Olivia Munn Is Raising Awareness About Breast Cancer

When Olivia Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, she struggled even to tell her family. Her now husband, comedian John Mulaney, had to break the news to her relatives because “the words got stuck in my throat,” the actor says.

Later, she found her voice in a big way. In a March 2024 Instagram post, Munn detailed her winding health journey. Just months before her diagnosis, she had a clean mammogram and tested negative for numerous genetic signatures associated with cancer. It wasn’t until her ob-gyn used the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment Calculator—a simple tool that concluded Munn had a 37% chance of developing breast cancer—that she pursued additional testing, which revealed fast-growing cancer in both breasts. She had a double mastectomy shortly thereafter, and subsequently had her uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries removed to stop production of hormones that could feed her disease.

It was because her diagnosis was so unexpected that Munn decided to speak out. “I look at videos of me laughing with my son, running around in the park, feeling and looking healthy—all the while having this really aggressive, fast-moving cancer spreading through my breasts,” she says. “I thought, ‘Man, there’s so many women out there just like me.’ They might have no idea. And it may be too late by the time they find out.”

Read More: Why Are So Many Young People Getting Cancer? It’s Complicated

Munn’s candor has had a tangible impact. After she came forward, the National Cancer Institute saw an uptick in use of the type of screening test she took, and at least one person—journalist Alison Hall—has gone public about being diagnosed as a result. “It was everything that I had hoped would happen,” Munn says.

Although Munn, 44, is still recovering, taking a range of medications and weathering the effects of medically induced menopause, she is also easing back into work, co-starring in the forthcoming Apple TV+ drama Your Friends and Neighbors. These days, Munn says, she has a simple barometer for roles: “If something comes around that makes me really happy, then I will do it.”

She’s applying the same philosophy to life. Conscious of the pivotal role hormones play in her health, she’s lowering her stress levels as much as possible. In difficult situations, “the first thing I ask myself is, ‘If this stress feeds any cancer that could possibly be in my body, would it be worth it?’” Munn says. “The answer is always no.”