Olivia Munn is reflecting on life after being diagnosed with breast cancer, and the actress is using her experience to raise awareness. She recently shared more details about her journey, revealing there were no warning signs before she was diagnosed. Now, she hopes her story will encourage others to get early screenings to potentially save their lives.
Olivia Munn Is Grateful To Be Alive
In an interview with Tracy Smith for CBS Sunday Morning, Munn released on March 29, the actress shared an update on her health and opened up about her breast cancer battle. Munn said she is doing “good” three years after being diagnosed.
The “X-Men: Apocalypse” actress said she feels grateful and “lucky” to be alive. “I don’t look at it like cancer has taken these things from me or it’s unfair that I have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life,” she explained. Munn said she takes medication that can leave her feeling exhausted, but she embraces the feeling.
“I know I’m lucky to be here and I am so lucky that I’m in this chaos and I haven’t slept in a few days and I’m exhausted. It’s a true privilege to just be alive in the world,” she noted.
The Actress Had No Symptoms Before Getting The Diagnosis
On a routine mammogram and ultrasound in 2023, Munn’s results came back negative for abnormalities. However, her doctor urged her to take the Tyrer-Cuzick risk assessment test, a free online tool that evaluates a person’s risk of developing breast cancer based on variables, including family history, breast density, and genetic markers.
A score of 20% or higher is considered high risk, and Munn scored a 37.3%. Despite having no symptoms and getting a clean bill of health, she was told to get an MRI and a biopsy. The results showed she had Luminal B cancer, an aggressive form of breast cancer that was found in both of her breasts.
“I decided to get a double mastectomy, and I also got an oophorectomy and a partial hysterectomy,” she told Smith, noting that after the procedures, her Tyrer-Cuzick test is now at 0%.
Olivia Munn Wanted To Keep Her Diagnosis Private At First
In an interview with Los Angeles Magazine published in early March, the actress revealed that she wanted to deal with her diagnosis privately at first, only telling her husband, comedian John Mulaney. Days later, however, she realized that Mulaney needed help in supporting her through the cancer battle. “I couldn’t get the words out when I was saying it to my siblings and my mom, so he did that for me as well,” Munn said.
The actress shared her diagnosis publicly in March 2024, telling the world that she underwent several surgeries. She wrote, “I needed to catch my breath and get through some of the hardest parts before sharing,” adding that she hopes sharing her story will “inspire and support” others who are going through the same experience.
How John Mulaney Helped Her Get Through Tough Times
Munn gushed about Mulaney, telling Smith, “There’s no better person in the world to me than my husband,” adding that he was proactive during the whole process and wanted to be present during all her appointments with her doctors.
“He’s got his notebook that he writes all of his ideas for jokes and anything that comes to him through the day. You turn halfway through it and there’s all these notes about cancer and hormone therapy and everything that you could imagine that I need to know,” she shared.
Munn said that having a partner with a sense of humor “lightens everything.”
Olivia Munn’s Mission For Breast Cancer Awareness
Since publicly sharing her journey, she’s worked on raising awareness for breast cancer. After sharing the assessment test she took, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) noted a 4,000% increase in visitors to the tool’s website.
In 2024, TIME named Munn as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Health. “I wanted to help as many people as possible prevent their cancer from going to the next level,” she said. The following year, the publication also included Munn in its list of Women of the Year.
Currently, the actress is working with Senator Mark Kelly to advocate for making the Tyrer-Cuzick breast cancer risk assessment test part of standard medical care.