John Mulaney reveals he cracked his teeth trying to get off benzo drugs Xanax and Klonopin – as he talks hiding his addiction issues in new interview with David Letterman

John Mulaney has come clean about the toll quitting drugs took on his body as he opened up about hiding his addiction problems.

The 41-year-old comedian – whose partner Olivia Munn recently underwent breast cancer surgery – was a guest on the new episode of Netflix chat show My Next Guest With David Letterman.

In it, he opened up about his rehab stint from late 2020 to early 2021 with the 77-year-old television legend, as he said, “It’s not exactly great nights of sleep and serenity.”

He explained that despite having an all-star group of friends who convinced him to go to rehab, he was a bit jaded by it all and it was a particularly tough experience as it took a physical toll on him started demanding.

Mulaney said, “I had no gratitude whatsoever. The actual drug withdrawal was physically very uncomfortable, and I had been taking a lot of benzodiazepines like Xanax and Klonopin.

‘It can be very hard to get rid of that. I was in the detox hospital room and I was grinding my teeth so hard that a tooth cracked.”

The process was especially difficult at first because after only four days he admitted that he wanted to leave and even told his doctor that he was leaving.

The comedian explained, “He didn’t argue or anything. He just said, ‘John, we both know how this movie ends.’ And that was it.”

Things changed significantly in the stand-up’s life when he told Letterman that December 20 will mark three years of sobriety for him.

Last month, the comedian broke his silence after girlfriend Olivia Munn revealed her breast cancer diagnosis, writing a sweet message to his other half after sharing the surprising health update.

Mulaney, who shares two-year-old son Malcolm Hiệp Mulaney with Munn, responded to a post his girlfriend posted in March announcing her diagnosis.

The comedian revealed that both he and their son “adore” Munn as he thanked her for “fought so hard” to be with them.

“Thank you for fighting so hard to be here for us. Malc and I love you,” he said, along with a red heart emoji.

In her post, Munn, 43, revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and had undergone four surgeries in the past 10 months.

Mulaney, who was previously married to Anna Marie Tendler, has been in a relationship with Munn since 2021.

In her post announcing her diagnosis, Munn wrote, “In February 2023, in an effort to be more proactive about my health, I took a genetic test that checks you for 90 cancer genes. I tested negative for everyone, including BRCA (the most famous breast cancer gene).

‘My sister Sara had also just tested negative. We called each other and high-fived over the phone. That same winter I also had a negative mammogram.

‘Two months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer.’

She continued, “In the past ten months, I’ve had four surgeries, spent so many days in bed I can’t even count, and I’ve learned more about cancer, cancer treatment, and hormones than I ever could have imagined.

“Surprisingly, I only cried twice. I guess I didn’t feel like there was time to cry. My focus narrowed and I put emotions on the table that I thought would hinder my ability to stay clear-headed.

“I tend to let people see me when I have energy, when I can get dressed and leave the house, when I can take my son to the park. I kept the diagnosis and the worries and the recovery and the pain meds and the paper coats private.

“I had to catch my breath and get through some of the hardest parts before I could share it.”

Olivia praised her midwife for deciding to calculate her breast cancer risk assessment score, adding: ‘The fact that she did that saved my life.’

‘Dr. Aliabadi looked at factors such as my age, family history of breast cancer and the fact that I had my first child after the age of 30. She found that my lifetime risk was 37 percent.

‘Because of that score, I was sent for an MRI, which led to an ultrasound and then a biopsy. The biopsy showed that I had Luminal B cancer in both breasts. Luminal B is an aggressive, fast-moving cancer.

’30 days after that biopsy I had a double mastectomy. From one day I felt completely fine, until the next day I woke up in a hospital bed after a ten-hour operation.’

Olivia, who attended the 2024 Oscars with John this weekend, added: “I’m lucky. We took it so long that I had options. I want the same for every woman who ever has to deal with this.”

She then urged her followers to ask their doctors to calculate their breast cancer risk assessment score and urged women to keep up with their annual mammograms and breast MRIs.

“I’m so grateful to my friends and family for loving me through this. I am so grateful to John for the nights he spent researching what each surgery and medication meant and what side effects and recovery I could expect.

“Because I was there before I had every surgery and there when I woke up, always posting framed pictures of our little boy Malcolm so that it was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes,” the star wrote.

Olivia concluded, “Thank you to the friends who have had breast cancer and the friends who put me in touch with friends who have had breast cancer for guiding me through some of my most uncertain and overwhelming months.

“I am deeply grateful to the nurses, patient coordinators and staff at Cedars-Sinai in LA and Saint John’s in Santa Monica. “I would especially like to thank my surgical oncologist, Dr. Armando Giuliano, my reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Jay Orringer, my oncologist, Dr. Monica Mita, and especially my guardian angel, Dr. Thais Aliabadi.”

Olivia wrote in her caption, “I hope that by sharing this, others will find comfort, inspiration, and support in their own journey.”