John Mulaney reportedly checks into rehabilitation program; comedians express support

This weekend brings new music from Lady Gaga and Kelsea Ballerini, John Mulaney hosts “Saturday Night Live” and Elisabeth Moss in “The Invisible Man.” USA TODAY

John Mulaney, a stand-up comedian and writer who has been open about past struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction, has reportedly checked into rehab.

Page Six first reported the news on Monday, with People and Vulture later confirming. USA TODAY has reached out to Mulaney’s reps for comment and further details.

In the hours following the reports, several comedians took to Twitter to wish the former “Saturday Night Live” writer well on his recovery.

“.@mulaney is insanely talented, and was way nicer to me than he needed to be when he did @TheSimpsons,” wrote “The Simpsons” writer and producer Tim Long. “I hope he & everyone who’s struggling these days get the help they need.”

“Never, ever be ashamed of being brave enough to ask for help,” wrote “Mom” star Kristen Johnston.

Patton Oswalt of “The Goldbergs” and “A.P. Bio” tweeted Mulaney’s Twitter handle amid a flurry of heart emojis, while “Better Call Saul” star Michael McKean simply wrote, “Love to @mulaney.”

“The only jokes I want to hear about @mulaney in rehab are the jokes he tells about it after he gets out,” wrote “Disenchantment” star John DiMaggio.

Former “Saturday Night Live” writer and stand-up comedian John Mulaney has checked into rehab, according to People and Vulture.

 (Photo: Saeed Adyani / Netflix)

According to Mulaney’s 2019 profile in Esquire, he starting drinking alcohol at 13.

“I drank for attention,” he told the magazine. “I was really outgoing, and then at twelve, I wasn’t. I didn’t know how to act. And then I was drinking, and I was hilarious again.”

Mulaney also opened up about using drugs.

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“I never liked smoking pot,” he said. “Then I tried cocaine, and I loved it. I wasn’t a good athlete, so maybe it was some young male thing of ‘This is the physical feat I can do. Three Vicodin and a tequila and I’m still standing. Who’s the athlete now?'”

Mulaney added that he quit using drugs and alcohol in 2005 when he was 23, without using a recovery program.

“I went on a bender that weekend that was just, like, fading in and out of a movie,” he said. “I was like, ‘You’re (expletive) out of control.’ And I thought to myself, ‘I don’t like this guy anymore. I’m not rooting for him.’ “

Mulaney has also joked about his past issues with alcohol in stand-up routines.

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