Olivia Munn Champions Selective Television Viewing for Her Children
The multifaceted Olivia Munn, renowned for her role in The Predator, has thoughtfully chosen to limit her children’s exposure to certain children's television programs. As a dedicated mother, she balances her career with nurturing her two young children: Malcolm, aged 3, and Méi, who is just 8 months old, alongside her partner John Mulaney.
In a recent feature with People, she elaborated on the specific reasons for her selective approach to children's media consumption.
Continue reading to explore her insights further…
During her interview, Munn expressed her disinterest in allowing her children to watch many shows aimed at young audiences, including the popular program Ms. Rachel, citing her personal discomfort with them. “While I know that many kids enjoy [Ms. Rachel], if I can’t bear to watch it myself, I refuse to spend my life feeling overwhelmed,” she stated.
Her disdain extends beyond Ms. Rachel: “These children’s shows can be quite maddening,” she added candidly.
The animated shows are no exception. “When Malcolm asked to watch Blue’s Clues [recently], I was perplexed about who introduced him to it, but they’re definitely on my list of offenders now,” she humorously remarked. “I firmly said, ‘Absolutely not in my house!’”
She also mentioned that her husband, John, introduced their son to the Spider-Man cartoons, which she finds unappealing. “I opted to show him Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Homecoming instead, saying, ‘If you want to watch something real, let’s go for that,’” she explained. “It might be slightly advanced for him, but I simply cannot tolerate the cartoons.”
However, Munn did discover one standout exception: the Mister Rogers spinoff, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.
She praised it as a “wonderful program” and highlighted its value in helping Malcolm adjust to the arrival of his new sister, Méi, who was welcomed into their family this past September.
“Daniel Tiger has a little sister in the show, and we would explain to him, ‘There’s a baby sister coming,’” she shared, referring to Méi, who was born through surrogacy.
When Méi finally joined their family, Munn mentioned that she and John were deliberate in ensuring the transition was smooth and fair for their son.
“Often, people say to new siblings, ‘Oh, you’re a big brother now! You’re not the baby anymore, and you can help with the diapers!’” she observed. “This places a sudden burden of responsibilities on them, which can strip away their carefree nature.”
“Instead, we framed it positively by saying, ‘Now we have two babies: baby Méi Méi and baby Malcolm.’”
