Comedian John Mulaney is speaking out after his wife, actress Olivia Munn, received death threats and political attacks for criticizing popular children’s YouTuber Ms. Rachel. The backlash stemmed from Munn’s remarks in a now-deleted People magazine interview where she said certain kids’ shows, including Ms. Rachel’s, were “driving [her] crazy.”
Mulaney condemned those conflating Munn’s personal parenting opinions with political stances, particularly regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict. “An innocent comment my wife Olivia Munn made about what children’s programs we like has somehow — unbelievably — been conflated with not caring about the deaths of children in Gaza,” Mulaney posted on Instagram. He noted that their family has been bombarded with threats, calling the harassment “insane” and “not activism.”
The controversy began after Munn said, “I know kids love [Ms. Rachel], but the thing is, if I can’t watch it, I’m not going to spend the rest of my life going crazy.” She also criticized other shows like Blue’s Clues. Critics, including pro-Hamas activists and anti-Israel supporters, accused Munn of being insensitive to children in Gaza due to Ms. Rachel’s open activism on the issue.
In response, Munn clarified that her comments were never meant to diminish Ms. Rachel’s work or message. “My comments were never meant to diminish the joy, comfort, and impact she brings to so many families,” Munn said in a follow-up statement, emphasizing her respect for the show’s fans.
Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, responded by deflecting the media narrative. “WHO CARES?!” she wrote on social media, urging media outlets to focus on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza instead. She added she had no animosity toward Munn and was “disappointed in the outlets” for fueling unnecessary outrage.
The incident highlights the volatile intersection of parenting, politics, and internet outrage, where offhand remarks can quickly escalate into threatening and harmful behavior, even when the original comments were unrelated to geopolitical issues.
