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Comedian John Mulaney divorces wife Anna Marie Tendler following rehab stint

Fresh from a stint in rehab, John Mulaney is divorcing his wife of six years – who has released a devastating statement confirming the news.

Comedian John Mulaney and wife Anna Marie Tendler. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Comedian John Mulaney and wife Anna Marie Tendler. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Comedian John Mulaney and his artist wife of six years, Anna Marie Tendler, are divorcing following his stay in rehab.

Sources said Mulaney, who checked himself into rehab for 60 days late last year after struggling with alcohol and drug abuse, asked for a divorce from Tendler three months ago.

A spokesman for Mulaney confirmed the divorce to Page Six and added, “John will not have any further comment as he continues to focus on his recovery and getting back to work.”

Tendler – an artist who works across many mediums – added through her spokesperson, “I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage.

“I wish him support and success as he continues his recovery.”

Comedian John Mulaney and wife Anna Marie Tendler in 2018. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Comedian John Mulaney and wife Anna Marie Tendler in 2018. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

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In December, the Big Mouth star, 38, entered a rehab facility in Pennsylvania for 60 days for treatment for cocaine and alcohol addiction, Page Six exclusively reported. In February, he exited the program and entered outpatient care.

“John has completed 60 days in rehab, and now he’s in outpatient sober care. He is doing well, although he is still not ready to return to work,” a source told Page Six at the time.

Then earlier this month, Mulaney announced his first set of tour dates after spending time in rehab. The comedian is doing a five-day residency called John Mulaney: From Scratch in New York this week.

Every show has already sold out, but fans can still add their names to a “wait list.” The venue warns that a “vaccine or negative COVID test is required” to attend.

Tendler says she’s ‘heartbroken’ her husband decided to end their marriage. Picture: Getty
Tendler says she’s ‘heartbroken’ her husband decided to end their marriage. Picture: Getty

The former Saturday Night Live writer has been vocal about his struggle with substances in the past. He often discussed his sobriety and the issues that led up to it in his stand-up sets and interviews.

In a 2019 interview, Mulaney revealed he began drinking at age 13. “I drank for attention,” he said. “I was really outgoing, and then at 12, I wasn’t. I didn’t know how to act. And then I was drinking, and I was hilarious again.”

He said in an Esquire cover story that his drinking also prompted him to start using drugs. He says that while he never liked smoking pot, he “loved” cocaine and dabbled with prescription drugs.

“I wasn’t a good athlete, so maybe it was some young male thing of ‘This is the physical feat I can do. Three Vicodin and a tequila and I’m still standing,’” he said. “Who’s the athlete now?”

He also said in his 2012 special New In Town, “I don’t drink. I used to drink, then I drank too much, and I had to stop. That surprises a lot of audiences, because I don’t look like someone who used to do anything.”

However, Mulaney struggled during the pandemic. In December, he revealed that he took a job as a staff writer on Seth Meyers’ Late Night show to help his mental health.

Prior to that, he appeared in a strange Late Night With Seth Meyers segment, where he made a rambling speech about the royal family, punctuated by long pauses.

Mulaney has suffered a public battle with alcohol.
Mulaney has suffered a public battle with alcohol.

His decision to go into rehab was met with a wave of support from fans and fellow comedians.

However, some fans noticed that, around the same time, Tendler went silent on social media. Her Instagram account now solely focuses on her art.

Mulaney and Tendler reportedly met in the late 2000s during a group trip to Martha’s Vineyard.

They were married in July 2014 in Boiceville, New York, by friend and comedian Dan Levy and the wedding had a 1920s and woodland-deco theme.

Mulaney shared a wedding photo on his Instagram to mark the occasion. “On a beautiful and perfect day, I married a beautiful and perfect woman,” he wrote in the caption. “I wish I could live it over and over again.”

In his 2018 Netflix special Kid Gorgeous At Radio City, Mulaney made many references to Tendler, whose website states, “She likes to think of her life as an ever-evolving art piece.”

He has also spoken about her on social media.

“Happy Valentine’s Day to the coolest, kindest, funniest, weirdest, most beautiful, most artistically inspiring person I have ever met,” Mulaney wrote in an Instagram post in 2018 beneath a photograph of Tendler.

“Happy Valentine’s Day to a woman who is a cross between Joan Didion and Erika Jayne. Anna, you might as well be the Sea Org, because I’d sign a Billion Year Contract to be with you…Life would be so stupid without you,” he added.

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/hook-ups-break-ups/comedian-john-mulaney-divorces-wife-anna-marie-tendler-following-rehab-stint/news-story/a0a9f3e57676e6eda8415159165b1ecf