John Mulaney's Baby J, in review

Is the beloved-but-embattled comic's latest special an incising departure or more of the same?

John Mulaney.
(Image credit: Marcus Russell Price/Netflix)

Yes, The Comeback Kid is back. After a highly watched hiatus from comedy — one that included a two-month stint in rehab for addiction to cocaine and alcohol, a very public divorce from artist Anna Marie Tendler, and a child with actress Olivia Munn — John Mulaney has returned to the standup stage with his latest Netflix special, Baby J. Forged from the fires of his From Scratch tour, which first kicked off in 2021, Baby J deconstructs the bubbly versions of Mulaney's past and exposes the darker, more unsavory parts of his psyche in an intelligent way.

Gone is the spry young guy who jokes about his continued sobriety. In his place stands a visibly aged man poking fun at the celebrity of his life-saving and "star-studded" intervention, an event that featured the likes of Nick Kroll and Seth Meyers, among other well-known standups.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.