Olivia Munn: Surviving Cancer & Her Comeback

Summary

Podcast Title: Not Skinny But Not Fat
Host: Amanda Hirsch
Guest: Olivia Munn
Episode: Olivia Munn: Surviving Cancer & Her Comeback
Release Date: June 17, 2025

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Introduction

In this heartfelt episode of Not Skinny But Not Fat, host Amanda Hirsch welcomes actress Olivia Munn to discuss her inspiring journey of surviving breast cancer and making a remarkable comeback. The conversation delves deep into Olivia's personal struggles, triumphs, and the profound impact her story has had on countless women.

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Olivia's Personal Journey

Postpartum Anxiety and Breastfeeding Challenges

Olivia opens up about her battle with postpartum anxiety following the birth of her children. She shares her challenges with breastfeeding, emphasizing the immense pressure and judgment mothers often face regarding child-rearing practices.

Olivia Munn [06:17]: "Every mother should be able to feed their child in whatever way they know is best and not feel guilty at all."

Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Early Detection

Olivia recounts her diagnosis journey, highlighting the critical role of the Lifetime Risk Assessment Test in identifying her high-risk status, which ultimately led to an early detection of aggressive breast cancer.

Olivia Munn [25:36]: "Women need to know about this lifetime risk assessment test. Without it, I would not have known."

She explains how this test prompted a significant increase in screenings and mammograms among women, underscoring its life-saving potential.

Medical Decisions and Treatments

Facing an aggressive form of cancer, Olivia discusses her decision to undergo a double mastectomy to avoid radiation and her subsequent preventive surgeries. She candidly addresses the physical and emotional toll of her treatments.

Olivia Munn [31:00]: "I decided to do a double mastectomy so I didn't have to do radiation."

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Impact of Her Story

Raising Awareness and Saving Lives

Olivia emphasizes her mission to educate women about breast cancer screening and early detection. Her transparency has led to a 4,000% increase in Lifetime Risk Assessment Test completions and a 300% rise in mammogram requests.

Olivia Munn [28:46]: "It can mean the difference between having to do chemo or not. It can be the difference between living or counting your days."

Community and Support

Her openness has fostered a supportive community where women feel empowered to advocate for their health, leading to numerous personal stories of early detection inspired by Olivia's experience.

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Parenting and Family Life

Balancing Motherhood and Personal Health

Olivia discusses the complexities of being a mother of two while battling cancer. She shares heartfelt moments, like balancing her health with her children's emotional needs and the unwavering support from her husband, comedian John.

Olivia Munn [33:05]: "I have to stay alive. I have to be here. I have to fight as hard as I can."

Handling Tantrums and Parenting Challenges

The conversation touches on parenting strategies, particularly dealing with her son's tantrums and the pressure parents face from societal expectations.

Olivia Munn [08:03]: "Every mother should be able to feed their child in whatever way they know is best and not feel guilty at all."

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Mental Health and Coping Mechanisms

Dealing with Anxiety and Exhaustion

Olivia delves into her struggles with postpartum anxiety and the debilitating effects of cancer treatment medications on her mental health. She highlights the importance of seeking help and the role her husband played in supporting her through these dark times.

Olivia Munn [65:08]: "I just changed my frame of mind. It's not good for Malcolm and me to sit on the couch and watch TV all day."

Therapeutic Approaches

She shares insights into how therapy and changing her mindset helped her cope with anxiety, emphasizing the interconnectedness of mental and physical health.

Olivia Munn [50:45]: "It's all connected, but it's all playing catch up with each other."

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Career and Comeback

Returning to Acting Post-Diagnosis

Despite her health battles, Olivia discusses her determination to return to acting. She touches upon her role in the TV show Friends and Neighbors and the positive reception it has received.

Olivia Munn [41:23]: "I love what I do, and it's so much fun, but I don't need it."

Upcoming Projects and Future Plans

Looking ahead, Olivia hints at season two of Friends and Neighbors and expresses excitement about future projects, balancing her career aspirations with her responsibilities as a mother.

Olivia Munn [73:03]: "I think there will be some of that... I don't know."

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Closing Remarks

Amanda expresses her admiration for Olivia's strength and resilience, highlighting the importance of sharing such personal stories to inspire and educate others. Olivia reiterates her commitment to being a good mother, wife, and advocate for women's health.

Amanda Hirsch [74:43]: "I love your teeth."

Olivia Munn [77:24]: "I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life. I took a lot of emotional weight off my shoulders."

The episode concludes with heartfelt exchanges, emphasizing friendship, support, and the continuous journey of healing and self-discovery.

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Conclusion

This episode of Not Skinny But Not Fat offers a profound and candid look into Olivia Munn's life, showcasing her as not just an actress but a beacon of strength and advocacy. Her openness about her struggles with postpartum anxiety and breast cancer serves as an inspiration, encouraging women everywhere to prioritize their health and well-being.

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Notable Quotes:

• Olivia Munn [25:36]: "Women need to know about this lifetime risk assessment test."
• Olivia Munn [28:46]: "It can mean the difference between having to do chemo or not."
• Olivia Munn [33:05]: "I have to stay alive. I have to be here. I have to fight as hard as I can."

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For more inspiring stories and engaging conversations, subscribe to Not Skinny But Not Fat and join Amanda Hirsch every Tuesday as she sits down with your favorite Hollywood stars.

Transcript

[Amanda Hirsch]

Okay, you guys, so you're not living under a rock. You've heard about a little thing called Venmo. I'm sure you use it every day. I'm sure you, you know, have a list of friends on there. But did you know that Venmo can be used for more than just paying your friends back? Yep, it is true. Allow me to introduce you to the Venmo debit card, which allows you to spend your Venmo balance in so many ways. Yep, you can Venmo this, that and everything. No, seriously, everything. If you can shop for it, you can pay for it with the Venmo debit card. I can Venmo this mic that I'm speaking into, these headphones, this coffee that I'm drinking, the workout class that I'm going to right after this. Okay, you get the point. You could pay with a Venmo debit card for everything at this is unlocking an all new way to use Venmo. Like, you got paid back by your friends, right? You went out to drinks, you got paid back. Use that balance to pay for your ride home. You sold a pair of shoes. Use that balance to buy new shoes. Not to mention, this debit card is super chic. Comes in a whole bunch of vibey colors, so you can pick one that matches your style. And I love that Venmo everything with a Venmo debit card. Visit venmo me/debbit to learn more and sign up today. Venmo purchase restrictions apply. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank N.A. pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. Card might be used everywhere MasterCard is accepted.

[Olivia Munn]

The following podcast is a Dear Media.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Production welcome back to the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Hirsch, and I still can't believe that I get to chat with some of my favorite favorite stars on my very own podcast where you'll feel like you're just talking with your best friends in your living room. You guys, me and my guest today wouldn't s the F up. Okay, so I'm not going to do a long intro today. I I'm so excited about this guest. I've wanted her to come on the show for such a long time. I'm such a huge fan. I think she's just great. I think her story has helped a shit ton of of women out there. And she's so brave and she's so powerful and she's such a powerhouse and she's smart and she's gorgeous and she came on my pod. So, Avi, we love her even more than we have ever before. She's also amazing in your friends and neighbors obsessed with that show. Go binge right now if you haven't. They're already working on season two. She's also a mom of two, and she's also the wife of a hilarious comedian. Yes, it is the one, the only Olivia Mun is here. And listen, there's just some people that you, for me personally, like, I've wander on for such a long time. She's finally here and we went over in time and then we spent two hours at night chatting away about all the stuff that we didn't get to on the pod. So enjoy my conversation with Olivia Munn. I'm fucking love her. And I love you, too. Okay, bye.

[Olivia Munn]

Okay, I'm ready. Let's start. Let's start talking.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Okay. You're way too pretty for this pod.

[Olivia Munn]

You're so pretty.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, stop.

[Olivia Munn]

You know you're pretty.

[Amanda Hirsch]

No, I do not.

[Olivia Munn]

Yes, you do. Your face. Your face is so pretty. Your body is amazing. Your kids are so cute. I can't wait to do a playdate.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, my God. I know. Well, you're here now.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. I'm so excited.

[Amanda Hirsch]

So you're not, like, showing a lot of New York content in your like.

[Olivia Munn]

Because I've been working nonstop.

[Amanda Hirsch]

That is true.

[Olivia Munn]

But I had that one with my kid. I don't know if you saw that one where he was, like, walking through the streets.

[Amanda Hirsch]

No, no, I saw that and I.

[Olivia Munn]

No, we can talk about that. My family's so loud. I'm so loud.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I'm so loud. So many times loud. You're soft spoken.

[Olivia Munn]

I've become softer in my speaking only over the last few years, truly. With everything going on, I just kind of. Well, just because you have to go through cancer, I think to be like, nothing is really that serious anymore, truly. But I used to talk like this all the time. And. And I have moments like that. And I'll think, like, I'll turn to John and want to say something that's, like, secretive, but I'll be talking to him like this because, Olivia, they can hear you. I'm like, no, they're not. They don't even care. And then. But then, sure enough, like, they heard. Yeah, but I'm always thinking, aren't people just. I mean, I'm not listening to other people's conversations. I'm doing my own thing.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I do that. Which my husband hates because he's the most shy, anxious, like, whole Thing that people are looking at him when they're not. And I'm like talking loud like they're. No, they're not. Not. No one's listening. So I need you to teach me your ways because my dream in life is to be soft spoken and mysterious like you.

[Olivia Munn]

I don't know if I'm. I'm mysterious. Do you think I'm mysterious?

[Amanda Hirsch]

A little mystery.

[Olivia Munn]

Oh, what, what do you think is mysterious?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Like we see you but like I feel like you're not like one of those front face to camera. Hey guys. You know, but when you give it, it's like just a little like, here's a taste.

[Olivia Munn]

Okay.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Here's a taste.

[Olivia Munn]

I appreciate that.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Of me in my glasses at home being all perfect, perfect blonde hair.

[Olivia Munn]

Like, you know when people are in the middle of crying and then they turn on their camera and then they make a video in the middle of them crying? Like those always make me feel so uncomfortable.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, you can't do it.

[Olivia Munn]

Well, no, I would never do that. But then there was one time back in December and John had just started on Broadway and he was doing all these rehearsals and it was none stop work for him. And I had our brand new baby girl and then our son who just turned three and now also has a new baby into the mix. And then daddy's not around and he spends so much time with him. And then it was like one of the hardest moments of my life. Those like two week, that two week period was so difficult. And then I broke down crying one night and I literally turned my phone camera on and. But I only did video messages to my other two girlfriends who have just children. Like one was about to have a child and had a son the same age as mine and then another one was like, just had theirs. And so I was like, this is what's to come. And I'm just telling you, like, it's okay, like. And I just was like, I just, it felt so cathartic to send that to my friends. But that's not something I would ever post.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But do you know how much engagement it would get? Crazy. I'm just telling you. And then you realize because I see like mommy bloggers, like the straight up ones. Yeah, the ones that only post like things about kids. And you would, you know, like, kids and family are such a hot topic and everyone's interested in how everyone's doing things like what baby carrier. I remember you posted that by the way, because I related to that so much where you were like, I always pictured myself like Being cute with my baby with the.

[Olivia Munn]

With the wrap.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Correct.

[Olivia Munn]

That is so difficult. May is 8 months old, but she weighs more than 12 month old.

[Amanda Hirsch]

How much does she weigh?

[Olivia Munn]

She's 22, 23 right now. Pounds.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Damn.

[Olivia Munn]

I know.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I'm wondering, what's Lenny? Well, the last time I weighed him, he was £20. How old is he? He just turned one.

[Olivia Munn]

She's eight months. Yeah, I know. Chubby, cute.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Was Malcolm this chubby? I can't remember.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, he was very chubby. He looked like he was gonna explode. He was like, so shiny. She's got more of a squishy kind of chunk to her. And it's. They're both. But they're both very easy, very happy babies.

[Amanda Hirsch]

That's amazing. So Malcolm started going through, like, the toddler phase. Cause we talked about. You posted that video of him walking barefoot in New York. But I gave that as an example because I think that day, like, my kid was being difficult, and it was like, what do you do? Like, in that moment? And then you flashback to all these reels that you've watched of, like, what to do? Gentle parenting style. What to do more aggressively. Like, what your mom did probably was like, shut the fuck up. You know?

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And then you don't know what to do. But there was a moment where Noah was throwing a tangent when I remember that I was like, literally, Olivia Munn let her child walk barefoot in New York because he was throwing a tantrum. I'm like, pick your battles. He was happy. It's not dangerous. Even though maybe.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Did you get any messages that were like, how did you let him. I mean, it was with sauce.

[Olivia Munn]

I didn't see any of those until there was a. I saw some news article that came up that was like, fans are. Are mom shaming Olivia. And I. And I. It took so long to. To find that comment, like, what are people? What? Because everybody else was like, I get it, I get it. And then there's somebody who was like, oh, like, she has help and who's taking that photo. And, you know, yes, we have people who help us, but the way that our parenting style is, is that if we are there, we spend the time with our child.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

We take the walks with them. We, you know, in this particular situation, I was by myself with Malcolm in a stroller with May strapped to me. And he's usually so easygoing. He loves going out, and I tempted him with all the things he loves. Let's go to cvs, which is his Disney World.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I know. You told me that once and like, you keep coming back to it. So I'm like, wow, that's tough, you.

[Olivia Munn]

Know, because so, so many parents will say, like, have you taken them to Disneyland? Disney World? I go, why? Why would I do that to myself when CVS is on every corner?

[Amanda Hirsch]

What is he like there everywhere?

[Olivia Munn]

He likes makeup sponges. He likes the car. They have this big car rack of like, different. Like, it's so funny. It's a.

[Amanda Hirsch]

It's like, wait, so what do you do in la? Drive to one or.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, I've gone to CVS so much in my life and then I'm there, I, you know, pick up some makeup for myself.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, yeah. There's always something to buy.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, yeah. But that day I was outside the CVS and he had just thrown the biggest tantrum. And the other thing I didn't put in was that he needed to go to the bathroom as soon as we get there. And I go into this really big CVS and they said, there's no bathroom. Yeah, bathroom in here.

[Amanda Hirsch]

You're like, where do you pee?

[Olivia Munn]

It was insane. Yeah, where do you pee? I mean, there has to be an employee bathroom.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, right?

[Olivia Munn]

So then I'm.

[Amanda Hirsch]

For a kid, a lot of times I feel like they make the exception.

[Olivia Munn]

But they didn't think. No. And then I had to take him into like a deli that was right on the corner and buy a sandwich and then, you know, and then put it away. But then my. When I came out, one of my girlfriends had called me and I was like, this is so difficult right now. And I'm thinking, I'm gonna break down. And she's like, where are you? And I was like, I'm on the corner of whatever it was. And she jumped into Uber, came got me, and then he didn't wanna look at her. He was like, I don't. Only my mommy. She's like, well, how can I help? And then she's like, what about, can I carry May for you? And then Malcolm is like, no, only mommy. And like, I know that you're not supposed to let your kids, like, dictate everything, but it was. It was so hard that day. And so at first he let her push the stroller, and then that's when she got that photo of me and him. But she had to stay behind us and couldn't interact with us. He said, now I'm making him think, but he's a three year old. He's a three year old.

[Amanda Hirsch]

A tyrant emperor, by the way. Like, if you have kids you know, like, it's one of those things that maybe to people. And by the way, I. And I wondered this about you because I admit this, like, before I had kids, I was so judgmental. I did the. Like, I would never do that. And, like, I will do this with them. Or like, I would see my sister doing things and be like, how does she let her kid tell her what to do? Like, I. And then you are in the situation and it's like survival mode. Like, we left my sister's house yesterday with a plate. I walked home with a plate because that was the only way to get Noah to leave. And it's like, they fuck with you because he didn't really want the plate. He was just like, I'm not going to make this easy, you know?

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

It's like, let's go. And he's like, only if I can take the plate, right? I'm like, what do I want, a screaming, crying tantrum or a let's go. So I, like, literally walk him with a plate.

[Olivia Munn]

I called my pediatrician when I got back, and I was like, hey, this is what happened. We walked through the streets of New York for a very long time, for over a mile. And I stupidly thought that those little rubber things on the bottom of socks would be enough to protect his feet. And when we got there, I went to go take off his socks, and then I saw that there was like, grid marks, like a honeycomb grid mark, like in black on his heel. And I thought, oh, my God, what? And then I called her and she said, did you walk around on the streets without shoes? I'm like, yes. I was born in the 80s.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, we.

[Olivia Munn]

I grew up in Tokyo. We literally were in the streets of Tokyo, like, crossing busy intersections with no shoes, no parents, just literally like 8 year olds walking around. And she's like, you're. He's fine. He's fine. And. And that's why I didn't see any negative feedback until, like, there's one place that wanted to make it into something, but.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Right.

[Olivia Munn]

I don't think. I think I've ever had the judgment for other mothers like that, because my mom was. She was a mother of five by the time she was 27, she. And she was raising two stepchildren. And of course, when you're younger, I'm like, my mom is a tiger mom, and she's so scary and she's yelling all the time. But as you get older, you're like, man, you were only 27 when you.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Had to deal with like, wait, it was. You have four brothers and sisters, including two of them were a step or plus two step.

[Olivia Munn]

Like, so it's a stepbrother, stepsister, and then two blood siblings set sister and brother.

[Amanda Hirsch]

That's crazy.

[Olivia Munn]

I know. Can you imagine being 27 and going through that? And so I think I. I have a harder time with the friends who want to offer advice, as if their life is so perfect. Like, I had. I was going through this tantrum phase with Malcolm, and I called one of my friends who has three children and around the same ages, and I said, what did you. What do you do? What am I supposed to do? And I'm, like, on the verge of tears. And she says, oh, I'm. We didn't really have that problem.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Bye.

[Olivia Munn]

I was so mad. I was like, you. You. So you don't. You don't. She's like, no, they never really. None of my kids have really thrown tantrums. Like, what are you talking about?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

She's like, but you know what I think you should do? If you really come up with, like, a more structured schedule? Like, they really need to know what's happening. They need to, like, anticipate things. So, like, when you keep their structure really solid and they know what's happening in their schedule, then there's no more anxiety. And I was like, I am. There is a. There's a nap time. There's structure. There are alarms on my phone that tells me what to do. But then you try to, like, tell an emperor what to do.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Wait, so. But I'm trying to. Okay, so you said both of them were, like, chill, easygoing babies then. Now he's an emperor? Or like, he has an emperor's side to him.

[Olivia Munn]

No, no. So here's the problem. So John and him are. It is. We're under the ruling of an emperor, and John spends a lot of time with Malcolm. We both do. But there's this special bond that they have. And when John started going on to Broadway, it was. The first two weeks were just rehearsals all the time, and then, like, previews and all that. And then I think it was hard for Malcolm to, like, not have as much time with his dad, even if it's just for two weeks. It was too much. And then I started filming the second season of my show at the same time. John is filming his Netflix show, which was this live show that he was doing once a week for three months. And I had Malcolm and the kids come with me, and John would come in and out. Then Malcolm would just be Throwing so many tantrums when John was gone, and it was all directed at me. And then when John would come back, the first two days, it would be Malcolm still throwing the biggest fits. And then after the second day, I think he realized, like, oh, dad's here. Yeah. And then he felt calm before. So then I was like, okay, for some reason, Malcolm needs to see you every single day. And I love that for both of them. And so I'm going to be the one flying in and out from New York. So I'll fly in and work for two days and then fly home and be there for like, a day and a half, then fly back. But it was. I'm telling you, it was exhausting by me.

[Amanda Hirsch]

You did that for the all. For the emperor. That's crazy. That is so much sacrifice. Like, that's because you're working, you know? So. So second season of your show, we're talking your friends and neighbors.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

So already filming or already done filming right now?

[Olivia Munn]

Still filming through the end of summer. I'll be here through the end of September in New York, where we get to be friends and hang out finally.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Could you imagine Mei Mei and Lenny on, like, a mat?

[Olivia Munn]

Oh, my gosh, how cute. Her name means plum in Chinese. And if you take the accent off the E and you say Mei Mei, it means little sister. So we call her Mei Mei, too.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I love that name.

[Olivia Munn]

Thank you so much.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, it was one of my names, like, spelled the American way.

[Olivia Munn]

May.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah. All the girls that I thought I.

[Olivia Munn]

Was having, you think you're done. You're not gonna go again for a girl. You know, when you said that, we talked about this already, but when you said the thing about you hope your sons marry orphans, it was so spot on. You know, I told John before, I was like, there's this fear that any of your children will want to literally leave and not spend any of the significant moments with you anymore. Which is understandable because look at us. We all grow up and we have our own families. And so I said to John, okay, we need to have the most epic vacations and do the best holidays so that our kids will always wanna come home. It'll feel so nostalgic. And we have to let all their friends come whenever they want. Like, for, like, you wanna bring them on vacation? Let's go. You wanna come over for Thanksgiving, Christmas? We don't care.

[Amanda Hirsch]

No, we were talking about this, like, have the best snack cabinets at, like, the things. It is something to think about.

[Olivia Munn]

No, we don't want to have the home where there's no structure.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

You know, because we, like, John is the. The heavy, and I am like the. It's okay. You can do this.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, yeah. Okay. I would see it the other way. I know probably most people think because.

[Olivia Munn]

He was a drug addict, he's chill.

[Amanda Hirsch]

He's like, whatever. It's John's ass.

[Olivia Munn]

You know, he. His family. He has a wonderful family. And his dad was a lawyer, and his mom was a law professor, and they were just, like, really structured, and there was, like, more. There was just. Now, we had discipline in our household, but it was just. It's a different. We were wild but disciplined.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

Like, we were. My mom didn't care if we all fought each other. We were put into karate really early on, and it was just.

[Amanda Hirsch]

You have a black belt, I saw.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Do you still know how to karate?

[Olivia Munn]

I've never called it like that, but yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do. Yeah. And it's important for my son to do it and my daughter to do it. I want all my children to do it. I started doing it at 4 years old.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Like, is that the only thing that you did? Because I saw, like, you wanted to fight, like, you wanted to show your. Your skills. Would you want to do something like that again?

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

It's so much fun.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

It's like. It's such. You know, the week. The week after I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I already had a ticket to fly to Germany to film this action movie, this independent film that I've been filming, trying to film since COVID happened. We were ready to go. And then Covid happened. Then 2021, I was pregnant. And then 2022, I had a horrible postpartum anxiety that lasted almost a whole year. Then 2023, I was like, okay. We had everything set. The teepees, the costume. Everybody was there. And then I get called into my doctor's office, and she's like, you have breast cancer. I was like, I'm supposed to go film. Like, is this something I can put off? And she's like, no, not this kind of. So anyways, that was, like. I took a very circuitous way to get back to. Yeah, it would be fun to do fight scenes.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah. We'll be right back after the break. Okay. You guys. You know, I've been super unrelatable lately, and I've been working out a bit. Not a lot. Don't worry. But the point is, whether you're working out or not doesn't matter. You could still wear activewear, workout clothes. And probably all the girls that you're seeing on the street looking all cute and they're like, you know, activewear, like they're just wearing it to get a coffee. Okay. One of my favorite brands to wear when I'm getting a coffee and pretending I just came from a workout is Roback. And they just launched a brand new product and brought back two of my favorites. And you need them. First up is the era High rise shorts. These just dropped. They're everything. They're high rise, they're super lightweight, and they're ridiculously flattering. Whether you're going on a hot girl walk, heading to Pilates, or just doing errands, but want to look like you worked out, these are your go to. Also, they have a great new color. I'm into like, colors now. You're welcome, Mom. Birdie Blue. Birdie Blue is here. And Roback just released this color in the Sydney Skort. We love a skort. And the everyday active dress, let me tell you, it's the ultimate summer shade. It'll look so good with a tan. Also, the everyday active dress is perfect for the I worked out but also have brunch plans look. It's breathable, it's flattering, and so easy to throw on and go. Use the code Amanda on roback.com for a generous 20% off your first order through the end of this week. That's spelled roback. R H O B A C K dot com. There are a lot of things that come out of Australia. The Hemsworth brothers come to mind. Uggs, the Crocodile Hunter, the best people. Yeah, shout out my Australian followers. I freaking love you. You're fucking funny, you're self deprecating, you're cynical, you're sarcastic and I love it. But sorry, because my new favorite Aussie export that's finally available in the US is the koala sofa bed. You guys, the koala sofa bed is so freaking comfortable. They use like mattress technology inside a sofa bed. Koala delivers Instagram worthy color options. No sad beige or millennial gray hair. Oh my God. I feel personally attacked you guys. But it's true. These are great colors that my mom would approve of. No Allen wrenches, no stress, and no tears when you're assembling. It's tool free. Everything comes in a box and easily slides, clicks or screws together. Koala sofa bed comes in three sizes to fit smaller spaces. They have fast shipping and free returns, which you know is so important. If you've been here for Couch Gate, then you frickin know this is almost unheard of in the industry. It's so comfortable. You guys upgrade your space with the most stylish, customizable and elevated sofa bed available. To get up to 250 off your new sofa plus fast shipping, go to us.koala.com Amanda. That's us.koala.com/amanda to get up to 250 off your new sofa. Koala. Comfy, easy, sustainable. As you guys know, your girl is on a health journey. And I finally, through working with the nutritionist, understand, like, what are the food types that you need to be eating, you need to have in your meal, like a protein, a fiber and a fat. Right? Protein is super important. I've learned that now. You'll find me snacking on pieces of chicken and you'll find me drinking protein Shakespeare. Because in Clean Simple Eats protein powder, there's 20 grams of protein in a single serving. And the thing is about Clean simple eats, it's so yummy. You have like chocolate brownie flavored, vanilla flavor, toasted coconut. So you can literally make like a milkshake vibe. But it could be as simple as a snack. You can make it like a hot chocolate. That's what I do a lot with the brownie one. And slurred like you're sipping on hot cocoa. And. Except it has 20 grams of protein, so it literally is so freaking good. Another product that I love of theirs, they have a clear protein powder that is like very different than any other protein powder out there because it's like a pink burst flavor. And like it sounds, it's like clear. It looks like you're drinking like electrolytes or something. Just so good. You just mix it with water and you get the 20 grams of protein. So you guys, it's delicious. It's the best clean simple eats, you guys, is the protein powder you should be going for. Visit cleansimpleats.com use my code, not skinny 20 a check checkout for 20 off your first order. That's clean simple eats.com code is not skinny 20 for 20 off your first order. Link is also in the show notes. You guys, I'm Gabby Wendy, your host of Long Winded. You may or may not know me, emphasis on may not. But I did have 26 boyfriends not too long ago and tragically lost Dancing with the Stars. And now I'm back. Back with a more freeing and liberating platform than ever, which honestly might make you sorry. Anyways, with all of this under my belt, naturally I do have some to say in my Very sweet, soft voice. And public school education. I'll discuss girly topics with a bit of cheek. Topics like gaslighting. Die for it. Internalized misogyny. One of my faves. Honestly. And the depths of the dark dating world. I will beg you a again and again to come and listen. But most of all, I hope you enjoy. And we're back. You're so fucking busy. Can we talk about that for a second? You've had a few crazy years already. I mean, you shared your cancer diagnosis, which was just so helpful. I mean, you posted the stats. How many people did you. You got so many people into, like, testing, into doing that.

[Olivia Munn]

I've heard it's gotten back to me that it was like a 4,000 increase in people taking the lifetime risk assessment test and that I can't. It was like the 300% increase in people requesting mammograms. And. But that's all I wanted, was for women to know about this test and start to be more forceful with their doctors about getting the tests they need. I mean, we have to really advocate for ourselves. And thankfully, I had a doctor who is so amazing, Dr. Aliabadi, who was the advocate for me. She advocates for all her patients. And without her, I don't know how far it would have gotten before I found it, because I had a clear mammogram just at that moment. So I wasn't due for another year.

[Amanda Hirsch]

You were doing them since turning 40. Like, that's the. That's what you do.

[Olivia Munn]

I did it. So I was pregnant at 40, and so I. I did it. I did my first one at 41, after I had the baby.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, that was the first. Okay.

[Olivia Munn]

My first at 40, when I was pregnant, I did the ultrasound.

[Amanda Hirsch]

She.

[Olivia Munn]

Because you wanted to check. And then when I was able to do a mammogram after having my baby, then we got the mammogram that was clear. And then I had another clear mammogram and another clear ultrasound. And then it was right around that same time when she sent me in for an mri. And then I found out I had breast cancer. So it was a clear mammogram. And then she did this thing called the lifetime risk assessment test. And this is. This is the reason why I wanted to talk about what's happened in my journey publicly is because so many women don't know about this lifetime risk assessment test. It's a free online test. It takes minutes. You don't even have to put your email in or subscribe or do anything like that. You answer Questions like, how old were you when you got your period for the first time? Have you had any children? How old were you when you had your first child? Things like that. And it gives you a score. Anything above 20% is considered high risk and high risk for your chance of getting breast cancer in your lifetime. And then you should ask your doctor to go do an MRI. And mine was 37.3%. So I had the clear mammogram, I had the clear ultrasound. Dr. Ali Badi is doing the lifetime risk assessment test in her office right there. She says, you have a really high score. I want you to do an mri. I said, okay. I thought nothing of it. I said, okay, just another thing you check off, and it's going to be great. And then I went in for that mri, and by the time I got home, I got a call from the radiologist saying, we found something and we need you to do an ultrasound now to double check it. I was in our dining room at that time. I remember just exactly where I was. And then John walks in from outside and he just sees this, like, look on my face. And I'm usually pretty. I stay calm with my emotions. You know, I think because I've had so many times in my life where I have been able to control my anxiety or depression or anger, and so I've really, like having children. You're like, okay, you have to really be like a baseline, right? So all of a sudden I. I'm just feeling really afraid. And I just kind of knew that there's something, I guess, you know, hey, you have that pit in your stomach. You're like, I just feel like something. And then when I got the ultrasound, the radiologist found two more tumors. And then they discovered there was an actual tumor in my left breast as well. And so, like, as they explained it to me, like, bilateral both breast is unusual. Multi quadrant, meaning in multiple quadrants of your breast, multifocal, meaning multiple tumors, and even in one quadrant of your breast. So I had multifocal, multi quadrant bilateral breast cancer with an aggressive type of cancer. And so it just floored me. And once I kind of got to a place where I'm like, okay, I think I'm past a lot of the hardest moments. I was like, women need to know about this lifetime risk assessment test. Because without that, I would not have known.

[Amanda Hirsch]

It's not like you went in because something was bothering you or you felt something. It was like a preventative.

[Olivia Munn]

And then now, since I've talked about it, the amount of people I have Heard and come up to me or send messages through, like my agents or my publicist or through another friend, through my doctor has sent me messages from patients who come in, have taken the lifetime risk assessment test and discovered that they had a high risk and then found out they had cancer.

[Amanda Hirsch]

There's this one that means early treatment, right?

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. That can be the difference between having to do chemo or not. It can be the difference between having a path to fight this. It can mean the difference between living or counting your days. I mean, you just don't, you just don't know. Like, there's certain kind of cancers that can double in size every six weeks. My cancer is a fast moving, fast growing, very aggressive cancer. And you can't even the doctors, like, they're looking at this like we can't really predict because I said, well, can I go just do this movie? I'll be back in a couple months. And they were like, no, we don't know how far it's gonna go. And after they did my double mastectomy, they found an area tangerine size section of more cancer.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Where? In the.

[Olivia Munn]

In my right breast. So, like, it was like, so that.

[Amanda Hirsch]

They couldn't even see.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, because I don't know why. All the other tumors were stage one. So the genesis is a stage zero and it starts from stage zero, then stage zero turns into stage one, and then stage one can turn it to stage two, et cetera. And then they depend on if it makes to your lymph nodes. And it's a whole other ball game. But I was stage one, but all over my breast. And then this one tangerine size section was stage zero. I believe they can still find it because there's this CBS reporter, Alison hall, who I recently got to know. She was sent off by her boss to take this lifetime risk assessment test based off my story and was like, hey, just go, can we film you doing this? And she's like, yeah, she's like in her early 30s. And they said, you have a high risk. And then she did a mammogram and they found out that she has stage zero breast cancer and she had a double mastectomy. And she told this whole story, which is amazing because I know personally, like, how many lives it saves by getting the message out. And she's so young, but so that's like she had stage zero. So she caught it so early. Yeah, but when they were doing my. They called the margins after they take out. When they take out a tumor, they take out the healthy tissue around it. And they look for margins, and that's where they like, kind of. They keep testing to see, is there cancer here, is there cancer there? And it basically took them out to like another tangerine sized section of my breast before we got to, like, clear margins.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Wow.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And does that mean you. You didn't have to go through any chemo or anything?

[Olivia Munn]

No, I. I decided to do a double mastectomy so I didn't have to do radiation.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

And because it hadn't made it into my lymph nodes, I. Is it a really aggressive cancer? So they basically were saying, like, there is a form of chemo that we can give you. That's the option. Or you can do this full double mastectomy plus hormone suppressant medicine for five years. But either way, chemo or not, you have to do these hormone suppressants. So we talked about a lot. John and I talked about the pros and cons of it. Like, when you feel like you're being really aggressive and really fighting something, you're like, okay, let me just. Let me get all the weapons and I'll fight it with everything I have. But doing chemo is. It wreaks havoc on your body and it can shorten your life in times that you don't even realize. It can. It's really hard on your heart, on your body and every part of you. And so I was like, well, I'm put that into my back pocket, like, if I ever need it in the future.

[Amanda Hirsch]

God forbid.

[Olivia Munn]

God forbid. For sure. Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

So you got the clean bill of health how long after that? After this? How many you had?

[Olivia Munn]

Five.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Five surgeries?

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. The last one was an ophorectomy and a partial hysterectomy. So I took out my ovaries, my fallopian tubes, and my uterus.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Is that preventative?

[Olivia Munn]

Yes, essentially it was preventative because I couldn't take the medication that they were giving me. It was so debilitating. I'm still really exhausted. Like, I spend a lot of time in bed or on the couch when I'm not out and about, and I'm really trying really hard to get myself out there and play. And I. All of my time is spent with my children if it's not working.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

And I should make more time for my friends and going on girls trips and stuff like that.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But do they try to get you to go?

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, yeah. And I. And I'm always like, I always feel so bad because I'm. I want to be able to coordinate it and do it and show up but you know, when your kids are going through emotional changes and stuff like that, you just really want to. I mean, for me, I wanted to, like, help them through it and not just disappear for like a week, you know, and it could be just a weekend, but I don't know. That's a whole other story.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But do you think that having Malcolm at that time made you handle it the way you did?

[Olivia Munn]

Yes. Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I.

[Olivia Munn]

It. It narrowed everything for me. I was like, I have to stay alive. I have to be here. I have to. I have to fight as hard as.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I can fight and, like, stay strong in front of him too.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

And he was so little. He wouldn't have known. But there was. When I came back from my double mastectomy, he said, mama up, mama up. He wanted me to pick him up so I couldn't. So I. I kneeled down and. Or I squatted down to have my, like my, you know, your leg where he can like, like use it kind of as a little bench. And I was like, come sit here. And he goes, no, mama up, up. It's like he really just wanted to be. And that was hard, but.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

But then that's when we broke our iPad rule. And I was like, come. Come in bed and. Yeah, and hang out with me. And you know what was really hard was every time I found out more news, it just sounded worse and worse, you know?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

It was like, there's breast cancer, stage one. It's in three spots, but it's good. Wait, there's another one. Oh, wait. It's a really aggressive, fast moving kind. We gotta move fast. We don't know if it's in your lymph nodes. We gotta go check. Okay, you're clear. Oh, wait, no. There's a tangerine size section of more. And when I had my double mastectomy, it went from being what was supposed to be like a few hours surgery to a 10 hour surgery because I started bleeding out. Yeah, bleeding out is the wrong. I was bleeding a lot.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Hemorrhaging.

[Olivia Munn]

No, it's bleeding. John tried to explain to me. He's like, when you say the words bleeding out.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

I think that means that you've died.

[Amanda Hirsch]

So, you know, hemorrhaging.

[Olivia Munn]

Just losing a lot of blood.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, a lot of blood.

[Olivia Munn]

So that went on for like a while. Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

You're so strong and you sharing your story. I feel like first of all. And this is don't be me, but I did immediately click the test when you posted it.

[Olivia Munn]

You did?

[Amanda Hirsch]

I did. Something distracted me Because I get distracted very easily nowadays.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But immediately it was like, it's a no brainer to do it. And now that you're reminding me and you're reminding all of us, we need to fucking do it. And that's what's. So. I love that you shared your story in general, but there's like a specific call to action here.

[Olivia Munn]

That's, that is my, my mission. That is, that is really all. I like, I want to be a good mother and a good wife and a good friend and sister and daughter. And I want to get this message out to as many women as possible so that every woman is just incorporating it into their. Like, you get your pap smear, you find out your, you know, lifetime risk assessment score, you get your mammograms, you get your mri. You know, just like it's just to be the thing that, that you do. Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And I, I feel like more and more women have been coming out with their stories as well, like public figures and influencers, which scares me for a minute because I'm like, wait, are more people being diagnosed? But then I was reminded because I said something like that. That is like more people are finding out early, you know, and knowing because of information that you shared. So thank you for that. Like, you're, you're truly amazing and everyone's recognizing that. You were named one of the Time magazine's women of the year this year.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Amanda Hirsch]

We'll be right back after the break this summer. You know, it doesn't belong in your plans getting burned by your old wireless bill. Okay? Your wireless bill should be the last thing holding you back from living your life. So that's why you should make the switch to Mint Mobile. You guys, it is time to say bye bye to your overpriced wireless plans. Jaw dropping monthly bills and unexpected overages. Min Mobile is here to rescue you because all of their plans come with high speed data and unlimited talking text delivered on the nation's largest 5G network. Okay? You don't need to be paying, like, actually thinking about like the amount that I've paid in the past for wireless service. You're like, oh, 120, 100. You're like, what am I paying for? Okay, they have plans starting at 15 bucks a month. And Mint Mobile gives you premium wireless service. Okay? It's the coverage and speed you're used to. Just way less money. You guys, this year, skip breaking a sweat and breaking the bank. Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at mint mobile.com/not skinny, that's mint. M I N T mobile.com/not skinny. Upfront payment of $45 for 3 month 5 gigabyte plan required equivalent to $15 a month new customer offer for first 3 months only and then full price plan options available, taxes and fees, extra cement Mobile for details. You know those women who just look so effortlessly chic? You know that quiet luxury Sophia Richie look like those girls that throw on a sweater, sip Matcha and just radiate calm luxury. Yeah, those women are probably wearing Jenny Cane. I finally got their cocoon cardigan and I am obsessed. I've never gotten more compliments than I've never been able to just throw on a cardi over like a white tank or tee and have it feel so chic, so elevated. And I totally get the hype now. All their stuff is neutral, minimal, but makes a statement. It's like wearing good taste. It's like Meghan Markle shops there. You know what I mean? Their stuff is so well made. It really feels like everything is a forever piece. Not some trend that you spent too much money on and you'll hate it by next year. Also, Jenny Cane isn't just clothes. They have a home line. Candles, pillows, throws, vibes. I lit one of their candles and suddenly my apartment smelled like I do yoga and meditate, which we know I don't. So if you want to elevate your wardrobe and kind of your identity too, find your new summer uniform at Jenny Kane and my listeners. Get 15 off your first order when you use code not skinny15 at checkout. That's 15 off your first order Jenny kane dot com. That's J E N N I K A y n e.com promo code is not skinny 15. Like getting dressed be one less thing you have to worry about. This is such a funny story. We were in Florida. We rented a house in Fort Lauderdale that had a pool. And it was so fun and it was so great and we just had a blast. So we had friends come over one day and Noah has like klepto energy sometimes and the friend left his swim trunks at our house and Noah was like, these are mine now. And I was like, well, actually they're so cute. Like maybe we will steal them. No, we don't condone stealing. I told the friend's mom and then I looked at where it was from and I saw that it was from, you know, and I was like, okay, we need to get these for Noah. They just have such cute stuff. It's a family lifestyle brand. But they have clean lines, simple details, and just like a really beachy, breezy vibe. I absolutely love the boy board is that I got for no other gingham design. But they have also girls rash guard one pieces and unisex rash guard shirts. Every suit is super thoughtfully designed with comfort, performance and protection in mind. They have premium fabrics that keep sand out of the lining. And it's just buttery smooth and super chic. Super well made and it's been featured in everything from Vogue to Harper's Bazaar. Go to shopmanow.com and enter code Meet Minnow15 at checkout to receive 15% off your first order. That's shopmanow.com the code is Meet Minow15 for 15% off. And Minow is spelled M I N N O W. You're welcome. And we're back. You did this amazing show that, you know I'm obsessed with your friends and neighbors. By the way, you guys, if you haven't watched, Sorry, we're gonna spoil it. Spoiler alert. We can spoil it, right? Like it's finale.

[Olivia Munn]

It's already out.

[Amanda Hirsch]

So season one, something drew me to. I mean, you probably from the beginning because it was like, it's hard for me to like start watching a show and get into really. I have like the few shows I.

[Olivia Munn]

Know I'm with you.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And this immediately was like Olivia Munn, Jon Hamm, Amanda Pete that I loved in all the movies in the earlier 2000s.

[Olivia Munn]

She's back 90s. Yeah, something like that.

[Amanda Hirsch]

She's so good.

[Olivia Munn]

Yes.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Ugh. And you became friends with her, right?

[Olivia Munn]

Uh huh. Yeah. Fast friends.

[Amanda Hirsch]

So getting this opportunity or this, this role, what did that. Were you excited about it? What time did this meet you at it?

[Olivia Munn]

Met me at. I had not yet gone public about having cancer and I had another big surgery coming up and I had already made this decision that I was done with acting and I was never gonna be like posting about like this. I'm retired. I'm no longer. Cause I was always like, when people do that, I'm like, you're not like a baseball player. You know, like, no one's expecting you to show up to the game. Like, you're fine. Go live your life. So I would never have done that.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But you thought about that.

[Olivia Munn]

I told my agents and managers, I said, do not put me on up for anything. I don't want to act anymore. Like, just take it off the table.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And this was before the diagnosis?

[Olivia Munn]

No, this was after the diagnosis.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, the out after. And because of that.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, I mean I had such horrible postpartum anxiety. Like on a scale of 1 to 10, I put it at a hundred. And it's something that I didn't hear about. I was ready for postpartum depression, but I had, I had no idea what was happening to me. And I have so much compassion and love for the moms you hear about in the news who are going through postpartum anxiety and do some of the most horrific things. And you know, thank God I didn't have any thoughts of self harm or harming anyone else. But there is just not enough understanding and compassion for what women go through after having a baby. Yeah, like our hormones just drop out of control. I couldn't make any breast milk and I tried because I. Everybody was like, breast is best. Olivia and I had friends who were really pushing me. You gotta keep trying. You gotta keep trying. You know what? Give him nothing else. Don't get. You're giving him formula. Well, yeah, to supplement. Like I said, I want him to eat. Nope, you can't do that. He will learn to eat. He will not let himself starve. I'm like, he is a newborn. Like, this is crazy. And I tried and I was like, no. So there was this two day period and I had tried everybody. I tried every lactation nurse that my friends. I mean like three different lactation nurses. I tried the gummies.

[Amanda Hirsch]

It was latching, but it wasn't coming out.

[Olivia Munn]

There's no milk.

[Amanda Hirsch]

So they get so frustrated with that too.

[Olivia Munn]

Well, he got lethargic and tired Cause.

[Amanda Hirsch]

He was probably dehydrated.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. And then I told John, I go, hey, for the next two days, we're just gonna power through this and he's gonna, you know. And then he was like really supportive. And I was. After the first day, he started noticing something but didn't say anything to me. And then finally the second day, he was like, hey, you know, I know that you've got this thing and I don't wanna. He was really thoughtful about it. He's like, I don't want you to feel bad, but we're doing tummy time. And he seems more cranky and he's not really. He seems really tired. It's like, do you think it could possibly be this? And so then my pediatrician said like we had a scale. So she's like, you weigh him before you feed him. And then after you feed, still with the same diaper and everything. Like, you know, if he's peed or anything, just weigh the whole thing again. Weigh the whole thing. The Whole weigh, the whole baby again. And he literally like had like fractions of ounces more. So I stopped at that moment. I was like this, everybody who's telling me that I need to do this. Every mother should be able to feed their child in whatever way they know is best for that child and not feel guilty at all.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

And people need to stop having opinions about how people feed their children. It's insane.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Well, people have so many opinions about. That's what I was saying before about things that have to do with children. It's like people go insane too. Like their opinion is right. If they use this formula. That's the best one. If you use this bot, like the minute you share a mom related thing, that's when you'll get like blown up. That's when people really go crazy. So I can't imagine. And going through that. When you're going through postpartum anxiety, how did you, did you notice it? Were you clocking it? Like, okay, something's wrong, I should talk to someone.

[Olivia Munn]

Well, you know, when I decided to stop breastfeeding, my hormones dropped. And I didn't know this for like a very long time, for like almost a year. Like after I'd even gone through my postpartum anxiety and got to the other side. I hadn't told my doctor that I stopped breastfeeding a while ago. And they're like, oh, that's a lot of times your, your. That your hormones drop and people go through depression, anxiety and with a lot of other women who are breastfeeding, they start to taper off. And I went from like, from breastfeeding to not immediately. And it was pretty soon after that I woke up at like 4 in the morning and my eyes pop open and I start gasping for air and I feel this tightness in my chest. And it's like that every day, almost.

[Amanda Hirsch]

A year, like panic attacks.

[Olivia Munn]

Then every day my eyes would pop open at 4 and I would just be gasping for air. And there'd be some times when I have to death grip John's arm, walking room to room. I just, I wasn't thinking about anything.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, it was just your body doing it.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But then eventually like a physical thing.

[Olivia Munn]

And then eventually like start to come up with stuff in my head. Like what am I nervous about, what am I anxious about? And then you start creating scenarios.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But were you like the breathing, the like the sids, like what were you thinking?

[Olivia Munn]

What was I worried about?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, like things about the baby.

[Olivia Munn]

I. It was the strangest thing. I just started worrying that I'm like, how can we afford to take care of him? And John was like, olivia, sorry, I.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Don'T mean to laugh.

[Olivia Munn]

No, no, no. Even his mother. His mother was like, you have some good investments, right? I was like, yeah. She goes, did you invest in Uber? I said, yes. She goes, so your money's good? I go, yes, I know it's good, but I don't think that we can support this baby. Like, I would hear. I would hear what she'd say.

[Amanda Hirsch]

So it was kind of not rational at that point.

[Olivia Munn]

It was not rational, but it. Like, I could hear that it wasn't rational, but it didn't matter. I was still like, here's the thing. As I reached out to my business manager, I said, can you give me the total of everything I have? Like, how much do I have? And when I saw it, my heart dropped. I was like, oh, my God, this is. I thought I had so much more, and I freaked out. And it wasn't until, like, a year and a half later, truly, when I was, like, past this and then on into breast cancer, I asked him, like, off the cuff, like, how much do I have, like, now? And it was like, double what I thought it was. And he was like, wait, why did you think that? I go, because you said this. He goes, no. And I. I just. My brain made me look at it differently.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, wow.

[Olivia Munn]

And I was like, wait. And he was like, yeah. I remember being so panicked and having John in those early postpartum days when you. You're like, I can go out for dinner. And then you never do. You're like, that was dumb. Why did I go out to dinner? And it's like, so you're like, I'm sitting there and I'd rather be home, Right? And I was like, at this. We were at this, like, Japanese restaurant, and I was just like. And I just can't. Can't. I can't breathe. And I was like, I just don't think that I have the money to support this child. And he was like, you know? And I. I couldn't hear anything that he was. I could hear it, but it didn't matter.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Right?

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

How did he handle the anxiety. Anxiety part?

[Olivia Munn]

He was really sweet. He was like, okay, so what you're focusing on is money. He was like, because at this point, you know, we're not engaged. We're raising this child together, and we're attempting to have a relationship, you know, for the first time in this whole dynamic. So I had my bills, and I had, you know, I have my credit card and he has his. And he's very, very, very generous and he loves to take care of people that he loves. And in fact, when one time we were talking and he was like, one of my dreams has always been to be, be able to take care of my parents. He's like, and it's just so frustrating. Said why? He said, well, because, you know, they're very successful. His dad is a partner of his law firm. He's very successful. And he was like, it's just. And I was like, okay, well that bums you out. He's like, I just want to be able to, you know, like, tell my dad, hey, I got your, I got your electricity bill this month. I go, you want to get their electricity bill this month? He goes, I mean just anything. I go, well, you're about to have a full Chinese Vietnamese family coming in and they, you can pay for everything and they will accept it. Yeah, he's a problem solver. So he said, so your issue right now is that you think that you're not gonna have any money to take care of our baby. And I said yes. And he said, I'm getting you a credit card and everything that you wanna get for the baby. Put it on this. He called the business manager and he was like, every bill, like put it onto my bill.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Wow. Did that help?

[Olivia Munn]

It did. It just made me go. Cause I think I also felt alone.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, well, now that I'm like playing therapist, right? It's like maybe you felt like, okay, we're together, but we're not like together money wise yet or even single mom. I'm supporting this child. Like, but you know, maybe time he was. Because you know what a therapist once told me that is important because I, I'm an anxious person. Like I'm on medication. I, I swear by it. It's good. Before when I was dealing with my anxiety and going to therapy really did help because I would say I just get panic attacks, but it's not about anything. It's just like. And she said to me something like, I forget the number. But she would say, our brain is so fast that you can have like let's say 3,000 thoughts that you didn't even process that you thought yet. So when you're standing somewhere, you get a panic attack. You can't breathe. You wake up 4am can't breathe, don't know why, you haven't even thought about anything. You don't know. It's like register. You don't even have enough time. Your Body is already doing the thing.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. So it's a weird way of, like, it's all connected, but it's all playing catch up with each other.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah. Like, your body's already responding to what your brain thought, but, like, you're not even registering that your brain, like.

[Olivia Munn]

Well, you know, to that point. So I was having these thoughts, right. Where like a million thoughts at once, but at the same time that I was feeling this, John had this huge stadium tour, and he's, like, selling at Madison Square Garden three nights in a row and the United center. He's doing. It's, like, everywhere. And I'm so happy for him because him doing well is great for our family. But that meant I was keeping the family together. So we travel together. So the more I'm there with him, it means that I'm not working, making money. So I'm watching him get this confidence in, like, supporting his family and, you know, and his career, being so successful. And I'm like, what am I supposed to do? Because my whole life I wanted to be an actor. And my mom married, you know, my father and her divorced when I was six months old. She married my first stepfather, who's a horrible person. And he was in my life for 14 years, and he was really abusive. And then my stepfather now is amazing. But my mom used to always say to me when I was a kid, because she married my first stepfather, and he just kind of, like, swallowed up any kind of independence that she had. And she'd always say to me, never just marry a man and become his wife. Always make a name for yourself. She would always say that phrase. So I worked really hard to. By the way, just because your mom says something doesn't mean that's what you do. Because there have been relationships where I had really good relationships, and then all of a sudden, you find yourself in this scenario, in a relationship where you're like, whoa, how am I back in this thing that I grew up in that I really tried not to be in because my mom told me not to do this, but here I am, So I had to work through that. But I'm there now. My identity has completely changed. I'm like, I'm a mother now, and I'm.

[Amanda Hirsch]

You're not fighting that. First of all, you had a name for yourself before you did, and you do, but you're not letting that, like, take up space anymore. What, like the. Don't be somebody's wife.

[Olivia Munn]

No, no, no. And that. I think that that's just what. When you're Talking about the million thoughts at once. It was like, oh, my God, I can't figure my kid. Oh, wait, who am I now? Oh, wait, what are we doing? Oh, now I'm supporting him. And what he's doing, I mean, is that what I want to do? I mean, he makes. He makes so much money. So if we're going to pick one, if somebody has to work.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I saw you say that. I saw you say that. Somebody has to. Well, you said that in an interview, I believe, like, the Euro you were okay with kind of because one of you wants to be with the kids or that was kind of your goal.

[Olivia Munn]

Well, there's a couple things. One is that between the two of us, like, we're both in front of the camera, but John, like, loves to be on stage. Like, that is in his soul.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

And I love what I do, and it's so much fun, but I don't, like, need it.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Really.

[Olivia Munn]

He. Yeah, he. He just. He's so good at it, and he's like. It's just something that he just. There's so much electricity. If you ever see him. Have you seen him?

[Amanda Hirsch]

I haven't.

[Olivia Munn]

You and her husband should come. He's going on tour again, starting in July.

[Amanda Hirsch]

We're there.

[Olivia Munn]

Oh, my gosh. Come on tour with me. Don't leave me. When I said come on tour, I mean come on tour.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Wait, you're. But you said you're here till September.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he'll start. He'll fly in and out places, then come back here.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But you're going to join him on tour when you're done?

[Olivia Munn]

We're here through the end of September, and then we start, we go.

[Amanda Hirsch]

You're going to go with him to all the.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, we have. We have another home base in Chicago, and that becomes like, the middle of the country. So we. We're able to, like, how are you.

[Amanda Hirsch]

With travel and, like, airplanes and jet lag and all that?

[Olivia Munn]

It's really hard with the kids.

[Amanda Hirsch]

It's really hard with the kid. Without the kids. You're chilling.

[Olivia Munn]

You know, the hardest part is, like, when you have timed everything and you get the flight that you're like, oh, this is the perfect. Because it's enough time for now. And then it's delayed. Yeah, it's delayed. And you.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Because you're like type A a little bit, right.

[Olivia Munn]

What is it actually is type A.

[Amanda Hirsch]

When people like somebody that's like. Like that, like, times everything out if one thing goes like. Like a perfectionist kind of on top of everything.

[Olivia Munn]

I will tell you, I wish I was more that I'm like half that and half the other. So. So I can be like, there's type B.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Type B is a thing.

[Olivia Munn]

What's that?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Type B is like, doesn't care about schedule. Like, okay, I care about is late. It comes 30 minutes before a flight.

[Olivia Munn]

Like, no, I care about a schedule, but I, I'm not always successful at achieving it or completing it.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Well, the thing about flights for me, because I don't like to travel, like, I don't enjoy it. I mean, to the traveling part, not the vacation part, if it's fun or the work part, but it's like, even if you're like, oh, it's a three hour flight. Okay, is it? Because I have to fucking pack for whatever amount of days, wake up that morning super early, take a car there and it's like an hour or whatever. Wait the, like two hours. It's a day. It's a full day, even if it's a short flight. So I don't know.

[Olivia Munn]

Most of my time as a parent is spent carrying things literally like, yeah, like, we want to go out for the day. You're like, well, just. You have a backpack of like, how.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Are you with that, by the way? Because I'm the. I'm the type B mom when it comes to that. Like, my sister will always have the snacks and oh, you want this game this way. I brought three because I knew Noah would be here, you know, And I'm like, oh my God, Noah doesn't have a water bottle. Like, I forget. So with that, like, I'm trying to get better and I'm so proud of myself if I pack like an apple, but I'm just not that mom.

[Olivia Munn]

John's that mom.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

He like, there's so many times I'm like, oh my gosh, we gotta get the water. Wait, where's this water bottle? He goes, olivia, it's already in the backpack. I'm like, okay, well, what about the applesauce? Cause my son is in that phase where he'll only eat like, you know, the 10 things and nothing else if we don't have those things. And so he does all of that. So look, I have watched many on Instagram where those meals come out.

[Amanda Hirsch]

They're so cute, triggering as fuck.

[Olivia Munn]

They make a little origami note.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, and I. And the fucking star shaped bread.

[Olivia Munn]

And I'll tell you this, I love those parents. I wish they were my parents. Yeah, those moms are spectacular.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

Truly. Look, I'm not saying that I don't think I'm a great mom, but that is another level. That's another level because I have friends who do that. And I know the kind of moms they are. They think about everything.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

Like the other day, it was Mother's Day, John was like, you know, there's cupcakes with mom is what it's called. And so I thought that meant we're all baking together. But I get there to the school and I had.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, at school.

[Olivia Munn]

Mm, yeah, yeah, sorry. It was like his Mother's Day thing. I came really proud that I had brought all my ingredients. Flour and sugar and eggs and little one of those little, like, I cut my, you know, carton of eggs into like a four spots. I was like this. I honestly was like, I'm so cute.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

Like, look at my little. I knew how to cut the carton. I thought it was cute. I know cutting the carton and being.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Proud would Sophie me.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. And then I get there and I literally see one mom walks over and she's got like this thing of cupcakes. And I was like, oh, God. And then I look and then somebody.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Else brings like, oh, you were supposed to bring the. The cupcakes you already made.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Uh huh.

[Olivia Munn]

Is that what it was? Cupcakes? See, I can't even remember. I'm pretty sure it was cupcakes.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, it was. Now, Olivia, if you can't remember, that's how I am.

[Olivia Munn]

Like, I cannot. I can't. So anyways, I'm there and I have to like, hide my angry. It was. I was actually tripping.

[Amanda Hirsch]

So did you pretend you just didn't bring anything?

[Olivia Munn]

No. When somebody put their. Their dish down, I kind of pushed it in in case anybody was seeing me. But I'll tell you, I know that it's funny now and I can tell the joke. And I told John, like, oh, this is funny.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But I'll tell you were upset in the moment.

[Olivia Munn]

In the moment right now. I felt like, damn. Like, ugh. Like, what is wrong with me? Why can't I just even know what this is? Like, what is. Because I'm there. I'm there with them all the time. I'm there with my kids all the time.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But that's what matters. Like, honestly, I grew up with a single mom who couldn't probably make it to half my shit. Cause she was working. But like, the things she did that I try to do with my kids. And I don't know if the emperor is feeling it. Or if it's working, but it's just, like, unconditional love, you know? That's what she always told me, too.

[Olivia Munn]

So he had been having a lot of tantrums, right? Throwing a lot of fits. And so it started to subside when I had him just stay home, and I would fly in and out so we could see John every day. But there was still a little bit of pushback. And then he had this field trip to Legoland.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And did you chaperone?

[Olivia Munn]

No, they didn't ask for chaperones. The teachers went as chaperones, but every parent can go. And, you know, I grew up with. You know, my mom was, you know, five kids, and so my mom was at everything. But I always knew my mom loved me, and I always kind of knew that my mom was like. Like, she went to the stuff, but she's like. I mean, we would draw her a picture and bring it home, and she goes, oh, that's nice. And throw it away. Like, I don't know how many. Like, everything that I drew.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Do you remember that?

[Olivia Munn]

That she threw it away?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Okay. So.

[Olivia Munn]

And I find it funny, though, right? But. And at the time, I kind of knew. I kind of, like, I got a sense from my mom that because she loved me, but she was like, okay, great. Like, this isn't. This doesn't matter. And, like, okay, but I didn't really hit me as much in a negative way. And so, like, John was like, hey, it was his. The finale of his show. And he's like, I think you should go to Legoland with Malcolm. And I was like, but would he even know? Can I. Can I take him to cvs? And he. Because I was like, it's more just that, like, would he even love it? Because sometimes we've taken him places where we think he'd love and, you know. You know how it is. And they don't care.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, it's like people taking their kids to Disneyland. I'm like, until Noah's begging. When he is. When he comes to me and says, my dream is to go to Disneyland. Yeah, I heard it so great. I saw pictures. I'm not gonna willingly put yourself into this in August, by the way. I'm like, are you okay? You're gonna fudge to me. That's like, you're going to die. Like, that's how I look at it, dramatically.

[Olivia Munn]

I feel like you're literally going into, like, do you want to get into the ring with your child? Are you ready to, like, UFC style? This vacation is it because like, I have taken Malcolm places or to, like, a kid's birthday party. We think everyone's gonna like it. And he literally is over at, like, vending. Like, if we're at like a. A roller skating rink or like a trampoline park and there's like a vending machine, he spends his time pushing those buttons.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

So I took him to Legoland.

[Amanda Hirsch]

So I was like, okay.

[Olivia Munn]

I go, malcolm, do you want to go to Legoland? And he said, yes. I was like, oh, okay. Because sometimes he'd just be like, no, I don't want to. I don't want to. So he said, yes, I said, okay. And I took him there. And he spent 99% of the time jumping in puddles. That's it.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Well, that's lucky. Cause the lines are what makes it the worst ever.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

You know, you're like, I can't remember if there were lines.

[Olivia Munn]

No, no, no, no, there were. It was just a. He didn't want to do the rides.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

So, yeah, I guess you're like. But no, there was one we got to this. The one boat one we got. This is it. There was a one little boat ride, like around this, like, little river they made.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, yeah, yeah, I know it.

[Olivia Munn]

And we get there, we wait in line, we get to the front, and he goes, I don't want to get in the boat. And I go, Malcolm Kwan. He's like, I don't want to get in the boat. And then I'm holding, I go, malcolm, you do want to get in the boat. And now his arm is outstretched because he's running away. So it looks like I'm just like, in this battle and parents are looking at me and I'm like. But then, I don't know, I'm like, do I look like I'm a bad mom? Because I'm letting him overtake me right now.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Like, are you supposed to force him because he secretly wants to?

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. Or I'm supposed to be like, no, no, no. I am the parent and you are the child. Or do I look bad? Because I'm like, no, no, you have to come. And I am the parent, you're the child. I looked back and the parents all were like, I got that approval from going like, yeah, we got it. And so then all he wanted to do was there's that ramp going down to the in the line, you know, and there's like a little curb that holds, like, the bars. He just wanted to walk on that in between everybody.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Did you go alone?

[Olivia Munn]

Uh huh.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, you and Malcolm Day have fun at Legoland, but that's an undertaking.

[Olivia Munn]

But guess what? What? It changed so many dynamics in his. His temperament. He's. He literally has been so happy.

[Amanda Hirsch]

So it did really good for you.

[Olivia Munn]

I think that what I didn't realize was how, like, I'm a very stay at home mom, like activities at home, stay at home. Almost all of it's because I've been so exhausted with the medication and the surgeries of exhausted me. There's a lot. And I really spend a lot of time on the couch with him or in bed and watching tv. And you know, he really likes Tom Holland's Spider Man. Loves it.

[Amanda Hirsch]

You watched it? That makes me feel better that you're letting him watch it because Noah watches that stuff too.

[Olivia Munn]

But you know, think about what we. I mean, how old are you? 38. You just turned 37?

[Amanda Hirsch]

I just turned 37. Yeah. I was watching.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like we looked at you.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I was watching Dirty Dancing at like five, like doing that. You know what I mean?

[Olivia Munn]

And all of his gyrating. Oh, my God.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I was like this at fucking at seven. Okay.

[Olivia Munn]

That's so cute.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Doing the back. I'm like, why aren't my muscles like. Yeah, you're right, it is true.

[Olivia Munn]

But I obviously, I think that you should protect children's, you know, innocence a lot, as much as you can. But I really like those Spider mans. I'm.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I enjoy wearing the costumes because Noah went through such a verse.

[Olivia Munn]

I'll show you a photo after this. He said, mama, I want my whole family to wear Spider man costumes. So I have a photo of him and John and Mei Mei all wearing Spider Man. And it's so. He's so happy. We went to Legoland and there's this like, inclined wall and he wanted. He's like, I wanna climb up. And then he just laid his whole body against it and he goes, I don't have sticky hands. John introduced the Spider man, the animated. And John's the one of like, let's get out of the house.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

In fact, one time it was like really rainy. And then there's like a few days back last year when we were living up in Bedford and. And Malcolm just really wanted to stay at home. And so it was like a couple days where John. I was like, but he wants to stay at home. Let's be cozy and I want to stay at home. And then John finally said to me the second day, he was like, I know what it is that I don't like. He Was like, I don't want him to get bored. And I think that he's getting bored.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And I was like.

[Olivia Munn]

I was like, is he. Because I was so cozy, by the way.

[Amanda Hirsch]

That's really good for them. I'm just saying is they want to be bored. Yes. And I saw a psychologist say this. Like, them learning to deal with boredom is so important.

[Olivia Munn]

He was dealing with it by watching TV on the couch with me. And so I think that's what John. He was like, I don't want him to just kind of, like, experience life. And he's like, he's a kid. He should be out. And so he's the one who takes him out.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah. Are you a homebody and spirit, too, before all of this happened?

[Olivia Munn]

Yes.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Okay. So that's like, add some exhaustion and you're leaning into the couch.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. I mean, when I get home, I'm very happy when I'm home.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. And, like, I like being home. I like. But I didn't. I don't like being home and not having energy.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

Like, I like my friends to come over and, like, hang out and talk and. Yeah. And I just didn't have even energy for that. I don't. It's been really hard to even have energy for my children. But I've changed my mindset. I was like. Because I had this past year, I had to do this certain medication. And the first one, the first version of it made me really exhausted. The second one made me really angry. Like, just another level. It's such a short fuse. And then the third one gave me so much anxiety. And it was between the second and third where I confessed to John that, I mean, he could tell because I was getting angry a lot, but I just. I broke down crying. It was like on the plane back, couple days after my daughter was born, we're going back to California. And I'd just been holding it in for months. And I just said, like, I'm struggling. And I just. I said, I need help. And I don't know if I can do this anymore. And then we, you know, we went to the oncologist together, and he's like, we gotta figure this out. He was really, really sweet because he's like, I can see that you have a shorter views, but you're happy. Like, you were happy when May was born, and you're happy a lot. I'm like, I. I'm happy, but I had my hand on a door holding back a monster the entire time. That's what it felt like. Like, I Could be sitting here and be talking to you, and I never know what's happening.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. And then I'm like. But in, like, physically felt like there was, like, a monster trying to break down that door, and I had to, like, hold my hand to it because at any point it's gonna come in. And that's why I was, like. I never was really living it. Super happy during that period because. And was, like, so vigilant. And then when it come out, I feel, like, so frustrated that it came out. Then the next one gave me anxiety and really bad hives. So I've had to go back and pick one of those three.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Like, which. Which. Oh, my God. Lesser evil.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Anxiety, anger, exhaustion. Which one did you pick?

[Olivia Munn]

Exhaustion.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Picked exhaustion. So now you're learning to, like, okay, what can I do to make this better?

[Olivia Munn]

I just changed my frame of mind. Like, it's not good for Malcolm and I to sit on the couch and watch TV all day. I mean, like, it's okay. We're not like, a. No.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Well, he's in school.

[Olivia Munn]

He's in school, but now it's summer.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Is he gonna do, like, a camp or something?

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, he's gonna get into different camps. Your kids go to. Go to camp?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, my God. Not soon enough. Like, well, not Lenny's.

[Olivia Munn]

When I was a kid, we didn't go to, like, now you can put your kids in everything year round.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I know. He. The thing is, like, this is what makes me feel better because I do feel the guilt sometimes of saying, like, what do I sign him up for? Like, so he's out of the house. Right. But it's not for me. Like, if Noah, the type of kid he is, was down to, like, be bored a little or come with me on my errands like I did with my mom picking up her dry cleaning. Like, she wasn't taking me to Legoland. She says now she's like, we went. I'm like, okay. I was like, I was at Bloomingdale's with you. And then I would drive with you to here, and I would just drive with you to the different things you had to do. That's exactly Noah. Are you kidding me? And it's our fault, right? Because it's what you do with your kids. That kind of. But anyway, it's not because I'm like, get out of the house so I can chill. It's like, I wish we could be together all day and for that to satisfy you. But he needs more at this point in his life. Like, he Needs to be outside, he needs to run, he needs to play. He needs to, like, be with other kids. So I'm like, oh, he has a week between the end of school and camp. He's going to, like, a mid camp. He's going to, like a week thing. But it's good for him. Listen, at 8am he'll be, what are we doing? Where are we going? He's like, on the floor being like, I'm bored. Are my cousins up? I'm like, oh, my God. That's why I'm saying if Malcolm, like, knows a little bit to be bored, even if it's like, sitting on the.

[Olivia Munn]

Couch, like, I mean, that's great advice because I do remember being a kid. I remember being in church as a kid and being like, it's taking so long.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But that's the thing.

[Olivia Munn]

We had to go every Sunday.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, every Sunday.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. And it was like. I remember just that we're waiting for, like, at the end where they give you donuts and apple juice and you're like. And after a while, you don't care about, like, it's not like this. It's not like Pavlov's dog. You're not like, I don't care about the goddamn donut in apple juice. I don't want to sit in church.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But think about, like, how many times you went with, like, your mom to an event or saw, like, great aunts and uncles or family friends where you're like, ugh. But you sat through. And I feel like that's what I.

[Olivia Munn]

Know how to do now. Like, there are events where I'm just like, I can't believe that these people are in Hollywood because this is some poorly produced, not entertaining shit. And be. You just sit there and you. And you can. I have the constitution to be bored.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And hold on to it. Exactly.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. And to be quietly annoyed.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And they need to go through, like, some of the shit we went through, you know, where I'm always so worried for him, like, but he's gonna be bored. There are no other kids his age there.

[Olivia Munn]

You're not gonna have anything funny to talk about.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah, it's like, no, they can go through it. Well, I want to talk for a second about your friends and neighbors because you're filming for season two.

[Olivia Munn]

Yes.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And I'm so excited. Any teasers?

[Olivia Munn]

Well, you know, my character, when I was approached by Jonathan Tropper to come out of the show, I had told him privately that I was going through breast cancer and that I didn't know how much I could really take on or what my energy levels would be. And he was like, you only have to sign on for one season. And so most actors have to sign on for multiple seasons, like five or six, because if it's a big hit, they want to lock you in, so you can't go somewhere else and then make them pay a million more dollars for you just to keep you on the show. So I only had to sign up for one season. And it was like, halfway through where he was like, will you stay on again for a little bit longer? And I was like, yes, it's such a fun show. But then we always had the ending, being what it is of this first season. So I was like, how does she get out of jail? Does she go to prison? And then what's the storyline gonna be? But he and Jamie Rosengard, co writer, are like, really talented writers. And we're just filming now, so I'm getting the scripts as they go. So I actually don't really kind of understand what's happening. I actually had a call in the other day. I go, can you tell me a little bit about what's going to happen? And he was like, you can't see it. I'm like, no, I can't. It's a mystery to me. I don't understand what's happened.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Well, I was shocked by the ending. I don't know if you know. Well, two things were plot, like, huge plot twists for me, like how he died. Your husband.

[Olivia Munn]

Yes.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Your ex husband. And Paul. And also what Jon Hamm's character decides to do at the end. That pissed off some people. Did you guys. Do you feel that in the. In the. In the general vibe of the viewers?

[Olivia Munn]

Tell me what they said.

[Amanda Hirsch]

People were like, like, you know, when, like a show, like, you're so into. It's like the ending pisses me off. Like.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Like, pissed off that he made that choice.

[Olivia Munn]

Which. Which.

[Amanda Hirsch]

That he would like when. Then instead of reuniting with his family and going back to the job or.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

You know, he got it all, but he decides to go back to ceiling.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, I can see how that's. That's disappointing.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

Like, true. Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah. People were disappointed.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, I get that. Were you disappointed?

[Amanda Hirsch]

No.

[Olivia Munn]

Do you like that he went back?

[Amanda Hirsch]

I liked it. Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

I.

[Amanda Hirsch]

For me, it was like, damn. Like, I was like, okay, he might not get on the plane with the. With the old boss. I get it. They wronged him. It's toxic. But I did expect to see, like. I was like, is this gonna end like him going back to Mel and like hugging and all the families together and the kids. I was not at all expecting the him just being like. Cause it's basically got away with something instead of saying, thank God I got away with it. Going back to do it.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, no, I, I, I definitely understand that that point of view on it because also, like, from the feedback I got, a lot of people were really intrigued by the personal dynamics between everybody and the relationship issues and how we all interact together and that there was a moment for him to like, like, can we just see where this goes? Like, you know, now you've gotten X, Y and Z and then you've gotten your yourself out of trouble.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

Like, what happens? Like, can we just see what happens next? But I think that they will. I think, I mean, again, I haven't only read a couple episodes, but I think that there will be some, some of that. I mean, I'm horrible about my. I think there's some of that, like, I think there's some of what they're asking for, but I actually don't know.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, okay.

[Olivia Munn]

I actually don't know.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Okay.

[Olivia Munn]

What do they, what do people think about how my husband died and like, because I got a lot of DMs about, like, who killed Paul? Who killed Paul?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah. Everyone wanted to know.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Would.

[Olivia Munn]

Do you think they would have rather like, I killed Paul or that he committed suicide and I, I stage it?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Oh, I don't know. What do you, what did you feel?

[Olivia Munn]

I like the way it was.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I loved your. I know this is so random, but here are two things I love about Olivia Munn before we go. One, the scene that you are walking in and your friends and neighbors and Coop is sitting there. Like, I just love the way you. It was just so good the way you did the finale.

[Olivia Munn]

Oh, yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

The way you did that. Like, how many takes did that take? Like, when you.

[Olivia Munn]

Means a lot.

[Amanda Hirsch]

When you walked in and he was sitting there, like, the way you jumped back. Like, it even like, startled me. Like your reaction.

[Olivia Munn]

Those little moments mattered so much more to me than the big ones because, like, I think that, like, those little things make people like.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yes. Believe so that was so good. And I think that you have been. But maybe now are coming out of that have been underrated. And I'm so glad to see that you are getting the ratings.

[Olivia Munn]

Oh, thank you so much.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I know. Because you're so good.

[Olivia Munn]

Thank you.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And I'm so glad, I hope that you get less exhausted and more energy so you can keep on giving you working, giving you day. But the other thing I love about you, because I said two things to your teeth.

[Olivia Munn]

My teeth?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah. I love your teeth.

[Olivia Munn]

You have great teeth. You know, there's not.

[Amanda Hirsch]

They're all like.

[Olivia Munn]

That means a lot. Because one, there was a time when people were like, oh, she's got veneers. And I was like, you know, some people go like, oh, it looks like you've got X, Y or Z done. They go, thank you. But I haven't. I was like, veneers look crazy on people. So that's an insult to me. I'm like, I'm not. I don't find that as, like, a backhanded compliment.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Even the richest, most famous people, that. You're like. You go the best sentence in the world, and you're like, how did they end up with a mouth like that?

[Olivia Munn]

I've talked to a lot of people about this, and it's because people will say, oh, so and so went to this person, and then they just think, okay, I'll go there. Even if they see it's not good. And I'm like, what is going on? There's the same thing with plastic surgery, probably. Yes. There's this one person that, oh, here's the tea.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Of course, at the end, there's some tea.

[Olivia Munn]

There's. There is somebody in Hollywood who. It's on the public eye. But everybody. A lot of people, like, big, big stars listen to her about where to go. And you're like, why are you listening to her? Like. And they all go to the same person and they say, well, so and so went there and so and so. And then what happens is they all go to the same person and they end up all looking the same. They have the bad veneers or they have the bad, you know, injections. They have all that. So, you know, the question is, like, why would they find the best person?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Well, they think it's the best.

[Olivia Munn]

They all been told. And they. I mean. But now Kris Jenner told everybody who it is.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And that looks good.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But keep your teeth forever.

[Olivia Munn]

I will always keep my teeth, although I got them whitened the other day. And he was like, you're getting to that age where you're losing enamel. It was devastating.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Wait, do you get the zingers from the teeth whitening? Because I don't do it because of the zingers.

[Olivia Munn]

What's a zinger?

[Amanda Hirsch]

See, you're so strong, you don't even know it. It's like you get, like, electric Shock in your teeth after the zoom whitening. You do see, I'm such a fucking.

[Olivia Munn]

Is your enamel thin and you. It hits your nerves?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Probably all the things. The nerve, the this.

[Olivia Munn]

Well, your teeth are very white.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Ugh. They're really. Now, I looked today in the mirror and I was like, gross. Anyway, do you fill your lips? I don't. If people ask you that all the time. Yeah. But all you need to do is, like, look at a baby picture of Noah and it's like, you know, Or a baby picture of me is, like, taking over my. Or me pregnant. Crazy.

[Olivia Munn]

Oh, yeah. When I got pregnant, it was like another level.

[Amanda Hirsch]

It was crazy.

[Olivia Munn]

Everything I put on. I stopped counting at 60 pounds.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Wait, it's your birthday coming up, too?

[Olivia Munn]

Yes.

[Amanda Hirsch]

7-3-45.

[Olivia Munn]

Yes. How are you feeling when you said that?

[Amanda Hirsch]

I know you don't realize.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah, no, I don't realize. I feel. I'm really. I'm just. I'm happy for every year that I'm here. I think of it as I've reached level 45.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Like, on a game.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. Yeah. I'm like, isn't that cool to be like, oh, you're on level one. You're level. You're level 15. I'm like, I'm level 45 now.

[Amanda Hirsch]

That's impressive.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah. I'm just changing my mindset, but I. I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life. I took a lot of emotional weight off my shoulders, and I just. I love being a mom so much.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

And I love being the friendships I'm meeting with other moms. Like, it is. It's a bond that we. We share, and it's really, like, you make, like, these friendships, like, as an adult, and it's. It's so nice because it's like, immediately we could become friends.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Right.

[Olivia Munn]

And I like that because I'm, you know, I'm at the age where I'm like, do we have to. Can we just be friends? Can we just, like, get to that? Just be friends right now? Yeah. Yeah. When's your birthday? It was just the other day, right?

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Thanks for the message. Missed it. I'm just kidding.

[Olivia Munn]

Did you go on a trip to CVS and not invite me?

[Amanda Hirsch]

I did. I went to Turks and Caicos.

[Olivia Munn]

Did you?

[Amanda Hirsch]

It was my first trip away from. No, it was my first time.

[Olivia Munn]

Where did you stay in Turks and Caicos?

[Amanda Hirsch]

We'll talk about it.

[Olivia Munn]

She's so famous now, she can't even.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Tell us, you guys. Olivia, can I tell you? I Love you. And thank you for coming on. I'm, like, honored, and you know this, but everyone should know this. I've been wanting you to come on for so long, so I'm truly honored and grateful that you finally did.

[Olivia Munn]

Well, it means a lot. We started following each other, I don't know, back when I. I mean, I started following you back when I had my baby, and you start coming up on my feet. I just loved you so much, your whole energy. And then you reached out and you were so sweet, and you're like, whenever you want to come do the podcast.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Yeah.

[Olivia Munn]

And I. When we were talking about the stuff we would do for the show, I was like, it has to be with Amanda. I got to see her. I'm so excited.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I love you.

[Olivia Munn]

You got to bring me back on. I know. And talk so much.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Okay.

[Olivia Munn]

I have so.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I know, but we had so much to cover because your story is so important, so, you know.

[Olivia Munn]

Thank you.

[Amanda Hirsch]

But the next time she's going to.

[Olivia Munn]

Come on, it's going to be like, I'll come tomorrow.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Or, like, pop culture.

[Olivia Munn]

Yeah.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Like, talk shit. That kind of vibe.

[Olivia Munn]

There's. I mean, it's. There's a lot.

[Amanda Hirsch]

I can't wait for season two of your Friends and Neighbors. If you haven't watched, go to Apple tv, finish it in a week or less, because you're going to be obsessed and binge it. And, Olivia, you're so great in it, and we need to see more of you.

[Olivia Munn]

Thank you.

[Amanda Hirsch]

And I can't wait to hang out with you in New York this summer.

[Olivia Munn]

I know. Tomorrow.

[Amanda Hirsch]

Tomorrow we're going to cvs. Thank you guys so much for listening to this episode of Knott's Kenny but not fat. Follow me on Instagram at Not skinny, but not fat. Subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any episodes. Rate the podcast that you love so much on Apple Podcasts and write a little review. If you tell me you did, I'll give you a big virtual smoocharoo. Thank you guys so much for listening, and I'll see you next Tuesday.

[Olivia Munn]

Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.