John Mulaney is blasting the critics who sent “violent” threats to his wife, Olivia Munn, over her viral comments about children’s shows and the famous YouTube star Ms. Rachel.
“An innocent comment my wife Olivia Munn made about what children’s programs we like has somehow — unbelievably — been conflated with not caring about the deaths of children in Gaza,” he wrote in an Instagram Story Wednesday.
The comedian called the vicious threats that Munn and their two young children, Malcolm and Méi, have been bombarded with “absolutely insane.”
“Because of this, my wife and my two kids are now receiving violent and threatening comments and messages in her DMs,” Mulaney continued. “This is absolutely insane and needs to stop.”
Mulaney, who tied the knot with Munn in 2024, went on to slam the internet critics for transforming a comment that meant “nothing” into a “dark and dangerous place.”
He added, “The people doing this are so wildly out of line and so unhelpful to any conversation. You took a nothing comment to a dark and dangerous place. This kind of behavior isn’t activism.”
John Mulaney via Instagram
Munn confessed in a People interview, published June 8, that “these kids shows are driving me crazy,” for which she faced swift backlash online.
“I know kids love [Ms. Rachel],” the actress said in the interview, which appears to have been unpublished from the outlet’s site. “But the thing is, if I can’t watch it, I’m not going to spend the rest of my life going crazy. These kid shows drive me crazy.”
People published an editorial note about the take down of the news story, writing: “On June 11, we took the unusual step of removing the post titled ‘Olivia Munn Doesn’t Let Her Kids Watch Ms. Rachel. Here’s Why,’ due to the violent threats that escalated towards the interview subject and her family. There is no excuse for these abhorrent attacks, and we will always prioritize safety above all else.”
The “New Girl” star’s comment caused such a stir online that Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin-Accurso, responded to the uproar.
“WHO CARES?! I’d rather you cover me advocating for kids in Gaza who are literally starving, largest cohort of child amputees in modern history, thousands & thousands killed – no medical care, no education, no homes… do better!!!” she wrote in an Instagram post alongside snapshots of news stories about Munn’s statement.
The YouTube star then clarified that she’s “not against” Munn.
“Not against her at all and don’t care that she doesn’t want to watch the show — all my love to her and her family — disappointed in the outlets,” she added.
Meanwhile, Munn addressed the backlash and issued an apology.
“To Ms. Rachel and her fans, I hear and respect the passion behind your support. I never anticipated the media would single out one small thing I said and distort it like they have,” she began in her Instagram Story, Buzzfeed reports.
Munn said her “comments were never meant to diminish the joy, comfort, and impact she brings to so many families.”
The star added: “Every parent understands the importance of finding meaningful programming that helps us connect with our kids. I don’t want something taken out of context to be a moment that steals even a minute of joy for anyone.”
Content shared from www.huffpost.com.