Olivia Munn revealed Wednesday in an emotional Instagram post that she underwent a double mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis.
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Alongside a photo of herself smiling in a hospital bed, Munn shared several slides of text detailing the trajectory of her health journey. She said that she and her sister took a genetic test “in an effort to be proactive about [their] health” in February 2023, and were thrilled to have tested negative for BRCA, the most well-known breast cancer gene. She had also had a normal mammogram. “We called each other and high-fived over the phone,” she wrote. “Two months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer.”
Her OB-GYN was concerned, despite her lack of visible symptoms, and sent her for further testing.
“The biopsy showed I had Luminal B cancer in both breasts. Luminal B is an aggressive, fast moving cancer. 30 days after that biopsy I had a double mastectomy. I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next.”
Despite this: “I’m lucky,” she wrote.
Munn, who shares a young son, Malcolm, with comedian John Mulaney, said that she has kept her journey private until now to have space to heal.
“In the past ten months I have had four surgeries, so many days spent in bed I can’t even count and have learned more about cancer, cancer treatment, and hormones than I ever could have imagined,” she wrote. “Surprisingly, I’ve only cried twice. I guess I haven’t felt like there was time to cry. My focus narrowed and I tabled any emotions that I felt would interfere with my ability to stay clearheaded.”
“I’ve tended to let people see me when I have energy, when I can get dressed and get out of the house, when I can take my baby boy to the park. I’ve kept the diagnosis and the worry and the recovery and the pain medicine and the paper gowns private. I needed to catch my breath and get through some of the hardest parts before sharing.”
In a comment on the post, Mulaney, wrote, “Thank you for fighting so hard to be here for us. Malc and I adore you.”
A representative for Munn did not immediately return Vanity Fair’s request for comment.
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