Olivia Munn Admits She Still Faces 'a Lot of Guilt' as a Mom After Emotional Breast Cancer Journey

Mar. 15, 2025

Olivia Munn.Photo:Olivia Munn/Instagram

Olivia Munn/Instagram

Olivia Munnis opening up about experiencing mom guilt amid her emotionalbreast cancer journey.Munn wasdiagnosed with bilateral breast cancerin April 2023 after tests revealed she had luminal B — a fast-moving, aggressive cancer — in both breasts. She has since had five surgeries including a lymph node dissection, a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy.On Wednesday, Oct. 23, the actressshowed her scars for the first timein photos from her SKIMS campaign, while chatting from Los Angeles withSavannah Guthrieduring a live interview on theToday. During her treatment, Munn was also raising sonMalcolm Hiệp, now 2, with her husbandJohn Mulaney.The couple now shares newborn daughterMéi June, born last month via surrogate, and Munn admits she still experiences mom guilt from her absence throughout treatment.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“There is a lot of guilt that I had and still have for being sick for so long and being bedridden through so many surgeries,” the mom of two tells Guthrie.She continues, “I mean, I thought when I got through the big hunk of surgeries, like the four surgeries in the beginning, that I would be able to get back on my feet. But then there came the first wave of medication and that just knocked me down and it was debilitating.“Unfortunately, her surgeries and medication made everyday mom activities such as carrying her son and taking trips to the playground increasingly difficult.The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!Olivia Munn and kids.Olivia Munn/Instagram"I found that I was just tired and not around as much and I couldn’t hold them as much and I couldn’t go to the playground as much. And it was really exhausting,” she says. “And there’s just a lot of guilt.“Now, Munn is focusing on positivity and taking in every minute of family time.“I work with my oncologist a lot to try to figure out what I can do. We’re just such a little family, we’re really tight and we have a lot of fun and we laugh all the time,” she shares. “And John is just the most amazing husband and father, and so we figure out a way to make it all work despite how tired I can be at all times.”

Olivia Munnis opening up about experiencing mom guilt amid her emotionalbreast cancer journey.

Munn wasdiagnosed with bilateral breast cancerin April 2023 after tests revealed she had luminal B — a fast-moving, aggressive cancer — in both breasts. She has since had five surgeries including a lymph node dissection, a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy.

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, the actressshowed her scars for the first timein photos from her SKIMS campaign, while chatting from Los Angeles withSavannah Guthrieduring a live interview on theToday. During her treatment, Munn was also raising sonMalcolm Hiệp, now 2, with her husbandJohn Mulaney.

The couple now shares newborn daughterMéi June, born last month via surrogate, and Munn admits she still experiences mom guilt from her absence throughout treatment.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“There is a lot of guilt that I had and still have for being sick for so long and being bedridden through so many surgeries,” the mom of two tells Guthrie.

She continues, “I mean, I thought when I got through the big hunk of surgeries, like the four surgeries in the beginning, that I would be able to get back on my feet. But then there came the first wave of medication and that just knocked me down and it was debilitating.”

Unfortunately, her surgeries and medication made everyday mom activities such as carrying her son and taking trips to the playground increasingly difficult.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Olivia Munn and kids.Olivia Munn/Instagram

“I found that I was just tired and not around as much and I couldn’t hold them as much and I couldn’t go to the playground as much. And it was really exhausting,” she says. “And there’s just a lot of guilt.”

Now, Munn is focusing on positivity and taking in every minute of family time.

“I work with my oncologist a lot to try to figure out what I can do. We’re just such a little family, we’re really tight and we have a lot of fun and we laugh all the time,” she shares. “And John is just the most amazing husband and father, and so we figure out a way to make it all work despite how tired I can be at all times.”

source: people.com