouth (2017–present). He was Peter Porker / Spider-Ham in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). He also voiced Chip in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022) and Big Jack Horner in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022).

Early Life and School

John Mulaney was born on August 26, 1982, in Chicago, Illinois. His parents, Ellen and Charles Mulaney Jr., were both lawyers. His family has Irish Catholic roots. John's great-grandparents included George J. Bates, who was a mayor and congressman.

When John was five, he knew he wanted to be in show business. He watched the character Ricky Ricardo on I Love Lucy. At age seven, he joined a kids' comedy group in Chicago called "The Rugrats." He even had a chance to audition for the movie Home Alone, but his parents said no.

For junior high, John went to St. Clement School. Instead of writing reports, he and his friend would perform skits. When he was 14, he acted in a play called Our Town. He also loved visiting the Museum of Broadcast Communications. There, he watched old TV shows like I Love Lucy and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

He graduated from St. Ignatius College Prep in 2000. Then, he went to Georgetown University, where his parents also studied. He studied English and theology. At Georgetown, he joined an improv group. He met Nick Kroll and Mike Birbiglia there. Later, he toured with Mike Birbiglia, which helped him get over his stage fright.

Comedy Career

Starting Out (2004–2014)

After college in 2004, John Mulaney moved to New York City. He wanted to be a comedian. He got a job as an office assistant at Comedy Central. After a year, he suggested a funny show idea called I Love the '30s. He developed it with his friend Nick Kroll.

Working on Saturday Night Live

The main stage for Saturday Night Live

John Mulaney was discovered after performing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. In 2008, he was asked to audition for Saturday Night Live (SNL). He didn't do impressions, but performed stand-up comedy bits. He got a spot on the writing team.

He worked as a writer for four seasons. He wrote many of the monologues for the hosts. He also appeared on the show's Weekend Update segment sometimes. He and actor Bill Hader created the popular character Stefon. John was nominated for Emmy Awards for his writing on SNL. He won an Emmy in 2011 for co-writing a song with Justin Timberlake and Seth Meyers.

Besides SNL, John Mulaney has been a stand-up comedian for many years. He started headlining shows in 2008. He performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2008. He has been on many TV talk shows. He also released comedy albums like The Top Part (2009) and New in Town (2012).

His Own Show: Mulaney

In 2013, John Mulaney tried to get his own TV show. It was a sitcom based on his life. NBC didn't pick it up at first. But then Fox decided to order six episodes.

John was the creator, producer, and writer of his show, called Mulaney. It starred John, Nasim Pedrad, Martin Short, and Elliott Gould. The show was cancelled in 2015. John said he wanted to make a sitcom like the ones he watched growing up. Some critics said the show was too much like Seinfeld.

Becoming a Star (2015–2019)

John Mulaney's third comedy special, The Comeback Kid, came out on Netflix in 2015. Many people loved it. Critics said it showed his great storytelling. During this time, he also wrote for other TV shows. He acted in small roles on shows like Crashing and Portlandia. He was nominated for another Emmy for The Comeback Kid in 2016.

Documentary Now!

In 2015, John Mulaney started writing for the TV series Documentary Now!. This show makes fun of famous documentary films. It was created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Seth Meyers. John has written five episodes for the show.

He also acted in an episode in 2019 called "Original Cast Album: Co-Op". John helped write the episode and the songs in it. He played a character named Simon Sawyer. The episode was a funny take on a real documentary about a Broadway musical. Many people thought this episode was excellent.

Oh, Hello and Kid Gorgeous

John Mulaney has a character named George St. Geegland. He's an older man from New York City. George hosts a prank show with his friend Gil Faizon, played by Nick Kroll. They give people sandwiches with too much tuna! These characters became popular on Nick Kroll's show, Kroll Show.

John and Nick toured the U.S. with their Oh, Hello show. They performed on Broadway from 2016 to 2017. The Broadway show was filmed and released on Netflix. Famous guests like Steve Martin and Matthew Broderick appeared in it.

Mulaney performing in 2009

John's fourth stand-up comedy tour was called Kid Gorgeous. It started in 2017 and ended in 2018. He performed seven shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. One of these shows was filmed for a Netflix special. Kid Gorgeous was highly praised. John won an Emmy Award for writing it in 2018.

In 2017, John was invited to honor David Letterman, a famous comedian. Letterman said John Mulaney was "the future of comedy." John also performed at charity events for Jon Stewart and Seth Rogen.

Big Mouth and Back to Saturday Night Live

John Mulaney voices a main character, Andrew Glouberman, in the animated Netflix series Big Mouth. He works on this show with his writing partner Nick Kroll. They also hosted the Independent Spirit Awards together in 2017 and 2018.

In 2018, John voiced Spider-Ham in the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He also returned to host Saturday Night Live six times. He joined the Saturday Night Live Five-Timers Club in 2022. This is a special club for people who have hosted the show five or more times.

In 2019, John toured with comedian Pete Davidson for a series of shows. They became good friends and appeared on TV together.

Sack Lunch Bunch

In December 2019, John Mulaney released a musical comedy special for kids. It was called John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch on Netflix. The special was inspired by classic children's shows like Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

The show features John and 15 child actors and singers. Famous people like Jake Gyllenhaal also made guest appearances. Critics loved the special. It was praised for being both funny and a good example of a children's show. John was nominated for two Emmy Awards for this special in 2020.

Recent Work (2021–Present)

In May 2021, John Mulaney returned to stand-up comedy. He started working on new material for a tour called John Mulaney: From Scratch. He sold out many shows in New York and Boston. Parts of this tour were later used in his 2023 Netflix special, Baby J.

In 2023, he appeared as himself in an episode of the TV series Bupkis. He also guest starred in The Bear as a character named Stevie. In 2024, he announced a six-part series on Netflix called John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA. This show was a live talk show.

In September 2024, it was announced that John Mulaney would return to Broadway. He will be in a play called All In: Comedy About Love.

Comedy Influences

John Mulaney loves stand-up comedy albums. He grew up listening to them on his Discman. He collects comedy albums. He has mentioned loving albums by Chris Rock, Woody Allen, Nichols and May, and Albert Brooks.

He also enjoys comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Conan O'Brien, and Bob Newhart. His favorite comedy albums include Bring the Pain by Chris Rock, Strategic Grill Locations by Mitch Hedberg, Dress to Kill by Eddie Izzard, and Skanks for the Memories... by Dave Atell.

Personal Life

Family

John Mulaney married multimedia artist Annamarie Tendler in 2014. They later divorced in 2022.

In September 2021, John announced he was expecting a child with actress Olivia Munn. Their son was born in November 2021. John and Olivia Munn married in July 2024. Their second child, a daughter, was born in September 2024.

Views

John Mulaney was raised Catholic. In 2014, he said his religious views were closer to Judaism. In 2020, he described himself as an atheist.

Mulaney performing at a Joining Forces event at Joint Base Andrews in 2016

In 2016, John Mulaney performed at an event honoring the Armed Forces. It was organized by the USO. Other comedians like Jon Stewart and David Letterman were there. The event was attended by then-President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

In 2019, John Mulaney said he had donated to Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign. In June 2020, he was seen at a Black Lives Matter protest in Washington D.C.

In June 2021, John Mulaney appeared at a concert to raise money for a New York City mayoral candidate. During the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, John cancelled an event to support the writers.

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2018	Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse	Peter Porker / Spider-Ham	Voice, film debut
2019	Spider-Ham: Caught in a Ham		Voice; short film
2020	Spider-Ham: Back on the Air
2022	Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers	Chip	Voice
	Puss in Boots: The Last Wish	"Big" Jack Horner	Voice
2023	Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse	Peter Porker / Spider-Ham	Voice, archival audio
TBA	Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse	Peter Porker / Spider-Ham	Voice; In production

Television

Specials

Theatre

Video games

Discography

Stand-up Specials

• The Top Part (Comedy Central Records, 2009)
• New in Town (Comedy Central Records, 2012)
• The Comeback Kid (Drag City, 2017)
• John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City (Drag City, 2018)
• John Mulaney: "Baby J" (Drag City, 2023)

Musical

• Original Cast Album: Co-Op (Lakeshore Records, 2019)
• John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch (Drag City, 2019)

Touring

• John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous (2017–2018)
• Sundays with Pete and John (2019)
• John Mulaney: From Scratch (2021–2023)
• John Mulaney: In Concert (2024)

Awards and Nominations

John Mulaney has won many awards for his TV work. In 2009, he won a Peabody Award with the writers of Saturday Night Live. This was for their funny work on the 2008 presidential election. He has been nominated for many Primetime Emmy Awards for SNL and Documentary Now!. He won his first Emmy in 2011 for co-writing a song on Saturday Night Live. He won his second Emmy in 2018 for writing his stand-up special John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City.

See also

In Spanish: John Mulaney para niños