The sentimental reason John Mulaney wears a suit when doing stand-up comedy

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — John Mulaney has long sported a well-tailored suit during his stand-up sets.

“There’s something about someone who’s like, I’m the entertainer here,” Mulaney told GQ in an interview published on Tuesday, speaking about the message he hopes to send when he dresses up for his audience.

As the story goes, the turning point for Mulaney came in 2013 after he headlined a gig at Atlanta’s Laughing Skull Lounge. He recalled showing up wearing the same casual outfit that the other comics on the bill – and everyone else in the audience – wore.

“I remember thinking, ‘They paid money to see something. Why does it look like one of the audience members is standing onstage talking?’” he told the publication.

Ever since, the comic has made sure to give his audiences something to see, as well as laugh at.

But a much more sentimental reason has emerged for why wearing a suit during his stand-up sets is appealing to Mulaney, said his wife Olivia Munn.

Munn told GQ that shortly before they welcomed their son Malcolm in 2021, Mulaney said to her, “I want to come home and wear a suit every day. I want him to see his father come in and wear a suit and be proud of how he presents himself to the world.”

Pride in how he presents himself to the world and to his family has become a priority for Mulaney, who with Munn welcomed a second child, daughter Méi June Mulaney, in September.

Part of that effort also means that Mulaney maintain his sobriety after struggling with addiction, something he’s spoken openly about. It’s also something that Munn has been an active participant in helping him achieve.

The pair told GQ this week that before Malcolm was born, Munn staged a “mini intervention” for Mulaney, which resulted in both of them agreeing to give him random drug tests at home. It’s something they still practice today.

“It’s like a relief,” Mulaney said about Munn’s support in that respect. “I like to be able to not even have that be a question in her or anyone else’s mind.”

Munn mentioned that, despite Mulaney’s fears of relapsing at the time, his becoming a father was part of what’s helped keep him on track.

“That’s the one thing that made him seem light and happy,” she said of the time when they were pregnant with their first child. “I remember he was really excited to tell his parents.”

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