John Mulaney knows exactly who his fans are. That’s why one of the funnier bits comes in Baby Jhis new Netflix special, comes when he’s in an environment where people not know who he is. Mulaney, who thought he would be cool about it, suddenly discovers he is quite vain to go so far as to have newspaper articles about him prominently displayed so they could summarize that he’s a pretty big deal.
Shortly after, he tells an anecdote about a friend, Lenny, asking him what he does for a living, and when he tells Lenny he’s a comedian, Lenny is shocked that Mulaney can make a living out of it.
“Yes, ask your daughter,” Mulaney replies with mock irritation. “Or your son if he’s not athletic.”
Also, this all happened in rehab.
Similar to Chris Rock Selective outrage, Baby J, Mulaney’s new Netflix comedy special, comes after a particularly tumultuous series of events for the performer. Unfortunately for Mulaney, his public struggles were arguably a little worse than being beaten by Will Smith. In a whirlwind nine months through late 2020 and into 2021, Mulaney became a minor tabloid sensation when he checked into rehab, got divorced, started dating actress Olivia Munn, and had a child.
The reason his troubles became gossip fodder is easy for those who have followed Mulaney’s comedy for a number of years. John Mulaney has built a career cracking jokes among a decidedly comedic personality not a divorcee with a drug problem. With a sparkling, self-confessed style, Mulaney delivered years-long gags about his hopelessly no-nonsense demeanor and wore snazzy suits while delivering quips about being comedy’s best wife guy, who also happened to look like three toddlers in a vest that rattled maniacally and expertly crafted Stories about what it’s like to be in your 30’s and look like Brooks Brothers Peter Pan.
Baby J deals in part with Mulaney’s sudden public battle with addiction, the result of two years of workshop material about his stint in rehab and the intervention that got him there. As much as he emphasizes his “kinda different mood now,” vintage Mulaney is what sets it apart: casually rehearsed, self-deprecating, spicy stuff that uses the detachment of sobriety to laugh at the darkness of addiction. You get the feeling it’s part of Mulaney’s healing process, a rebuilt comedic persona: still the same person, kind of
But Baby J also does another type of rehabilitation.
Mulaney’s ah-shucks grown-up toddler schtick wasn’t just a creation of his stand-up. Celebrity is a collaboration between artist and audience – Mulaney’s comedy suggested a persona, and public reception reinforced it. In this, Mulaney’s ability to relate became a trap. The version of John Mulaney that existed on stage was a non-threatening, timid Irish Catholic liberal arts student, a collection of traits that have a lot of overlap in the media industry, yes, but also with a very specific kind of ( white) fan. As Mulaney tells Lenny in rehab: Daughters and sons who aren’t into sports.
Therefore, his stay in rehab and divorce went hand in hand a flood of essays around parasocial relationshipsas a man who was arguably too successful at being relatable, caused a cognitive fracture in the fandom he cultivated.
Reviews of Baby J note how the comedian’s polished demeanor undermines the material’s vulnerability. In-the-know viewers will notice what Mulaney not talk about: His divorce, his new partner and his child. Old Mulaney probably would have done it – drug addiction wasn’t the reason he shared too much; He opens the set with a lengthy tirade about how much he’s always loved attention. The omission of his life as it is now is perhaps the biggest clue to how the new Mulaney differs from the pre-rehab phase of his career: It’s a Mulaney who may have found a newfound interest in boundaries.
John Mulaney knows his audience. Maybe he’s decided it’s time to share a little less with them.