How Olivia Munn's Son Malcolm 'Lifted' Her Up During 'Rough' Breast Cancer Recovery

The actress shares a sweet, candid moment with her child in a new post.

How Olivia Munn's Son Malcolm 'Lifted' Her Up During 'Rough' Breast Cancer Recovery

Published:

6:42 AM PDT, April 23, 2024

Olivia Munn's role as a mom played a huge part in her breast cancer recovery

The 43-year-old actress opens up about how her 2-year-old son, Malcolm, whom she shares with partner John Mulaney, effortlessly made all the difference as she recuperated from grueling treatments

On Monday, Munn shared a throwback video of a fun day playing with her little boy in the sunshine. 

"This moment was last summer when I had already had three surgeries and recovery -- mentally and physically -- as pretty rough," she explained in text shared over the clip. "The smallest, silliest moments like this lifted me up every single time." 

She added an eyes-welling emoji along with, "My Malcolm" at the end of her post. 

Olivia Munn and son Malcolm - Olivia Munn / Instagram Story

In March, the New Girl actress detailed via Instagram the journey of her shocking diagnosis of Luminal B cancer, which she described as "aggressive" and "fast moving" in both breasts last year.

"In February of 2023, in an effort to be proactive about my health, I took a genetic test that checks you for 90 different cancer genes," she wrote in a statement. "I tested negative for all, including BRCA (the most well-known breast cancer gene). My sister, Sara, had just tested negative as well. We called each other and high-fived over the phone. That same winter I also had a normal mammogram. Two months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer."

Munn shared that as a result, she underwent a series of biopsies, surgeries, a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in a span of 10 months. 

Olivia Munn - Karwai Tang/WireImage

Later, in an interview with People, Munn credited her child with keeping her mind off of cancer. 

"When I'm with him, it's the only time my brain doesn’t think about being sick," she told the outlet. "I'm just so happy with him. And it puts a lot of stuff into perspective. Because if my body changes, I'm still his mom. If I have hot flashes, I'm still his mom. If I lose my hair, I'm still his mom. That's really what matters the most to me. I get to be here for him."

Munn and Mulaney have been together since 2021. They welcomed their son, Malcolm Hiệp Mulaney, in November 2021.

John Mulaney and Olivia Munn - Stefanie Keenan/VF24/WireImage for Vanity Fair

"I'm just excited about meeting whoever it is, and bringing a little person into this world," Munn told ET during her pregnancy

For more on Munn's health journey, check out the links below. 

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