Nick Kroll is opening up about the absolutely TERRIFYING height of John Mulaney’s drug addiction.
The comedian appeared on Monday’s episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, and the talk got pretty serious. He detailed to host Dax Shepard — a recovering addict — his own experience sitting on the sideline as his close friend John battled drug addiction… and the necessary intervention he helped stage in 2020:
“It was so scary and brutal to go through. It was so scary. He was in New York. I was in L.A. It was at the height of the pandemic. So it was incredibly stressful to be in the midst of the pandemic, trying to literally coordinate and produce an intervention, bringing a bunch of people together — friends from college.”
Kroll added that at the time, his wife was “very pregnant” and he was in the middle of shooting Don’t Worry Darling — which was riddled with enough drama in and of itself! But it had to be done. The 46-year-old stated simply:
“John was running around New York City like a true madman and I was so deeply scared that he was going to die.”
Chilling… The Big Mouth creator talked about how Mulaney’s drug relapse had affected his close friends:
“You’re all of a sudden going back and being like, ‘Oh, that’s why I’ve had an inconsistent friend for the last X amount of time … It gives you both empathy for them and also a tremendous amount of anger because they’ve been lying to you.”
At one emotional point of the podcast, Nick reflected on a phone call he shared with John just days before the intervention:
“I have a very clear memory of being outside of my house — someone was working inside, and we were still mid-pandemic. I just sat on the ground, on the phone with him, both of us crying. I said, ‘I’m so scared you’re going to die.’ And I could feel him feeling the same way, but also like — ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah…anyway, I gotta go. I’m at a new Airbnb.’”
And so he went about getting his friend help.
Related: Barry Keoghan Admits He’s ‘An Addict’
Nick recalled how it was “so f**king stressful” trying to “orchestrate” all the elements that go into an intervention. Yeah, it makes sense. Like planning a surprise party, only your friend’s life is at stake! Plus, there were other logistics Kroll had to figure out, such as locking down a professional to lead it, determining where John would go for rehab, and more.
The intervention went as scheduled under the guise of a college friends party. Nick, Seth Meyers, and others were there to plead their case to John, who admitted to abusing Adderall, Xanax, Klonopin, Percocet and cocaine. He apparently went straight from the intervention to rehab, where he stayed for two months. But while John thankfully came out the other end “clean,” he was pretty mad at his friends. Nick recalled:
“When he started doing stand-up again, and all of it was about the intervention, he was still pretty fucking pissed. He came back clean, but he was mad at us. And I was like, ‘Oh… I don’t know if I love that joke about me.’”
But he let John do what he needed to do to heal and work through things in his own way:
“Everyone’s process and art is different. What makes [Mulaney] so funny and dynamic and intoxicating as a performer is that he’s giving you a written version of his life, access to elements of himself. And I myself am very guarded in certain ways.”
Now Nick finally feels comfortable talking about the situation publicly — in hopes of bringing light to others who may be going through similar situations:
“I don’t think people hear enough from the folks who are terrified during these things. Addicts talk about their experiences, often in brilliant, stand-up-ready ways. But there are also people in their lives who are just trying to keep them alive. That’s part of the story, too. I just didn’t want to lose him. It’s that simple.”
We’re so glad John has a friend like Nick. And now a loving partner in Olivia Munn, who has made it her mission to help keep him clean and sober. You can hear more from the podcast episode (below):
Reactions, Perezcious readers?
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org
[Images via ABC & Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard/YouTube]
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