John Mulaney is poking fun at fatherhood.
The comedian jokingly compared time with his and Olivia Munn’s 3-year-old son, Malcolm, to working on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” during the monologue of his talk show Wednesday.
“You know what having a 3-year-old is like?” the comedian, 42, asked viewers on “Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney.”
He quipped, “Having a 3-year-old is what I imagine working on Ellen [DeGeneres’] show was like. Because people come over and they’re like, ‘How is it?’ And you’re, like, ‘Oh, it’s fine. You know, we have fun. There’s games.’”
The actor called the role “fun” but “hard” with a stressed expression, explaining, “We have dancing, you know. So if he starts dancing, you dance, but if he stops dancing, you f–king stop dancing right away.”
Mulaney’s dig at DeGeneres, 67, comes nearly five years after the long-running show made headlines for allegedly having a “toxic” on-set atmosphere.
Employees spoke out in July 2020 against experiencing “racism, fear, and intimidation,” which the Daytime Emmy winner later slammed as “orchestrated” and “misogynistic” claims.
Two years later, DeGeneres ended the talk show after 19 seasons on air and has since moved to the United Kingdom with her wife, Portia De Rossi.
Mulaney used an anecdote about Malcolm on Wednesday to joke about DeGeneres’ ability to “bounce back” amid backlash.
He recalled his toddler sitting in his lap during a school performance due to stage fright — and the little one’s teacher asking whether he was “sure” about the decision.
At the time, the instructor said, “Your class worked very hard. Everyone’s excited to hear the song.”
Mulaney replied, “Oh, excuse me, Ms. Inez, you have no idea how much you can disappoint an audience and still bounce back in this business.”
Before the concert, Mulaney and Malcolm got into a “knock-down, drag-out” fight over his outfit, with the “Saturday Night Live” alum admitting, “I yell at my kid sometimes.”
He and Munn, 44, welcomed Malcolm in November 2021, tying the knot in July 2024 after the actress’s breast cancer battle.
Their now-7-month-old daughter, Méi, joined the familyvia surrogate that September.
When Munn expressed sadness over Méi not being present at their wedding, Mulaney surprised her with sweet personalized jewelry for the ceremony.
“He found this vintage locket, and he put her sonogram picture inside,” the “Newsroom” alum said on the “Kelly Clarkson Show” Wednesday. “He’s really thoughtful and sweet.”
“Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney” airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Netflix.