john mulaney

There’s a vision of honesty in stand-up that commonly conjures up a lone spotlight, the comedian on a stool, slouched over, and taking a drag off a cigarette or, conversely, taking a swig from a water bottle. It’s the trappings of being ultimately honest and confessional as a stand-up comedian or, at least, that is what is stereotypically expected.

When it comes to John Mulaney, however, what is expected is a well tailored suit, a sharp haircut, and charm so beaming that not even a shambolic chain-of-events and an often domineering shadow side to bolster said events can deter it. The tabloid fodder that John Mulaney not only was addicted to narcotics, but admitted to rehab and was going through a divorce shattered, for many, a pristine image that Mulaney had for the majority of his career in comedy. Mulaney fans and the comedy world alike pondered what the “real” Mulaney would be like in his stand-up since so much of this particular part of his life was on public display.

Suffice it to say that Mulaney isn’t one for perching on a wooden stool with only one light shining on him. This latest Netflix hour stand-up special, Baby J, encapsulates Mulaney both at his most-honest-self-to-date and also as the dashing, sharply considered comedian that has a quip or perfect line for seemingly any moment. If you were expecting something more frank and startling in John Mulaney discussing his stint in rehab, you’d be better off just watching any special by Marc Maron. Mulaney’s need for validation at all times (an admission that he makes at very top of Baby J) is an inalienable part of the showman that is John Mulaney (even to the child that’s, for some reason, in attendance at the Baby J taping).

Throughout the whole special, it’s clear that the Mulaney we knew and love is still very much intact, but is now being presented with his other side as a more clear portrait of the man, warts and all. Sure, it’s presented at John’s discretion and he even admits that one of his addiction stories is one that he’s willing to tell, quietly suggesting that there are darker incidents in his time as a junkie. The truism that we all contain multitudes emphatically applies here and, perhaps, Mulaney is just starting to let us all know who he really is, which could be a path that’s, for all Mulaney fans’ sakes, several specials long.

For our money, Baby J might be the best comedy special thus far that addresses problematic behavior with warmth and candor. Mulaney gives a very candid, but undoubtedly very funny glimpse into how his drug addiction had him spinning out of control and he makes sure that he’s not the hero of almost any story he shares here. Conversely, Louis CK attempt to explain/”apologize” for his admitted pattern of sexual misconduct in a special from a few years ago felt trite at best. Aziz Ansari did a bit better in his apology with Right Now, but it had a performative air with Aziz ditching the suit for a Metallica T-shirt, utilizing Spike Jonze as a director, having it mostly shot at a jaunty angle, etc. to the point where it felt like someone entirely different than Aziz was on stage. Even with the distance that Mulaney from his troubled past through rehab and work on himself, John doesn’t really shy away from how he is still a work in progress (i.e. human) via admitting being annoyed that he has to be grateful to everyone at his intervention for the rest of his life. This might be a good blueprint going forward for other comedians that are looking to make a comeback after controversy and directly addressing said controversy (though some of the ilk of Cosby are far beyond the pale at this point).

John Mulaney: Baby J is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.