Olivia Munn has reflected on welcoming her second child months after her cancer treatment.
In April 2023, The Newsroom actress was diagnosed with stage 1 Luminal B breast cancer. By the time she announced her diagnosis to the world in March 2024, Olivia had undergone a nipple delay procedure, lymph node dissection, a double mastectomy, reconstructive surgery, an oophorectomy, and a partial hysterectomy.
After her diagnosis, the TV star went on to welcome her daughter, Méi, via surrogacy in September 2024. Méi joined Olivia’s husband, comedian John Mulaney and their three-year-old son, Malcolm.
Now, one year on from unveiling her diagnosis, Olivia has been opening up about her cancer journey and her experience with surrogacy.
Speaking to Self, the 44-year-old recalled how her cancer was described as “fast moving and aggressive”.
“After I focus on [treatment], the thing that comes up is, ‘What if I don’t make it? What if it comes back? What if in three years it comes back somewhere else? Once it pops up somewhere else, it’s stage 4?’ When you’re in a situation where death is on the table and you’re dealt this card…. I only thought about the people I loved,” she admitted.
Later, Olivia went on to praise the surrogate that carried Méi amid her cancer battle, noting that her main criteria for her surrogate was that she “wanted her to be kind”.
“She’s an incredible mother, an incredible human being, an incredible friend, just wonderful. I needed [her] to understand that I needed to go this route. It wasn’t for superficial reasons or because I wanted to put my work first,” the X Men star stated.
“I’m not saying that any of those reasons aren’t valid for those people. And I’m not judging anyone who makes those decisions based on that, but I needed her to understand this would be hard for me,” she continued.
When asked if she will tell Méi that she was born via surrogacy, Olivia concluded: “Oh yeah, the surrogate’s still in our life. She was a better pregnant woman than I ever could have been.”
