John Mulaney has revealed the sad news that his bulldog Petunia has died. Mulaney — who shared the pup with his ex-wife Anna Tendler — took to Instagram to post an old photo of himself and Petunia, while using the caption to let his followers know the sweet dog had died. “Petunia, I loved you from the first moment I saw you. Rest in peace. Thank you for being my little shadow.”
Many of Mulaney’s friends and fans have since commented on the post, offering their condolences over the loss of Petunia, who Mulaney had talked about on-stage in the past. “I was a wreck when my Frenchie, Grumpus, died. So sorry dude,” offered fellow stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt. “So sorry for your loss John [sad face] I hope she knows how many people love her,” someone else wrote. “I remember you talking about her. We are so lucky to have them, but it is never enough time. Sending love and prayers,” a third person added.
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The sad news comes just days after the premiere of Mulaney’s new Netflix stand-up special, Baby J. The new comedy is Mulaney’s first standup special since Kid Gorgeous, which debuted on Netflix in 2018. The new special was filmed at Boston’s Symphony Hall in February, with Alex Timbers directing, and features music from Oscar-winning music legend David Byrne. In Baby J, Mulaney mostly discusses his sobriety journey, which included an intervention from some famous friends.
He’d previously opened up about the intervention during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, as the host was one of the friends who participated. “When I opened the door, I knew right away it was an intervention,” Mulaney recalled. “That’s how bad of a drug problem I had, that when I opened the door and saw people I went, ‘This is probably an intervention.’”
The comedian shared that over the years he’d struggled with cocaine addiction and had got clean only to fall “off the wagon” multiple times. “So you were the first person I saw as I walked through the doorway where I knew this was an intervention,” Mulaney went on to tell Meyers, then noting the exact moment he realized he’d been tricked into an intervention. “So, ‘I’m going to dinner with a friend from college, going to dinner with a friend from college, going to dinner with a friend from college, what’s Seth Meyers doing here? F—! F—!’” Mulaney later thanked Meyers for being part of the intervention, saying that it saved his life.
