John Mulaney Says Recovery From Drug Use Helped Him See He Is a Happy Person at His Core

John Mulaney stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert for the first time since his second visit to rehab for drug use, following a 12-person intervention by the likes of Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen and Nick Kroll.

The comedian has been candid about his time in rehab while making the rounds on different late night shows over the years and in his newest comedy special Baby J, which premiered on Netflix in April. He shared that, come December, he will have been sober for three years and thanked Colbert for reaching out to him throughout his journey.

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“You texted me sometime when I was going through a lot, and it meant a lot to me,” Mulaney told the host. “I don’t mean like I worried what you thought of me, as if you wouldn’t have compassion for someone in that situation, but your opinion means a lot to me. And when you reached out, it was extra special in a way.”

When asked what he learned from his time in rehab and in his recovery since then, Mulaney explained that he realized he’s a genuinely happy person.

“I have, for some reason, set up various obstacles, in my own way, that have left me sometimes pretty rawed up, pretty disoriented and pretty unhappy, but I am at my core a happy person,” the comedian said. “And it’s OK for me to protect that by living the life I want to live. I am very lucky. I have a very good life, and I don’t want to be the reason that that gets complicated.”

Baby J includes bits about how the first time Mulaney went to rehab, he had 30 mg of Adderall on him, as well as a bag of Xanax, 3 grams of cocaine and $2,000 in cash. He also described the intervention as a “trick” and “prank,” admitting he was still “pissed off at them,” but he thanked the people involved.

“Getting to do this show and standing here — listen, I am grateful to everyone at my intervention,” he said. “They intervened, they confronted me and they totally saved my life.”

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