john mulaney tour review

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Please support us by disabling your ad blocker on our site., 'from scratch' shows john mulaney in his most honest set yet, in his new stand–up special, john mulaney doesn’t shy away from the details of his controversial personal life..

John Mulaney is ' right outta rehab ' and it’s no surprise that his vibe has undergone a major readjustment.

The bumbling comedian is more known for being the guy “ running for Mayor of Nothing ” than the struggling addict. However, late last year, his public relapse seems to have morphed him into a far blunter person than he was before. Given the questionable set of circumstances Mulaney found himself in over the past year, it's not surprising. 

Mulaney demonstrates his change in persona in his new stand–up special, From Scratch , which he performed in Philadelphia at the Academy of Music on Oct. 11th, one of his many shows in the city. 

True to its name, Mulaney’s new stand–up special From Scratch sees him reinvent himself into someone almost unrecognizable after his rehab stint and highly–publicized divorce .

Yet, notwithstanding the less than ideal circumstances, this abrupt change in dynamic may be precisely the dialogue that we needed to open—what Mulaney really does is humanize drug addiction and rehabilitation in the face of tremendous criticism and controversy. 

Prior to 2020, Mulaney was, at his core, a comedian defined by his all–American 50s TV presenter aesthetic and sappy, idyllic relationship with his now ex–wife, Anna Marie Tendler . However, the image of the doting husband that he once projected—in fact, that of which became the focal point of his stand–up persona—was irretrievably broken within the first few moments of the show. 

Mulaney pulled no punches when greeting his audience, immediately referencing girlfriend Olivia Munn’s pregnancy , which amassed a fair amount of controversy even before the comedian announced it on Late Night With Seth Meyers in September. His newly–minted relationship with the actress irked many fans who had come to associate Mulaney as the antithesis of the emotionally–distant husband.

In fact, his early self–deprecating declaration that he’s “a drug addict and nobody likes [his] baby” is so unexpectedly jarring that it makes you question whether or not the criticism of a man deep in the trenches of recovery is even remotely fair. 

Yet, Mulaney’s new approach is equally if not more funny than his previous one, even if it's just a tad uncomfortable given the subject matter. There are moments of the show that are exceedingly sad as he describes his "coke skinny" self walking into a staged intervention, as well as his interactions with drug dealers such as a low–rated doctor dealing out of his kitchen and a painter–turned–pill pusher. 

The traces of the old Mulaney are tucked in between lines that candidly reflect on his rehab experience with jokes on his innate hatred of science and celebrities who bribe college officials to ensure their children’s admissions. But, these are scattered amid a complicated conversation that culminates in the star's bittersweet return to the stage.

This isn’t the same man from Kid Gorgeous At Radio City or John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch who radiates a childlike quality with his fast–paced speech and exuberant movements, but one hardened by a trying year. He talks slower and his movements are more limited than what we’re used to seeing on our Netflix recommendations—he doesn’t dramatically pace across the stage and not every word sounds like it begins with a capital letter. Yet, Mulaney is well aware of this sudden change and the negative public perception his actions have spurred (in his words, “all the teenage girls like Bo Burnham better now”). 

When Mulaney details his star–studded intervention with characters such as Nick Kroll, Seth Meyers, and Fred Armisen, he sustains the humor with only with a brief interlude to express his gratitude to his friends. Before he launches into his time at a Pennsylvania rehab center, he banters with the crowd and asks if anybody could relate to his experiences—there is neither pity nor indictment in his voice, but rather genuine interest. He expresses the simple idea that drug addiction isn’t a secret that you need to keep tucked away. For Mulaney, it's a difficult experience that one can find catharsis in sharing. 

This is a far cry from the comedian who jokes about ‘Stranger Danger’ assemblies and 1860s gazebos— From Scratch is a show centered on a deeply personal experience. Mulaney’s vulnerable set consists of necessary conversation on a difficult subject matter including drug addiction, intervention, rehabilitation, and recovery. Instead of shying away from his controversial year, he confronts it head on, perhaps prematurely, given that it has only been eight months since he was released. 

Even so, Mulaney manages to humanize a situation that many have villainized him for over the past few months. When speaking on his sister’s disability in his show DARK , comedian Daniel Sloss, who is known for his ability to weave difficult subject matters into his comedy, said that “to say disability is never funny, to me, is dehumanizing. You are saying that these people are not capable of doing something which you yourself are capable of doing and that’s laughing at the situation you’re in.” Though these are different circumstances, Mulaney speaks in the same vein. 

Some details seem far too personal for Mulaney to share on stage, such as how he elicited drugs; however, by speaking on it rather than sweeping it under the rug—as is often done in the media—he offers a stark reminder that he’s human too, while also combatting a dangerous stigma regarding addiction as a character flaw. 

The show isn’t perfect. Once again, Mulaney, in his own words, is “right outta rehab.” Nonetheless, the uncomfortable transition from Kid Gorgeous and The Sack Lunch Bunch to From Scratch not only makes you reanalyze your personal assessment of the star, but makes you confront the stigma of addiction. It’s a story without an apology; he owns up to his mistakes, but makes sure that his audience knows that they aren’t entitled to their opinions on his personal life.

This isn’t to say From Scratch is Mulaney’s best work; however, where it falters comedically, the special makes up for it in its brutal honesty. It may not be Mulaney’s funniest stand–up special, but it may emerge as his most important. 

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December 08, 2023

“John Mulaney in Concert” at the Bryce Jordan Center review

By Savannah Swartz

Dec. 3, 2024, at the Bryce Jordan Center, John Mulaney returned for his second performance in Happy Valley.

This is the comedian’s fifth major comedy tour in the last few years. “John Mulaney in Concert” followed “From Scratch," which was renamed “Baby J” when the special was put on Netflix.

Just to clarify, there was no singing. "In Concert" did not mean, what many thought it potentially could mean, comedy in song form.

“From Scratch” was performed last September in the same arena, and State College was ready for Mulaney’s return.

Mulaney was introduced by his opener, Langston Kerman, as a 6-foot man from Chicago. He acknowledges he is a basic white man, but what sets him apart is his incredible humor.

Before Mulaney took the stage, Kerman got the crowd warmed up with anecdotes from his former teaching days and how he wanted to kill his past students, specifically Edna, who laughed at his poem.

Along with that, he shared some raunchy info about things he has done to his wife and that he is running his mother-in-law's dating apps.

First thing in the morning, he flirts with old men.

Mulaney's portion of the show started with a bang. He shared about a Halloween party at age five where he was almost kidnapped.

Throughout the show, he lacked transitions, even at the beginning. “I hope you all had a good Halloween,” he said, followed by an explanation of how he knows that was a few months ago but has no good way to transition into this story.

Basically, in the 80s there was a big movement of using safe words when people who were not family would pick up children from school.

At this school party, where Mulaney was notably dressed up as a Ghostbuster, a man approached him and said he was picking him up and said “care bears” instead of the Mulaney family's safe word, “Gonzo."

What this story taught fans was that Mulaney has been hilarious and vulnerable since the beginning.

From there on the show only got darker. He jumped around from topics like wishing older relatives were dead to abusive fathers and his “Shark Tank” idea.

Mulaney shared about the AA group he is a part of, and how many of his acquaintances in this program have experienced physical abuse from their parents.

His idea is that people could hire him to go to their elderly parents' home and punch their dad in the face for a fee.

This along with some of his other touchy jokes was interesting to hear, but what was more interesting was seeing where this landed with audience members.

Some people laughed a little too hard when he wished his parents were already dead.

An interesting perspective he had was that anyone over the age of 70 should be required to join the military to make themselves useful.

Much of his content was delivered with a somewhat derogatory demeanor that he continued to explain was not his intention.

Cameron, from the front row, is a 14-year-old who probably was brought to this by his parents. Mulaney interacted with him at the beginning and middle of the show.

To be honest, Cameron gave very little for Mulaney to work with. He talked about the teachers at school he did and did not like. Mulaney ran with this and embarked on a rant about how teachers have the worst jobs ever.

All the Penn State education majors in the crowd tensed up.

Shockingly, the arena was not close to being sold out. The floor was full but the stadium seats lining the sides were not full.

Along with that, it was surprising how many older adults were in attendance.

During a particular bit at the end of his act, a few straight white couples began to leave when he shared about the gay bus driver he had on his last tour.

Leaving to avoid traffic? Leaving because they were offended? Hard to say.

The most optimistic part of the show was when Mulaney shared about his two-year-old son, Malcolm.

He shared about precious moments they had playing baseball in the front yard at five in the morning.

Along with that, he wrote about how he is mentally the same as his son in the way that he doesn't understand how dinosaurs came to be, and doesn’t know why the moon is in the sky during the daytime sometimes.

Very relatable and understandable.

All in all, Mulaney is still the same comedian fans know and love, but with a smaller filter and humor that is one shade darker.

Mulaney is always good for a laugh. Fans hope to see him in State College again, or as he said multiple times “College Park."

Savannah Swartz is a third-year communications major. To contact her, email [email protected] .

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As he took the stage on Sunday, Sept. 10 at Atlantic City’s Etess Arena , Jon Stewart got in a good line about the evening’s lineup.

“We’ve got the three stages of show business here tonight. Rehab, recovery and hospice.”

The crowd laughed and the former “Daily Show’ host launched into 45 minutes of fresh, punchy material.

However, like all good jokes, there was a kernel of truth to Stewart’s throwaway bit about his brief five-show tour with Pete Davidson and John Mulaney .

Each act represented a different stage of adulthood and that evolution made for a fascinating three-course comedic feast for fans of the trio.

To clue you in to what went down at the Sunday 7 p.m. show — “7 p.m. on a Sunday, you know, showbiz time!” Mulaney quipped — without spoiling too much, here are our thoughts about each performer’s set on the final night of the far too brief ‘Jon, John and Pete Tour.’

Pete Davidson

Punchline-heavy opening act Ricky Velez introduced Davidson and the crowd went nuts.

Taking the stage in casual athleisure, the 29-year-old immediately quieted the room and demanded our attention.

Rather than dance around his recent rehab stint, the “SNL” alum dove deep into what sent him there in the first place: using his cat’s ketamine.

This shocking and very funny admission let us into Davidson’s reality and he proceeded to get vulnerable with the crowd over the course of his half hour. His far-reaching material covered his experience at a rehabilitation center with an elderly patient, a doctor’s misguided suggestion for a “new hobby” and newfound struggles with renting movies online while he recovers.

He didn’t just tell rehab stories though.

In fact, Davidson was rather silly and light on his feet.

The “SNL” alum also touched on the time he got pulled over by a cop which led to the night’s most jubilantly goofy gag and his mom’s dating life (his larger than life impression of her was worth the price of admission alone).

Yet, the highlight had to have been a moment could only have been experienced live.

As Davidson geared up for the final punchline in his closer, a single piece of confetti fell from the rafters.

“This is Machine Gun Kelly’s fault!” Pete yelled.

While we can’t confirm whether or not it was from the MGK gig the night before, we can say that seeing Pete live was a thrilling delight.

If you want to catch him on the road again this year, he has 19 more shows lined up this fall .

A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found here .

John Mulaney

The evening’s middle act practically floated on the stage.

And as soon as he clutched the microphone, Mulaney was in complete control.

His airtight set — save for one hilarious but incomplete (by his own admission) bit about the devil — displayed a mastery of the form.

Some choice chunks from the polished veteran included an expertly crafted hot take about the FBI, a laugh out loud funny anecdote detailing the “kidnapping craze of the ’80s,” an edgy wish that his elderly parents weren’t so youthful and a breathtaking story centering around his salty tour bus driver.

In this reviewer’s humble opinion, all were special ready.

Still, this was a departure from the recently released “Baby J” hour dropped in April.

What separated this new half hour from Mulaney’s last is how much he’s grown up in the last year.

Now a father of a toddler, the “Sack Lunch Bunch” star joked about how his brain has gone out the window since having a kid.

These days, he often finds himself in the front yard of his home playing wiffleball with his son at 4:50 a.m.

Or he’s seeing if his kid enjoys Steely’s Dan “Gaucho” as much as he does.

Want to catch the latest Mulaney era live?

We recommend clicking here to see if he’s bringing his new material to a town near you soon.

Jon Stewart

All good things come to an end.

To close the night, Stewart ambled onstage and was quick to make fun of Atlantic City.

“Somehow, you guys f—ed up a town with beaches and a casino,” he jested.

From there, the ‘Jon, John & Pete’ elder statesman tackled aging (one joke about searching for his eyeglasses netted the night’s biggest laugh) and interfaith marriage (his expression impersonating childlike wonder witnessing the magic of Christmas was priceless) among a number of other topics near and dear to his heart.

He wrapped the night with political material covering trans issues, gay marriage, Kanye West’s inexplicable anti-Semitism, gun rights and 9/11 with a deft touch that showed he hasn’t lost a step comedically and is as sharp as ever.

Sadly, Stewart doesn’t have any more shows lined up to showcase his A+ material this year. If you need a fix, “The Problem with Jon Stewart” on Apple TV is your best bet.

Comedians on tour in 2023

Jon, John and Pete not headed to a city near you?

If that’s the case, here are just five other huge tours you won’t want to miss these next few months.

•  Steve Martin and Martin Short

•  Jerry Seinfeld with Jim Gaffigan

•  Tina Fey with Amy Poehler

•  Colin Jost with Michael Che

•  Trevor Noah

Want to see who else is telling jokes on the road this year? Check out our list of the  51 biggest comedians on tour in 2023 here  to find out.

More of an ‘SNL’ fan?

Our team compiled a list of all the show’s biggest alum playing all over North America  here .

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Theater | Review: John Mulaney shocks the United Center,…

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Theater | review: john mulaney shocks the united center, spinning stories of rehab and not-niceness.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Comedian John Mulaney launched his "From Scratch" tour with 2021 shows at City Winery in New York.

He wore a tuxedo and boomed in his trademark carnival barker cadence, but considering the size of the audience and squirminess that followed, it felt slyly subversive, even thrillingly electric. Albeit, the way you feel when anyone is telling you a story so intimate you’re not sure you should be hearing this.

Mulaney, in his previous life, liked to remind audiences that he used to have addictions and people were surprised to hear this, since he didn’t look like “someone who used to do anything.”

He owned his comfort.

He was supremely confident, outwardly fun, frenetic and faux-positive. He noted this early on. It was the drugs, he said. He said that he knew his vibe seems different these days, and then leaned into the audience and asked a 12-year-old boy if he knew what happened to him. The child did not. He asked the child’s name. “Pat,” the kid said. “You know in other cities, kids aren’t named that,” Mulaney said, and then for the majority of a 90-minute show, he filled Pat in — on shady prescriptions, arrogance and pettiness.

Or rather, Mulaney recounted the details of an addiction so harrowing that, for months, the news was loud and constant. Everyone knew too much about him — a lot of it counter to his pleasant facade. In fact, among the tour merchandise at the United Center, there’s a T-shirt with a clever dig at the audience’s voyeurism. On the front, it just reads: “I saw him right after he got outta rehab.” For those who don’t know: Mulaney was addicted to cocaine, Klonopin, Xanax; he was smoking heavily, drinking heavily. In 2020, after 30 days in rehab and a relapse, he was subjected to an intervention by his comedy friends. He returned to rehab for another 60 days. Also, his marriage fell apart as he began dating actress Olivia Munn and the couple had a baby. For a guy who looked so tastefully composed, it was all genuinely scandalous.

What Mulaney faces these days is the question of how much of his persona to replace.

Much of his act was centered on hilarious and relatively meaningless faux-outrages — abusive airline service, greedy college telemarketers — and he seems eager for a fresher, more intense register. The result are moments in this new show so unsettling and chilly — he barks at the nice women in charge of his intervention that she shouldn’t be fooled by his warmhearted persona — you cringe. He demands a free haircut at “Saturday Night Live” during a week when he isn’t hosting. In rehab, he’s disgusted the other patients haven’t heard of him. (He says, “ask your teenage daughter, or your son if he’s not athletic.”)

The times when he still throws in the usual stand-up material — Russia’s crazy; there are too many podcasts; as a child, he asked for a membership to the Chicago History Museum — it distracts. He even noted it seemed “phony” to sound so upbeat. He’s right. Before I give you the wrong idea, understand: John Mulaney is always fun to watch. But he’s evolving, and that old faux-vulnerability sounds real now.

As large as the United Center may be, it went silent at times, not from a lack of laughs but because Mulaney is fundamentally a memoirist and a web spinner now offering truths rarely heard outside therapy. The story of his intervention and rehab — the heart of the show — is so compelling and well crafted it’s reminiscent of Richard Pryor’s classic bit about running on fire down the street after a night of freebasing. It also shares DNA with storytelling comics like Hannah Gadsby and even Bill Burr who, with each new Netflix special, strips back his righteousness. Mulaney, like Burr, is asking what a coherent person should look like — while simultaneously recognizing that life doesn’t allow coherence.

That’s the laugh.

It’s thuddingly obvious to say stand-up comedy demands vulnerability — here is a profession in which you stand in front of people, tell stories and expose some bit of yourself and in return, if it works , they repay you by laughing at your problems. Mulaney — whose tour is aptly titled “From Scratch” — is reinventing himself right now, and raising the stakes of those problems. But generously so. As a hometown encore Thursday, he did one of his best loved routines. It was a victory lap, a story of a young Mulaney at home in Lincoln Park. Alongside his newer, unnerving material, it also sounded very long ago.

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{Live Review} John Mulaney: From Scratch 2022 Tour

Posted March 28, 2022 by shooting in Cincinnati / 14 Comments

John Mulaney Heritage Bank Center Cincinnati, OHIO Sunday – March 13, 2022

This was the second time my sister and I had seen John Mulaney live, and he was just as wonderful. If you know anything about the comedian, you might be aware he’s struggled with drugs and alcohol in the past and that he relapsed and went to rehab within the past couple of years. He’s always been open about his past struggles in previous specials (which you can see on Netflix) so it was no surprise that a lot of his content this time around pertained to his recent struggles.

Honestly, it was almost one of those “laugh so you don’t cry” type of situations because you can tell that John has been through a lot. It’s not great being addicted to drugs, after all, and it ultimately led to an intervention and a stay in rehab. These are all sad, emotional topics. However, John took those experiences and shared them with us, but adding his trademark humor, so you had to laugh!

It’s always tough to capture exact jokes and things that a comedian says after a show, or at least it is for me. I can talk about it with my sister because she was there and knows what I mean. To write it out, it wouldn’t do his jokes much justice, but I thought I’d try and share a couple things he talked about that evening so you get an idea of the content.

* He was two hours late for his own intervention, which he thought was dinner at a friend’s house. He was doing two things during that time. 1. buying drugs, of course and 2. letting himself into 30 Rock so he could have the hair and makeup department of SNL cut his hair.

* Once he got to rehab, he really thought that people would recognize him…nobody did. Not even one person!

Of course, he did talk about other things besides all of the above, but it did take up a fair amount of his show. I’m hoping they’ll film him at one of these stops and it’ll be a new special on Netflix so I can see the whole show again! He’s one of my favorite comedians and I love that he was so open and honest, while still bringing all the laughs!

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14 responses to “ {Live Review} John Mulaney: From Scratch 2022 Tour ”

Oooh! This is awesome!

Oh what a fun experience to see him live and just laugh until your face hurts. It sounds as though he really has been through so much. I loved his Netflix special; he has such a quirky sense of humor!

Ha! Too funny that no one recognized him at rehab. I haven’t seen a comedy show in such a long time. We have a place that does regular shows, but I don’t think they have anyone this famous at them.

Carrie curlycraftymom.com

Not a comedian I’m familiar with … and we don’t have Netflix so I’m hoping YouTube might provide something.

This is really neat. Humor and real-life intermixed. I am glad you were able to go and share it with us.

It has been forever since I went to see a comedian. It sounds like he was really good and has an interesting story.

This is fantastic. Humour and reality were mixed together. I’m glad you were able to go and tell us about it.

Great fun here today! Loved the story about John Mulaney!

It’s always nice when someone can share their problems through humor!

It’s more personal when someone shares their struggles and nice that they can use humor while reflecting. Glad to hear you enjoyed the show!

I’m glad you had a good time Lauren. I’ve only been to a few comedian shows. Trevor Noah is coming near us this summer and I was thinking of going but the prices are SO HIGH.

We’ve been binging the Ali Wong stand up shows on Netflix recently.

Karen @For What It’s Worth

John Mulaney is my favorite comedian too! He did a show at my daughter’s college for a family weekend when she was a freshman. Would love to see him live again!

Jill – Doused in Pink

My bf is a fan so I’ve seen some of his stuff on Netflix — that’s cool that you were able to see him live!

Oh I am JEALOUS! I am such a fan of his, have been for ages, I would love to see him live! I feel like if you see celebrities in places you definitely don’t expect to (like rehab, apparently), you don’t like, put it together, you know? Glad he is doing better, too (or so it seems)! Thanks for letting us live vicariously!

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John Mulaney Sets 18-Stop U.S. Headlining Standup Comedy Tour for 2023: See the Dates

The trek is slated to begin in New York this November.

By Kyle Denis

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Fresh off the announcement of Big Mouth’s forthcoming seventh season — which is set to star Megan Thee Stallion — comedian, voice actor, and writer John Mulaney has revealed a slew of new 2023 tour dates.

Tina Fey, Steve Martin & Paul Rudd Induct John Mulaney Into ‘SNL’ Five-Timers Club: Watch

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Fans can begin purchasing tickets for Mulaney’s new shows on Wednesday, Sept. 27 through an artist presale, with additional presales running throughout the week ahead of the general onsale — which will begin on Friday, Sept. 29 at 10 a.m. local time on the official Ticketmaster website.

Baby J , Mulaney’s latest standup special ,  debuted in April and earned him a pair of Emmy nominations: outstanding variety special (pre-recorded) and outstanding writing for a variety special.   He has won two Emmys for his work on Saturday Night Live and John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City . In 2018, Kid Gorgeous at Radio City peaked at No. 2 on Comedy Albums , becoming Mulaney’s third of four consecutive top five entries on the chart. The set also became his first to enter Top Album Sales (No. 96).

Check out the new John Mulaney In Concert dates below:

• Nov. 2 – Kingston, N.Y. – Ulster Performing Arts Center
• Nov. 4 – Troy, N.Y. – Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
• Nov. 11 – Toledo, Ohio – Stranahan Theater
• Nov. 12 – Columbus, Ohio – Palace Theatre
• Nov. 16 – Columbia, S.C. – Township Auditorium
• Nov. 17 – Athens, Ga. – The Classic Center Theater
• Nov. 18 – Macon, Ga. – Macon City Auditorium
• Nov. 19 – Savannah, Ga. – Johnny Mercer Theatre
• Nov. 30 – Hanover, Md. – The Hall at Live! Casino & Hotel
• Dec. 1 – Reading, Penn. – Santander Arena
• Dec. 2 – Norfolk, Va. – Chartway Arena
• Dec. 3 – State College, Penn. – Bryce Jordan Center
• Dec. 8 – Biloxi, Miss. – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
• Dec. 9 – New Orleans, La. – Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts
• Dec. 14 – Tampa, Fla. – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
• Dec. 15 – Hollywood, Fla. – Hard Rock Live
• Dec. 21 – Rosemont, Ill. – Rosemont Theatre
• Dec. 31 – Phoenix, Ariz. – Arizona Financial Theatre

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John Mulaney review – upbeat tales of addiction and downfall

Hammersmith Apollo, London The standup comedian may have lost some of the gloss on his reputation after nearly destroying himself with drugs, but his good cheer remains in place

‘I f you’ve seen me do standup before, I have a kind of different vibe now.” Well, quite. Rare is the reputational reversal as complete as John Mulaney ’s, who in short order these last two years went from being comedy’s happily married Mr Nice, via rehab for cocaine addiction, to a divorce and new relationship that sent fans into a tailspin . There’s not a squeak about his domestic life in this confessional new show, which focuses instead on what happened when Mulaney’s celebrity pals staged an intervention to arrest his self-destructive slide into pharmaceutical oblivion.

Given the fashion for public self-flagellation, and indeed for heart-on-sleeve solo comedy, one braces for a show in which Mulaney reckons, lip perhaps a-tremble, with his public fall from grace. But, different vibe notwithstanding, that’s not his style. Yes, he dedicates the whole show to lurid stories of addiction and dysfunctional behaviour. But – as with the one about buying a Rolex watch to trade for drug money, or the one about “equine therapy” for recovering junkies – he makes them fun . There’s no sackcloth and ashes: heart on sleeve isn’t Mulaney’s mode. In the 40-year-old’s telling, at least in retrospect, addiction and rehab is a bit of a hoot.

Occasionally, that can feel shallow. Usually, you’re too thoroughly entertained to care, as our host recounts a life he can now barely credit, of dodgy doctors dishing out unwarranted prescriptions, drug dealers solicitous for his safety, and media interviews conducted in states of narcotic semi-coherency. After his friends mount their overcrowded intervention, Mulaney is droll too about the mixed blessing of owing your life to no fewer than 12 different people.

It’s all delivered with the Chicagoan’s trademark slickness and crisp articulacy, from a vantage point of now, he tells us, being happier and better-adjusted than ever. Maybe that all feels a bit neat; it also finds those other, unaddressed aspects of his not-so-private life rearing up in our peripheral vision. You may wonder, finally, that a tale of addiction, intervention and recovery should be this high-spirited – but it’s great fun to come along for the ride.

John Mulaney is at Hammersmith Apollo, London, 26 and 27 January

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Nelson mandela doc series from south african director mandla dube boarded by dogwoof — cannes market, john mulaney launches 18-city u.s. standup comedy tour.

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John Mulaney is going back on the road. The Emmy-winning comedian and Live Nation announced Tuesday that he’ll be heading out on a solo tour with a new show.

John Mulaney In Concert kicks off on November 2 at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston, NY with stops across the U.S. in Columbus, OH; New Orleans, LA; Tampa, FL and more before wrapping up in Phoenix, AZ at Arizona Financial Theatre on New Year’s Eve.

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Mulaney first became known for his work as a writer on  Saturday Night Live , where he co-created with Bill Hader the Stefon character. He also was the creator and star of the short-lived semi autobiographical Fox sitcom  Mulaney . He recently voiced the Jack Horner character in the Oscar-nominated animated feature  Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.  He also voiced Andrew Glouberman in the Netflix original animated series  Big Mouth , among other credits.

Here are Mulaney’s Concert 2023 tour dates:

*Not a Live Nation Date

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John Mulaney Punctures His Persona in ‘Baby J’

In his highly anticipated new Netflix special, the comic changes his pace to deliver bristlingly funny material about addiction, rehab and what it means to be likable.

By Jason Zinoman

In his new special, “Baby J,” we hear John Mulaney before we see him.

“In the past couple years, I’ve done a lot of work on myself,” says one of the most distinctive voices in comedy, as a black screen transitions into an empty backdrop of a stage. “And I’ve realized that I’ll be fine as long as I get constant attention.”

Then in a glamorous, swirling shot orchestrated by the theater director Alex Timbers, the camera gives the comic what he needs. It retreats to reveal Mulaney, 40, in a maroon suit, before circling to give us a picture of the commanding power of stardom. Shot from behind, we see his perspective: a hazy mass of people underneath chandeliers in between an ominous series of statues inside the Symphony Hall in Boston.

It’s a striking image setting up a series of bristling comic vignettes that dig into Mulaney’s drug addiction, intervention by friends and stint in rehab. One is tempted to say this is his most personal work, but that isn’t quite right. That first shot tips us off to a theme: You can be invisible in front of a crowd. Mulaney’s comedy, however, has become spikier, pricklier, sometimes slower while remaining as funny as ever, like he’s a pitcher who learned to mix up speeds. He has performed versions of this material throughout the last two years, and this special arrives on Netflix so meticulously honed that the polish doesn’t even show.

At some point in the last decade, John Mulaney stopped being merely a very successful comedian and transformed into something larger in the culture: the boyish sweetheart in a scene full of creeps, the wife guy who doesn’t need children to be happy, the aspirational theater kid. I didn’t grasp this shift until, in a short period of time, he checked into rehab, got a very public divorce, and had a child with the actress Olivia Munn. Judging by the reaction online, not to mention the texts on my phone, people had feelings about this — lots of them. Mulaney made the word “ parasocial ” go mainstream.

For comics, being in the news like this can be tricky terrain, both a problem and an opportunity. “Likability is a jail,” Mulaney says at one point in “Baby J,” and his self-deprecating punch lines about his own vanity could be viewed as a prison break. He recalls that when he was young, he would feel jealousy toward the kid who had suddenly become the focus of his classmates’ sympathies when his grandfather died. “Did you ever, like me, hope …” he says, abruptly pausing his cadence to let the audience anticipate his embarrassing thoughts about the possible benefits of the death of grandparents.

Mulaney has always spoken at a rapid if precise clip, heavily influenced by Spalding Gray, the pioneering confessional monologuist. (“If story rhythms were legally protected like song hooks, I would be in prison,” Mulaney once tweeted about Gray.) Mulaney’s rat-a-tat-tat delivery demanded you keep up with his thought process. It still does, but his cadence has become more intricate, and the biggest laughs in this new special come from making the audience think they are ahead of him, placing an idea in their head, then slowing down to a pause or stammer to let it percolate.

This tactic requires patience and deft timing but can produce an intense response, the comedy equivalent of letting you hear the scratching under the bed while postponing the reveal of the monster long enough to let your imagination run amok.

The stories he tells here present a desperate man, including one about a very sketchy doctor who gives him prescription drugs in exchange for some low-level deception and the removal of his shirt. Mulaney has such a chipper affect that he can put across grim material without weighing the show down, a superpower these days when ambitious comics are often expected to do more than tell jokes.

His description of his intervention is a comic highlight, with act-outs of Nick Kroll and Fred Armisen. He’s hilariously flattered by the intervention’s star-studded attendance, “a ‘We Are the World’ of alternative comedians over the age of 40.” And when the woman running it says that she heard he was nice, he corrects her: “Don’t trust the persona.”

The funniest part of the special, which at over an hour and 20 minutes is longer than most released by Netflix these days, is an elaborate description of a text he got in rehab from Pete Davidson that a nurse woke him up to read. “Some people suggested we did drugs together because he has tattoos and I am plain,” Mulaney says, a gentle poke at the shallowness of the media and public.

This story takes off when we learn that Mulaney had put Davidson’s number in his phone under the name Al Pacino, which gives Mulaney a chance to perform the scene a second time from the nurse’s perspective, including an amazing impersonation of late-era Pacino. I can’t do this justice, except to say that the phrase “daddy khaki pants” made me laugh out loud.

Silliness has long been central to Mulaney’s humor, and part of it comes from the incongruity of his seeming either younger than his age or much older (he favors archaic words like “nay” instead of “no”). The titles of his specials tell a Benjamin Button story: “New in Town,” followed by “The Comeback Kid” and “Kid Gorgeous,” followed by “Baby J.” The way it’s going, “Fetal Position” could be next.

This is a highly anticipated special, and the modern stand-up event tends to be about something more messy than jokes. When Jerrod Carmichael came out of the closet, he ended his special abruptly, with loose ends; Chris Rock flashed raw emotion in his vengeful response to being slapped by Will Smith. Mulaney remains a tightly controlled performer. His special mostly avoids his divorce and new child, focusing instead on his drug addiction.

That story has a happy ending, with him going to rehab and emerging not only sober, but also no longer needing the approval of others. It’s a dramatic, abrupt evolution. “What is someone going to do to me that’s worse than what I would do to myself?” he asks, hinting at his own self-destructive tendencies. “What, are you going to cancel John Mulaney? I’ll kill him.”

That’s not the Mulaney his fans thought they knew. But it’s worth noting that if you revisit his first special from 2012, you’ll find a story about lying to a doctor to get drugs (Xanax in that case) as well as a confession that he had a drinking problem that started when he was 13 that he had since kicked.

How much has changed with him is something we can never truly know. But we, the audience, can be naïve about our entertainers. We assume we understand them, and when they do something at odds with their persona, we feel betrayed, even angry. Yet no one ever asks us to take accountability for getting it wrong. You would think by now we would approach show business with a little more skepticism. But the truth is that we don’t want to, and great performers intuitively understand that. They’re gifted at creating intimacy with the viewer, at making us believe.

John Mulaney appears to have become, as many veteran comics do, more cynical about this relationship, and speaks to it after relating an anecdote that makes him look bad. “As you process and digest how obnoxious, wasteful and unlikable that story is, just remember,” he says, eyes glassy, “that’s one I’m willing to tell you.”

This suggests he has done even more unlikable things, but also that whatever you might think, you don’t really know him. An artist who respects his audience less would state this directly. John Mulaney lets the mind wander.

Jason Zinoman is a critic at large for The Times. As the paper’s first comedy critic, he has written the On Comedy column since 2011. More about Jason Zinoman

Inside the World of Comedy

Netflix is giving comedy the live treatment . Sometimes that’s a good thing, as with John Mulaney’s variety show “Everybody’s in L.A.” But the Katt Williams special and Tom Brady roast were more uneven.

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The joke writers for awards shows are a corner of the showbiz work force that tends to remain in the shadows. The job requires skill, self-awareness and even diplomacy .

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John Mulaney’s ‘Everybody’s in L.A.’: A guide to the hyperlocal references

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John Mulaney, a Chicago native and former New Yorker, is a recent transplant to L.A. In his latest project with Netflix, “Everybody’s in L.A.,” the stand-up comedian explores the city he describes as a place that simultaneously “confuses and fascinates” him.

The show, which has a pseudo-late night format and features actor and comedian Richard Kind as the announcer, began May 3 as part of the Netflix Is a Joke Festival. It streams live at 7 p.m. Pacific and wraps Friday. Mulaney paused the show over the weekend to perform at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday in one of the festival’s most anticipated shows.

The show calls on the aesthetics of a ’70s living room for its set, the sketch humor of “Saturday Night Live” and the production chaos of Netflix’s recent ventures into the livestreaming space. Mulaney enlists comedians in town for the festival and L.A.-based experts to “try to figure out just what the hell is going on here.”

With a number of topics specific to Southern California setting the tone and theme for each episode, some humor might be lost on the crowd of non-Angelenos tuning in. Here is an ongoing guide to some of the L.A. people, places and things discussed in each episode of “Everybody’s in L.A.”

Saymo delivery bot

Based on the many food delivery robots that roll through the streets of L.A., Mulaney and company created the Saymo, perhaps a play on the Waymo self-driving cars that are permeating the city. The robot has appeared in each episode, providing snacks and beverages — ginger ale in particular (Mulaney: “It’s not just for sick”) — to guests on the show. Jon Stewart, who mentioned frequently that he is not from L.A. (“The Daily Show” host is from New Jersey), jumped up as the bot approached the stage in the second episode and called it a “rolling toilet” after remarking that he had never seen a robot like that before.

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The Paranormal

Mulaney promised the paranormal-themed fourth episode would be full of “a lot of spooky s—,” which is also a phrase he used to describe L.A. after saying that many people have reported paranormal experiences and haunted houses in the city. He then mentioned the large population of Angelenos who are into “amulets and candles and oils and incense.” After satirizing the horoscope-reading population, he said, “Sometimes the witchy s— gets so intense that they basically become Catholic.”

The spooky theme remained the focus of conversations with live callers and of the episode’s guests, including horror royalty Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Peterson described experiencing paranormal activity in her L.A. home many years ago, saying the situation became so dire she had to call in an exorcist.

Kerry Gaynor

Over his 40-year career, Kerry Gaynor developed a method of hypnotherapy that has helped many people, including A-list celebrities, to quit smoking, drinking and using drugs, or kick other bad habits. Mulaney said that he visited Gaynor in 2021, skeptical that the therapist could help him drop his 26-year smoking habit. After two sessions together, Mulaney said he quit cold turkey and has not used any nicotine since. Other celebrities who have used Gaynor’s services include Martin Sheen, Heather Locklear, Aaron Eckhart and Emily Procter. Gaynor said his method of hypnotherapy is successful because he taps into the subconscious mind to help clients fully understand how their addiction could be killing them. He also said that many of his clients don’t experience withdrawal or cravings.

Plaque marking the center of L.A. In one of the many random prerecorded segments that Mulaney’s show plays between live segments, the camera pans in on an unassuming plaque in a grassy area, marking the exact center of the city. It reads in haphazardly hand-stamped letters: “Exact center, point of balance of the plane of the City of Los Angeles,” and is situated near the parking lot of Franklin Canyon Park, between the San Fernando Valley and Beverly Hills. Allan E. Edwards, a former U.S. Geologic Survey employee, determined the point in December 1990, even if on a map it doesn’t appear to be the city’s center .

Helicopters Mulaney cracked several one-liners about the episode’s aviation theme, calling a chopper circling an STD billboard “the official bird of Los Angeles.” As he introduced the theme, he said: “They’re everywhere in L.A., they hover and they give you a headache. No, I’m not talking about actors,” before Kind interrupted with an emphatic “F— actors!” In addition to helicopter journalist Zoey Tur, Mulaney hosted comedian Nate Bargatze , who said his 2021 special filmed at Universal Studios was interrupted by a helicopter police chase. “That’s just L.A.,” Bargatze said before Mulaney interjected, “That’s just what happens when you film at Universal CityWalk.” To cap off the discussion, Mulaney took live calls from at-home viewers, as he has done throughout the show’s run, and one caller pointed out that Disney parks, including Disneyland in Anaheim, are no-fly zones, which Tur confirmed. Unfortunately for Bargatze, Universal is fair game.

The L.A.-based journalist known for pioneering live reporting from a helicopter was the expert guest for Tuesday’s episode. Tur, who was identified as a “helicopter queen,” said her career materialized when she grew frustrated working as a journalist in L.A. because she couldn’t get to timely stories fast enough thanks to the city’s infamous traffic. She said she bought a helicopter in 1977 and learned how to fly with the help of off-duty L.A. Fire Department pilots. Tur has covered global news stories, from O.J. Simpson’s white Bronco chase to the 1992 Los Angeles riots and other major local watershed moments, during her storied career.

Old punks Mulaney introduced a prerecorded segment featuring L.A. punk musicians from the 1970s and ’80s by calling the city home to some of the “best punk bands ever.” Fred Armisen was tasked with interviewing L.A.’s punk elders in a focus group, where he spoke with such musical legends as Lee Ving of Fear, Mike Watt of the Minutemen and Exene Cervenka of X. He asked them about their glory days, and Don Bolles of the Germs noted that the group of 11 prolific punk musicians probably had never been assembled together before.

Armisen also showed them a series of photos and asked them to react — a shot of Ronald Reagan elicited a chorus of boos, and Kid Congo Powers called him a “f— monster.” The group’s final activity was to create a theme song for the L.A. tourist board. Titles like “Please Don’t Move Here” and “You’ll Be Famous for a Minute” ultimately were shot down in favor of “Ghosty Ghost Place Superstar,” an anthem the group improvised together to close out the segment.

Palm trees In a monologue, Mulaney did a deep dive on the picturesque trees that line L.A.’s streets. He noted that they are not native plants and that they were brought in to beautify the city about 100 years ago, which is roughly their lifespan, meaning that many of the area’s palm trees will die soon. He also added that the trees use a lot of water and don’t improve air quality, saying they are “gorgeous but useless, like the fountain at the Grove or Gavin Newsom.” Amanda Begley, a senior leader at nonprofit TreePeople, came on to confirm the facts from Mulaney’s monologue and said palm trees are technically a type of grass.

From Long Beach, rapper, record producer and DJ Warren G was the musical guest on the second episode. After his performance of “Regulate,” comedian and guest Gabriel Iglesias gave the rapper a standing ovation. Mulaney also noted that Stewart, another guest on the panel, had Warren G as a guest on his show 30 years ago, where he sang the same song. The rapper is an instrumental figure in the rise of the West Coast rap scene in the ’90s, working with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Dr. Dre.

James Goldstein

Mulaney enlisted friend Andy Samberg to take on the role of James Goldstein, an L.A. businessman known for sitting courtside at Lakers and Clippers games. Mulaney introduced the bit by saying that his show, just like a Lakers game, attracts well-known guests in the front row and hinted at more cameos in coming episodes. Samberg sported a long white wig and a sequined jacket with a cowboy hat, mimicking Goldstein’s singular style. During the segment, Stewart called Goldstein a “robber baron,” saying that he made his fortune off the high rent he charges at the mobile home parks he owns.

Coyotes Coyotes, the wolf-adjacent animals that are prevalent in the Greater L.A. area, are not particularly well liked by Angelenos, especially those who have dogs and fear the animals will attack their pets. Mulaney made the animal the topic of his first episode, which featured a coyote expert and local callers sharing stories about their encounters with them. Tony Tucci, chair and co-founder of Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife, came on to share what to do if you see a coyote in the wild, saying that it’s important to make yourself “larger than life” and generate a lot of noise. Jerry Seinfeld, a fellow guest on the show, mocked Tucci’s suggestions, which included traveling with an air horn tied around your neck.

Ray J Mulaney brought R&B singer and television personality Ray J onto the show and described him as a “Black Forrest Gump,” noting that he had been a part of several cultural touchstones of the 21st century — though no mention of Kim Kardashian. During his interview on the show, Ray J discussed how he is in the process of divorcing his wife, Princess Love, to whom he has been married since 2016. The couple previously announced they were divorcing three times but called it off each time, until his wife in February said they had separated and were pursuing a divorce . “She was mad,” Ray J said after saying that he is heading to Africa to find his “queen.”

Will Ferrell appeared as Lou Adler, the record and film producer and co-owner of the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood. Adler has worked with music legends like the Mamas & the Papas and Carole King and produced films including Cheech and Chong’s “Up in Smoke” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Ferrell donned Adler’s famous look — a beret and colored sunglasses — and tried to cajole Mulaney into partying with him in a hilarious bit.

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Kaitlyn Huamani is a 2024 intern for the Entertainment and Arts section at the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she interned at People Magazine, covering celebrity and pop culture news, as a part of the American Society of Magazine Editors’ internship program. A New Jersey native, she studied journalism at the University of Southern California.

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John Mulaney Announces New Headlining Comedy Tour ‘John Mulaney In Concert’

Tickets Available Starting Wednesday, September 27 with Artist Presale    

General onsale begins on friday, september 29 at 10am local on ticketmaster.com  .

Award winning comedian   John Mulaney   announced today he will be going back on tour solo   with a brand new show.   The stand-up comedy tour   kicks off kicks off on November 2 at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston, NY making stops across the U.S. in Columbus, OH; New Orleans, LA; Tampa, FL and more before wrapping up in Phoenix, AZ at Arizona Financial Theatre on New Years Eve.  

TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting with an artist presale beginning on Wednesday, September 27. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning on Friday, September 29 at 10AM local time at ticketmaster.com.      

MORE ABOUT THE SHOW: This event will be a phone-free experience. Use of phones, smart watches and accessories, will not be permitted in the performance space. Upon arrival at the venue, all phones, smart watches and accessories will be secured in individual Yondr pouches that will be opened at the end of the event. Guests maintain possession of their devices at all times, and can access them throughout the event only in designated Phone Use Areas within the venue. All devices will be re-secured in Yondr pouches before returning to the performance space.  

JOHN MULANEY IN CONCERT 2023 TOUR DATES:   

Thur Nov 02 – Kingston, NY – Ulster Performing Arts Center*  

Sat Nov 04 – Troy, NY – Troy Savings Bank Music Hall  

Sat Nov 11 – Toledo, OH – Stranahan Theater  

Sun Nov 12 – Columbus, OH – Palace Theatre  

Thu Nov 16 – Columbia, SC – Township Auditorium  

Fri Nov 17 – Athens, GA – The Classic Center Theater*   

Sat Nov 18 – Macon, GA – Macon City Auditorium*  

Sun Nov 19 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theatre  

Thur Nov 30 – Hanover, MD – The Hall at Live! Casino & Hotel*  

Fri Dec 01 – Reading, PA – Santander Arena  

Sat Dec 02 – Norfolk, VA – Chartway Arena  

Sun Dec 03 – State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center  

Fri Dec 08 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum  

Sat Dec 09 – New Orleans, LA – Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts  

Thu Dec 14 – Tampa, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino  

Fri Dec 15 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live   

Thu Dec 21 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre  

Sun Dec 31 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre  

*Not a Live Nation Date  

ABOUT JOHN MULANEY   

John Mulaney is a two-time Emmy and WGA award-winning writer, actor, and comedian.  Mulaney can be seen in his latest Netflix stand up special, BABY J. Released in April 2023, Mulaney converts his personal turmoil into comedic brilliance, which earned him 2023  Emmy nominations in Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) and Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special. On tour,  he has sold out massive venues around North America from Madison Square Garden multiple times to the Hollywood Bowl. His 2023 tour dates have included shows across US, Europe and Australia.    

In 2018, John Mulaney traveled the United States with sold out Kid Gorgeous tour, which was later released as a Netflix stand-up special and won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety Special; In 2015, he released The Comeback Kid , also a Netflix original, which The AV Club called the “best hour of his career;” In 2012, his Comedy Central special New In Town had Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly hailing him as “one of the best stand-up comics alive.”    

John Mulaney has been invited to host Saturday Night Live five times. He began writing for SNL in 2008 and created memorable characters such as ‘Stefon’ with Bill Hader and appeared as a “Weekend Update” correspondent. He has written for IFC’s Documentary Now! and Netflix’s Big Mouth , on which he voices the character of Andrew. In December 2019, the critically acclaimed and Emmy nominated musical variety special  John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch debuted on Netflix.  

He’s also starred on Broadway in the runaway hit written and performed alongside Nick Kroll in Oh, Hello On Broadway.  The duo have since released a Netflix special of the same name, as well as Oh, Hello: The P’dcast , based off their characters Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland.    

About Live Nation Entertainment  

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com .  

MEDIA CONTACTS:  

John Mulaney  

Lewis Kay | [email protected]    

Tess Speakman| [email protected]    

Live Nation Concerts  

Monique Sowinski | [email protected]    

Valeska Thomas | [email protected]

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John Mulaney's Netflix show 'Everybody's in LA' is so weird, but also wonderful: Review

It's nice to know there's still room in Hollywood to be really freaking weird. At least if you're John Mulaney.

The quirky and beloved comedian has taken his particularly offbeat brand of comedy to Netflix, not for another standup special but for "John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA" (streaming 10 EDT/7 PDT, through Friday, ★★★ out of four), a live variety/sketch/talk mishmash of famous people, regular people, prerecorded bits, awkwardness and Mulaney's idiosyncrasies. It does not make sense. It does not follow regular formats. It is so strange. And yet it is also pretty funny.

Someone at Netflix, it seems, gave Mulaney a pile of money, a studio set, a great booker and six nights during the "Netflix is a Joke!" comedy festival to fill his guest roster and do whatever the heck he wanted. And he wanted to be even more eccentric than he usually is. Dressed in a variety of not-very-stylish suits and with beloved character actor Richard Kind shouting from a lectern behind him, Mulaney doesn't so much host the series as conduct an orchestra of oddities, from Jerry Seinfeld snapping at a coyote conservationist to Jon Stewart being scared out of his mind by a delivery robot to Sarah Silverman debating the merits of exorcisms.

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Add in Andy Samberg doing a very long impression of businessman and NBA fan Jimmy Goldstein , prerecorded segments of Mulaney and comedians including Chelsea Peretti and Fortune Feimster commiting low-stakes vandalism at an open house for a $1.7 million home and Mulaney waxing poetic on hyperlocal LA references and jokes, and it is just so all over the place that it actually kind of comes together. The point of view is chaos, and it surprisingly works for Mulaney, 41, usually an architect of more intimate, self-deprecating comedy. When nothing makes sense, there's almost something grounding about Mulaney's low-grade vocal fry coming in with dry wit amid discussions of helicopters chasing O.J. Simpson.

Netflix is a Joke: John Mulaney opens up about life with infant son Malcolm during Hollywood Bowl show

Is it too much, sometimes? Absolutely. Mulaney quotes one viewer describing the show as a "fever dream," and it certainly comes off that way at times. Not every whim is as funny as Mulaney and his writers might think it is, and some segments bomb, like one in which a correspondent waits on a hillside for a coyote to appear or an unfortunate bit with Nick Kroll, as they revive their "Oh Hello!" characters as members of the Charles Manson cult (the joke just never lands). The episodes are 15 minutes too long, and Mulaney could use more practice as an interviewer when his guests aren't fellow comedians (Ray J, you did your best).

Addiction struggles: John Mulaney on his love for Olivia Munn, and how a doctor convinced him to stay in rehab

Still, it's fun. It's different. Stewart called Goldstein a robber baron while forgetting the show was live. You can call in and talk to Mulaney, and he'll ask you what kind of car you drive. If you like Mulaney's comedy, you will certainly like this. If you don't, you still might like this. If you are bored and scrolling for something to watch, you certainly won't be more bored after watching this onslaught of the bizarre.

Considering Netflix is a Joke! is ongoing in Los Angeles, if you're a comedian, everybody is in L.A. They might as well have some fun while they're there.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Mulaney's Netflix show 'Everybody's in LA' is so weird, but also wonderful: Review

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John Mulaney’s ‘Everybody’s in LA’ Proves the Comedian Should Get a Blank Check for Whatever’s Next

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I’ll never think about coyotes the same way again.

Based on the first episode, which aired May 1 (additional episodes will air May 6 through 10), the program has the feel of a late-night public access show (complimentary). After kicking things off with an opening monologue full of great LA jokes — “The city was officially founded in 1842 as a place for improv students to go hiking” — Mulaney explained that each night would center on a theme. Related Stories The Real-Life Martha Who Inspired ‘Baby Reindeer’ Speaks Out Against the ‘Defamatory’ Netflix Show: ‘I’m Not a Stalker’ ‘Hacks’ Knows Good Comedy Looks Effortless — and So Does Its Makeup Design

Friday’s was coyotes.

For the coyote chat, Mulaney brought out Jerry Seinfeld (doing his baffled boomer shtick) as well as co-founder of the Citizens for LA Wildlife, Tony Tucci. Tucci was a great foil for Mulaney because, with all due respect, a lot of what he was saying was insane: “You need to remind the coyote you’re much bigger and a scary item,” he noted about what to do if you run into one. (Seinfeld also appeared to think this was nuts.) Tucci then gave a bewildered audience tips about what to do if you were attacked, in a way that many would argue is “pro-coyotes.”

Subsequent calls in from viewers about their deranged coyote interactions gave Mulaney additional weirdness to play with — special shout-out to the woman Instagramming her way through a coyote showing up in her bedroom. It was all just so goofy and random and not at all what you’re getting on any current show; it felt very public access in the ’90s, in the best way.

In both the actual special as well as press for it, Mulaney noted this show was a one-off that wasn’t getting renewed. Still, the comedian has been open about how, post-rehab, he fares better with a heavy working schedule, and it seems only a matter of time before Mulaney tackles some sort of entertainment project beyond continuing stand-up dates .

“Everybody’s in LA” makes the case that he should get a blank check to figure out whatever he wants to create next. Much like with his delightful Sack Lunch Bunch kids’ special, also on Netflix, Mulaney showed control as a host as unfolding zaniness was going on around him. And, also like that special, there was never any doubt that the comedian was fully in the driver’s seat.

Far be it for me to advocate for another white male comic to get his very own late-night show but … I am. Or, more precisely, I’m advocating for whatever Mulaney wants to do next. “Everbody’s in LA” reaffirms whatever it is will be worth watching.

“John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In LA” will air live nightly through Friday, May 10 on Netflix.

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In ‘Baby J’, John Mulaney Keeps His Guard Up: TV Review

By Alison Herman

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Late in his newest special “Baby J,” John Mulaney spins a yarn about a desperate quest for cocaine. In the summer of 2020, the comedian bought a brand-new Rolex, then pawned it at a steep discount to get some hands on some quick cash. “As you process and digest how obnoxious, wasteful, and unlikeable that story is,” Mulaney concludes, “Just remember: that’s one I’m willing to tell you.”

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Some of the most interesting bits in “Baby J” address audience expectations head on. “I’ve had a weird couple years; you’ve had a weird couple years,” he says by way of an icebreaker. Then he breaks into song: “You know what I mean / We all quarantined / We all went to rehab and we all got divorced and now our reputation is different / No one knows what to think!” Yet he doesn’t do much to dispel that uncertainty. The elephant in the room is acknowledged, but never tamed with a comprehensive account of when Mulaney relapsed, or why, or how his fame and fortune affected his addiction, or what it felt like to watch everything play out in the press. “Likeability is a jail,” he says, a line that in a different special would cue up an hour of meta introspection. Here, it’s a final reminder that what we’re about to watch may be funny, incisive and impeccably honed, but it’s not an indication of who Mulaney is offstage. Or, as he tells the woman hired to lead his intervention: “Don’t believe the persona.”

Said intervention was the subject of Mulaney’s most recent “SNL” monologue , performed a year to the date before the taping of “Baby J,” as well as the aforementioned Seth Meyers appearance. A special is a more permanent, enduring artifact than a TV spot, but there’s a chance “Baby J” will be the third time some dedicated followers have heard Mulaney tell stories about getting a haircut at Studio 8H hours before his friends confronted him, or crack jokes about how the January 6th insurrection wouldn’t have happened on his watch. (He was still in treatment at the time.)

To state the obvious, “Baby J” is not any more or less rehearsed than any other John Mulaney special — or any other stand-up special, full stop. Comedy often involves the illusion of spontaneity, but a routine is tweaked, refined and edited over countless stops on the road. Mulaney in particular has always reveled in linguistic precision and formal presentation, delivering burnished one-liners in a signature suit. (From “Baby J”: “My backpack is swinging side to side like an old lady’s bosoms when she jumps up and down on the Showcase Showdown.”) It’s the nature of Mulaney’s new material that calls attention to this careful framing. When it comes to subjects like substance abuse, we’ve been trained to expect raw, unguarded vulnerability, or at least the pretense of it. “Baby J” refuses to flatter those illusions. This is comedy, not memoir, in which a story about Mulaney’s stint in detox is largely a setup for a killer Al Pacino impression.

What revealing moments there are in “Baby J” don’t directly concern its more sensational elements. They start with the opening line. “The past couple years, I’ve done a lot of work on myself,” Mulaney says. “And I’ve realized I’ll be fine, as long as I get constant attention.” The remark leads into a riff well in his wheelhouse, about elementary schoolers making the most of a dead grandparent. But it’s echoed later on when Mulaney admits he was annoyed by not being recognized in rehab, to the point where he left out a newspaper article about him for other patients to see. More than his struggle with drugs and alcohol, a condition millions of people share, it’s this desperate need for validation that feels like a specific window into the life of a world-famous entertainer at a career crossroads, and an admission of something a little bit unsavory or potentially off-putting.

Mulaney ties off this thread by claiming recovery has made him much less invested in the opinions of others. “What, are you gonna cancel John Mulaney?” he scoffs. “I’ll kill him! I almost did.” Judging by the crowd’s rapturous response, Mulaney is in no real danger of losing his livelihood anytime soon. He is, however, managing a transition on his own terms. Outside of friendly venues like “Late Night,” Mulaney has done no major media interviews since his public relapse, divorce, and new parenthood. Performances like “Baby J” are the only insight into his mindset we’re likely to get for the foreseeable future, even as they pointedly remind us they’re just that: a performance.

“Baby J” premiered on Netflix on April 25.

Updated: An earlier version of this review misquoted one of the jokes in “Baby J.”

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John Mulaney’s John Mulaney Trap

Baby J , the latest stand-up from John Mulaney , is a herculean effort, but what exactly that effort aims to achieve is not entirely clear. After his highly public, intensely tumultuous past several years — an intervention, a long period in rehab , a divorce , a sudden new relationship , a new baby — the special is both a presentation of who the comedian and actor was during that period and an attempt to align that person with who he is now. It’s designed as a self-examination: He wants to be able to laugh at that guy he used to be and for the audience to laugh at that guy too. So he tries to create a lot of space between them. That Mulaney who was addicted to substances? He’s certainly related to the guy standing onstage, but he’s not quite the same. He’s an object to be held up and tut-tutted over, a guy we can laugh at safely now because he no longer exists.

Some distance from a past self is necessary in this kind of storytelling — without it, there’s just a rattling off of events with no room for artistic transformation. But Mulaney attacks Baby J less like a product of creative consideration and more as if he’s examining a severed limb. He is so entirely, confidently unruffled. His sharp suit and shiny dress shoes are back; he’s on the big Boston Symphony Hall stage. Inside the stories he tells is the implication that we should now understand that this old-timey soft-shoe act was always a cover for some very dark stuff. And yes, maybe all this is an attempt to reconcile the Mulaney everyone knew onstage with the Mulaney who lived behind the scenes. The act has returned, but this time it’s fine! See, look — there’s so much distance! We can laugh now! Except when you create that much separation between who you are and who you were, reconciliation starts to look like dissociation.

Confessional comedy is a whole wing of stand-up (going back at least as far as Richard Pryor talking about shooting at his wife’s car), and it’s true that some amount of distance is key to making the story of that earlier guy funny. He’s too present, his emotions and flaws too visible. It’s This isn’t funny to me yet, but I’ll be able to laugh about it tomorrow codified into art, and the gift to audiences is that they always get to live in “tomorrow.” In that sense, Baby J is a work of crystal clarity. Present Mulaney has captured Past Mulaney, then packaged, polished, and honed that guy down to a few core qualities, shaping it all into beautiful anecdotes that look, in summary, like personal disclosures. Detailed recovery retellings along with a mortifying story about what he did to get cash to buy drugs? From way up in the mezzanine, that looks like vulnerability, baby!

That does seem to be Baby J ’s ostensible intent. “The past couple years, I’ve done a lot of work on myself,” Mulaney begins, “and I’ve realized that I’ll be fine as long as I get constant attention.” This is his most intimate idea, the realization that fuels everything that came before Baby J and everything this work will then attempt to unpack. By placing it at the opening, in the space usually for throat-clearing, it’s as though Mulaney voices this and then attempts to run as far away from it as possible. He’s hardly alone in this idea — James Acaster’s 2021 special plays with it, and it’s most familiar from Bo Burnham’s work (especially his Kanye-inspired “Can’t Handle This” song ). Mulaney even names Burnham in Baby J, though he does so in a tossed-off line about how kids prefer Burnham’s stuff because “he’s currently less problematic.” But the special is nearly an hour and a half of Mulaney voicing this fundamental need that has driven his career, describing the incredible damage and near catastrophe it has caused him and refusing to explicitly connect those ideas to either his past behavior or his current self.

The special has two components: “Baby J” is Mulaney himself, an invitation for tenderness that’s also a flippant piece of ironic detachment when it finally arrives in the context of a joke. The other — the trailer’s tagline, “a wide-ranging conversation” — works in the same way. It’s a tonal tip-off that the special is meant to grapple with serious, darker thematic ideas — except that when that tagline appears, it’s also Mulaney dunking on a low moment from his former self. This hyperaware detachment is a constant. “I’ve had a weird couple years; you’ve had a weird couple years,” Mulaney says early on before breaking into a kind of music-hall-style song and dance: “You know what I mean / We all quarantined / We all went to rehab and we all got divorced and now our reputation is diff-rent!” It is funny, and it is also very sad, and Mulaney seems desperate to tap-dance over the sadness of it. “Likability is a jail!” he sings, miming the doff of a hat.

Before launching into the bulk of the special, which features a celeb-studded intervention and his certainty that he would be recognized while in rehab, Mulaney looks into the crowd, spots a young kid up in one of the balconies, and addresses him from the stage. The kid is named Henry, and he’s 11. The crowd laughs uncomfortably, but this is exactly the tension Mulaney is most interested in: His reputation was as a comedian young Henry could enjoy; now Mulaney has to explain that, actually, he’s someone else. Everyone gathered in the theater and around their screens knows this is what they’ve all come to watch. The clean man admits he has never been clean. “Well, Henry,” Mulaney says, “if you’ve seen me do stand-up before, I have kind of a different vibe now. When I was a younger man, I’d come out onstage and be like, ‘ Hey! Ba ba ba ba-ba! ’” Mulaney leaps around the stage, making the line a sped-up vaudevillian patter emptied of meaning. “And I wonder what caused that, ” he says as the audience laughs.

Except his new vibe isn’t that different. Sure, the content has changed. (There’s a story about doing coke off one of the diaper-changing stations in a public restroom.) But it’s as though we’re supposed to forget that only moments before asking us to reconsider the rattling old-school prattle of his earlier specials, Mulaney does the exact same thing, dancing across the stage and singing about the prison of approval.

Baby J wears its hard work on its sleeve, but most visible is a trap Mulaney doesn’t know how to evade — one that might not be possible to avoid for anyone. If he had come out of the past few years with an entirely different persona, a wholly new Mulaney who wears ratty T-shirts and sits on a stool and speaks for endless, laughless minutes about his newfound sobriety and sense of self, the line would be that the old Mulaney was gone and his audience missed him. Worse, it could so easily look like a performance of authenticity rather than a display of vulnerability. So instead of that particular frying pan, Mulaney jumped in the opposite direction and ended up in the fire anyhow, attempting to disclose his inner life but instead making a show of his divorcement from it. At moments, or from a slight remove, Baby J appears to be an excoriating act of self-disclosure full of details and scenes of abject emotional lows that invite descriptions like brutal and honest. Up close, though, it looks like a comedy special that cannot help but rebuild every single wall it wants to break down.

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John Mulaney Will End 2023 With an 18-Stop National Tour

The Emmy-winning stand-up’s latest kicks off Nov. 2 in Kingston, New York, and wraps Dec. 31 in Phoenix, Arizona

John Mulaney will wrap up 2023 with an 18-stop national tour of new stand-up material.

Per a Live Nation announcement Tuesday, the Emmy-winning comedian’s new tour, “John Mulaney in Concert,” will kick off Nov. 2 in Kingston, New York, and end with a New Year’s Eve show in Phoenix, Arizona.

Additional stops in the tour include outings in Ohio, Louisiana, Florida and Georgia. Full schedule below:

• Nov. 2 – Kingston, New York – Ulster Performing Arts Center*
• Nov. 4 – Troy, New York – Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
• Nov. 11 – Toledo, Ohio – Stranahan Theater
• Nov. 12 – Columbus, Ohio – Palace Theatre
• Nov. 16 – Columbia, South Carolina – Township Auditorium
• Nov. 17 – Athens, Gerogia – The Classic Center Theater* 
• Nov. 18 – Macon, Georgia – Macon City Auditorium*
• Nov. 19 – Savannah, Georgia – Johnny Mercer Theatre
• Nov. 30 – Hanover, Maryland – The Hall at Live! Casino & Hotel*
• Dec. 1 – Reading, Pennsylvania – Santander Arena
• Dec. 2 – Norfolk, Virginia – Chartway Arena
• Dec. 3 – State College, Pennsylvania – Bryce Jordan Center
• Dec. 8 – Biloxi, Mississippi – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
• Dec. 9 – New Orleans, Louisiana – Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts
• Dec. 14 – Tampa, Florida – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
• Dec. 15 – Hollywood, Florida – Hard Rock Live 
• Dec. 21 – Rosemont, Illinois – Rosemont Theatre
• Dec. 31 – Phoenix, Arizona – Arizona Financial Theatre

Tickets will become available Wednesday via the artist’s presale. Additional presales will run ahead of the general on sale beginning on Friday at 10 a.m.

Previous stand-up specials from Mulaney include this year’s twice-Emmy-nominated “Baby J,” which recounts the comedian’s experience with addiction, intervention and sobriety; “The Comeback Kid”; “Kid Gorgeous at Radio City” (for which he won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special in 2018); and “John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch,” all available on Netflix.

Additional credits include writing for “Saturday Night Live” (he’s hosted the sketch comedy series five times since leaving its staff), “Big Mouth,” Broadway’s “Oh, Hello” with Nick Kroll and “Documentary Now!”

One response to “John Mulaney Will End 2023 With an 18-Stop National Tour”

Fact checking: there is an asterisk beside some dates – with no visible explanation of the asterisk. Assuming they’re private shows since they’re not listed for sale elsewhere, but an explanation would be helpful. Also, the on-sale date mentioned here is incorrect. Shows for my town are already almost sold out (and it is Tuesday – before the Wednesday pre-sale you mention).

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• Consequence

John Mulaney to Debut New Show on Upcoming Standup Tour

Supplementing his dates with Pete Davidson and Jon Stewart

John Mulaney  has announced a run of 2023 stand-up tour dates, during which the comedian will be debuting a brand new solo show.

After wrapping up his previously-announced dates — including shows with Jon Stewart and Pete Davidson — the newly-added run kicks off on November 2nd at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston, New York, making stops across the US in cities like Columbus, New Orleans, Tampa, and more before wrapping up in with a New Years Eve in Phoenix at the Arizona Financial Theatre.

Tickets are available via StubHub , where your order is 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program.

See all of John Mulaney’s 2023 tour dates below.

Get John Mulaney Tickets Here

John Mulaney 2023 Tour Dates: 10/05 – Rosemont, IL @ Rosemont Theatre * 10/06 – Gary, IN @ Hard Rock Live * 10/07 – Munice, IN @ Emens Auditorium * 10/08 – Joliet, IL @ Rialto Square Theatre * 10/13 – Westbury, NY @ NYCB Theatre ^ 10/14 – Westbury, NY @ NYCB Theatre ^ 10/22 – Pasadena, CA @ The Pasadena Civic ^ 10/27 – Providence, RI @ Providence Performing Arts Center (early show) * 10/27 – Providence, RI @ Providence Performing Arts Center (late show) * 10/28 – Portland, ME @ Cross Insurance Arena * 10/29 – Bangor, ME @ Cross Insurance Center * 11/02 — Kingston, NY @ Ulster Performing Arts Center 11/04 — Troy, NY @ Troy Savings Bank Music Hall 11/09 – Rama, ON @ Casino Rama Resort * 11/10 – Windsor, ON @ The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor * 11/11 — Toledo, OH @ Stranahan Theater 11/12 — Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre 11/16 — Columbia, SC @ Township Auditorium 11/17 — Athens, GA @ The Classic Center Theater 11/18 — Macon, GA @ Macon City Auditorium 11/19 — Savannah, GA @ Johnny Mercer Theatre 11/30 — Hanover, MD @ The Hall at Live! Casino & Hotel 12/01 — Reading, PA @ Santander Arena 12/02 — Norfolk, VA @ Chartway Arena 12/03 — State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center 12/08 — Biloxi, MS @ Mississippi Coast Coliseum 12/09 — New Orleans, LA @ Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts 12/14 — Tampa, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 12/15 — Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live 12/21 — Rosemont, IL @ Rosemont Theatre 12/31 — Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre

* = w/ Pete Davidson ^ = w/ Jon Stewart

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John Mulaney Discusses Drug Addiction, Recovery, and Fatherhood in Rare Interview

By Julie Miller

It’s been a year since John Mulaney debuted Baby J , the comedian’s triumphant special that spun humor from his recent personal rollercoaster experiencing relapse, recovery, divorce , a new relationship, and fatherhood within a few short years. The comedian described his star-studded intervention in a particularly hilarious run—“As mad as I was when I walked in there, I was like, ‘This is a good lineup”—but in a new sit-down with David Letterman , Mulaney goes deeper on the far more serious aspects of recovering from his drug and alcohol addiction.

On the new Netflix episode of My Next Guest with David Letterman , Mulaney indulges the former Late Show host’s questions about his rehab experience. “It’s not immediately great nights of sleep and serenity,” says Mulaney, explaining that he initially had no use for anyone’s inspirational stories or encouragement. “I had zero gratitude.”

“The actual detox from drugs was very physically uncomfortable, and I’d been on a lot of benzodiazepine like Xanax and Klonopin,” Mulaney explains. “Getting off those can be very rough. I was in the detox hospital room and I was grinding my teeth so much that a molar cracked.”

The comedian had only been at the rehab for about four days but was so miserable that he told a doctor that he was leaving. “He didn’t argue or anything. He just went, ‘John, we both know how this movie ends.’ And that was it,’” says Mulaney, explaining how that line ultimately convinced him to stay. He shared that this December 20 will mark three years of sobriety for him.

During the episode, Letterman and Mulaney return to the Chicago private school where Mulaney graduated, and also sit down for a meal with the comedian's father Chip . Mulaney’s father explains what it’s like to be the inspiration behind some of his son’s best comedy material, but Letterman edges into serious territory, asking how Chip handled Mulaney’s addiction and recovery. After Chip acknowledges that he feared for Mulaney’s life, Mulaney apologizes to his father for making him so scared.

In Baby J , Mulaney admitted that the friends who staged his star-studded intervention saved his life. “Do you know what it’s like for 12 people to save your life? It’s too many people,” Mulaney said. “They could’ve done it with four people—and I know the eight they could’ve cut. Instead, for the rest of my life there are 12 separate people out there who if I’m at dinner with them I have to be like, ‘No, I got that. Come on. You saved my life. . . . ’”

When Letterman isn’t complimenting Mulaney’s material, he also asks about Mulaney’s two-year-old son, Malcolm , whom Mulaney shares with girlfriend Olivia Munn. The baby “was a big surprise,” Mulaney laughs, explaining that he hadn’t considered fatherhood much before.

“It wasn’t so much that I thought I wouldn’t as. . . it was never a good day to have [a kid],” Mulaney says. “I just wasn’t thinking about it. I was just. . . kind of living one minute to the next. And then this guy came along. I was starstruck when I met him. I went, ‘Oh, there you are.’ I was looking in not good places and then, ‘Oh, there you are.’ That was my first thought.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you can visit samhsa.gov or reach out to SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

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John Mulaney opens up about life with infant son Malcolm during Hollywood Bowl show

LOS ANGELES − After digging into the depths of his addiction in "Baby J," John Mulaney followed up his 2023 Netflix stand-up special with a set that didn't require the comedian to get quite so vulnerable.

On Saturday night, Mulaney, 41, took a break from his six-episode live Netflix show " John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In LA " to regale fans with tales from four generations of his family − as well as some meandering bits about the space race and a former tour bus driver he couldn't quite crack − at the Hollywood Bowl, where some of the biggest names in comedy are performing over two weeks during Netflix Is a Joke Fest (May 2-12).

The anecdotes ranged from 1902, when his paternal grandfather was born, to Mulaney's life right now as he parents his 2½-year-old son, Malcolm Hiệp Mulaney .

After brief opening acts by The Mandal Man and Nick Kroll , the former "Saturday Night Live" writer recalled how his grandmother – his last grandparent, who died last week at 98 – "loved that I was famous" and his grandfather had "the most Alzheimer's anyone's had in American history" and would confuse a 4-year-old Mulaney for a rival businessman from the 1940s.

There wasn't much reverence to be found for the older people in Mulaney's life: Revealing that his grandmother voted until she was 96, he called for people to "stop wanting everyone to vote. We need the right kind of voter suppression."

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"You don't get to order for the table when you're about to leave the restaurant!" he said.

Netflix Is A Joke Fest: Jerry Seinfeld gives the keys to 24-year marriage

His own parents weren't spared, as he jokingly bemoaned that they might be around another 25 years: "I can't believe I'm this age and still have parents I have to deal with."

John Mulaney gives update on his 2-year-old son and 'best friend' Malcolm

Mulaney was considerably more generous as he spoke about the young son he shares with girlfriend Olivia Munn.

He revealed what fatherhood looks for him: spending the entire day making conversation with a toddler and playing T-ball in the front yard at 5 a.m.

In the set's final act, Mulaney makes as if he's going to open up about Munn's breast cancer diagnosis , which the actress revealed in March and detailed in People last month.

'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction': Mulaney on his love for Olivia Munn, being convinced to stay in rehab

"It's scary to have children, scary to have a family. There's lots of things that could happen to the average family, like – and I don't know if any of you have dealt with this – but I've certainly seen it portrayed many times, when someone in the family gets" – he briefly paused – "possessed by the devil."

A different kind of horror, for sure.

The fake-out led into less personal topics, including a story about a former tour bus driver he found surly – until he was told the man was on the autism spectrum.

"What is the point of this story?" the comedian asked. "The point is: Never judge a book by its cover, or even the first dozen or so unpleasant chapters."

It wasn't an ending that tied up the 1½-hour show in a neat bow, but it was perhaps appropriate for a set whose topics ranged from the Russians sending a dog to the moon to an expletive-laden, 10-minute bit about demonic possession.

How to watch 'John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In LA'

The first episode of "John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In LA" is now streaming on Netflix.

The next five episodes will stream at 10 p.m. ET/7 PT daily, May 6-May 10.