John Mulaney Opens Up About Living With Jimmy Kimmel After Rehab
John Mulaney's new stand-up special Baby J has finally been released, and it finds the comedian opening up about his journey through drug addiction and rehab. In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the comedian reflected on his star-studded intervention and why he ended up staying in the late-night host's Los Angeles guesthouse afterwards.
“It was a good group. I was flattered when I walked in,” Mulaney said of the emotional intervention his friends and family staged for him. “I was like, ‘This is a good lineup. This is like For Your Consideration: Best Ensemble at my intervention.’”
Mulaney spent over a month living with Kimmel after a stint in rehab. That living situation came about because Kimmel had always offered dinner guests a place to spend the night if they ever needed it.
“Most people have homes, so they take that and say, ‘Oh Jimmy, you're a mensch,’” Mulaney laughed. “I must have filed it away, so I was in rehab and then I was in a sober living situation. And then I was coming to L.A. and I called you and said, ‘Hey, I'm between lives. You've always mentioned this guesthouse.’ I remember thinking, ‘I'm gonna call his bluff. He's said it enough times.’ So I lived in his guest house for a few weeks and then another few weeks.”
The comedian joked that Kimmel was his “sugar daddy” during a difficult time in his life. “I was treated so well. I never saw you. I never did, but I'd wake up and there'd be a basket with bagels,” Mulaney recalled. “I'd wake up and there'd be money for the day. Go buy an outfit. And he has a nice, restaurant-quality espresso machine. If you're thinking of having no home, it's real good over there.”
Mulaney also recalled using Kimmel's Peloton bike while still out of shape and smoking cigarettes.
“I think I squeezed into your wife's Peloton shoes, and then I'd clip in the front of it and I'd start Peloton workouts and be so winded so quickly,” he said. “But then I'd think, ‘Oh, they can see the saved workouts and it will be like: 20-minute workout, bailed after three minutes, bailed after one minute, just listened to the music.’ I kept them playing while I would sit on the floor and look at my phone.”
Baby J premiered earlier this week, and the comedy special finds Mulaney reckoning with a difficult period of his life. It's earned largely positive reviews from critics, who have praised his ability to turn emotional turmoil into enjoyable storytelling. The special is available now on Netflix.
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