John Mulaney’s 2-year-old daughter, Méi, has given him what he considers a preview of her teenage years. All it took was a snack he couldn’t unwrap and a toddler who wasn’t interested in taking no for an answer.
The comedian, 44, told PEOPLE the story at the Los Angeles premiere of Madden on November 4. He plays Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins in the film, but a question about fatherhood brought the conversation closer to home.
Mulaney and his wife, actress Olivia Munn, also have a son, Malcolm, who is 4 and turns 5 later this month. The couple began dating in 2021, the year he was born.
They married privately at a friend’s home in New York in July 2024. Méi joined the family that September, born through a gestational surrogate.
Méi Wanted Her Mango Snack, and Her Dad Had Reservations
Mulaney was trying to open a Trader Joe’s mango fruit square when he found it sticking to the plastic wrapping. He thought it was too sticky for his daughter to eat. She thought he should get the scissors.
“Cut it with scissors. Open it and give it to me,” he recalled Méi insisting. As he tried to explain his objections, Mulaney could picture them having the same disagreement over a car, her own room or a significant other.
He imagined his response remaining much the same: “No, Méi-Méi. Bad for Méi-Méi.” The prospect hadn’t dampened his enthusiasm. Mulaney said he was looking forward to watching his daughter grow older.
Méi Gave Mulaney a Makeover During His Colonoscopy Preparation
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On October 21, Mulaney shared an Instagram video of Méi applying makeup to herself while he watched. When he asked whether she wanted to put some on him, she initially refused.
Her answer made him laugh. Then Méi changed her mind, brushing sparkles and purple eyeshadow across her father’s cheeks and nose. Mulaney explained in the caption that the moment had brightened his colonoscopy preparation day.
He had described another side of her personality during a May 10 taping of The Pete Davidson Show at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Méi, then 19 months old, was an enthusiastic eater and loved music.
Even when she was crying or screaming, Mulaney told Davidson, switching on a song could get her dancing.
Mulaney Says Parenthood Has Changed His and Olivia Munn’s Priorities
In this separate E! News interview, Mulaney discusses teaching Malcolm to ride a bike. During his conversation with PEOPLE, Mulaney said he and Munn became parents at a point when they were already proud of what they had accomplished professionally.
They remained grateful for work opportunities and had more projects they wanted to pursue. But he described raising their children as more fun, creative and thrilling than anything else in their lives.
Mulaney said finding Munn and building their family had left him feeling they had already won “life’s race.” Whatever their next professional ambitions, he put their children first: “There’s nothing more important than them.”