Celebrity
Olivia Munn Reveals She Was Diagnosed With Breast Cancer & Had A Double Mastectomy
The 43-year-old actress said she’s “lucky” she caught it early enough that she had “options.”
Olivia Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly a year ago. The Office Party star, who shares 2-year-old son Malcolm with partner John Mulaney, decided to share her diagnosis publicly after she got through the “hardest parts” of her harrowing journey. Now, she’s spreading awareness about how calculating her Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score ultimately saved her life.
On Wednesday, Munn wrote in a detailed Instagram post that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2023. She and her sister had gone in for genetic testing two months earlier to look for cancer genes, and tested negative. She also had a negative mammogram that winter. “In the past ten months I’ve had four surgeries,” Munn wrote on Instagram. “So many days spent in bed I can’t even count, and have learned more about cancer and cancer treatment than I ever could have imagined.”
Munn, 43, went on to explain that she kept her diagnosis, surgeries, and recovery private until she could “catch my breath and get through some of the hardest parts before sharing.” Munn said that she likely would not have caught her breast cancer if her doctor had not decided to send her in for an MRI based on her Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score, a tool used by healthcare providers to estimate a patient’s risk of breast cancer. Munn ultimately had a biopsy, which found that she had an aggressive form of cancer in both breasts. She went on to have a double mastectomy 30 days later.
“I’m lucky,” Munn noted. “We caught it with enough time that I had options.”
Munn added that she’s feeling thankful for the support of friends and family, especially “John for the nights he spent researching” possible operations and their side effects, as well as “being there before I went into every surgery and being there when I woke up, always placing framed photos of our little boy Malcolm so it would be the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.”
The mom of one got lots of support from her followers on Instagram, including Mulaney who wrote, “Thank you for fighting so hard to be here for us. Malc and I adore you.” Kristin Davis also sent a message reading, “Your experience is so powerful to share! Sending you so much love and strength , so grateful you found out early and can only imagine the emotional roller coaster you have been on.” Dr. Thais Aliabadi, who was responsible for Munn’s care, wrote “You are my hero. Your post will save so many lives. I love you so much.”
Munn said she hopes every woman facing breast cancer has the same options to fight it as she’s had. “I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day,” she said, urging her followers to ask their doctor about their Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score.