John Mulaney Shares How Broke the News of Elvis Presley&x27;s Death to His Superfan Son Malcolm, 4 Kayla GrantTue, March 31, 2026 at 8:08 PM UTC 0 John Mulaney and his son MalcolmCredit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Olivia Munn/Instagram John Mulaney recalled needing to explain Elvis Presley's death to his 4yearold son Malcolm when they visited Graceland His son, unfamiliar with the concept of death, asked if he could meet Presley while touring the iconic home The dad of two used humor to navigate the conversation and explain why that wouldn't be possible John Mulaney recently had to break the news ...
John Mulaney Shares How Broke the News of Elvis Presley's Death to His Superfan Son Malcolm, 4
Kayla GrantTue, March 31, 2026 at 8:08 PM UTC
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John Mulaney and his son MalcolmCredit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Olivia Munn/Instagram -
John Mulaney recalled needing to explain Elvis Presley's death to his 4-year-old son Malcolm when they visited Graceland
His son, unfamiliar with the concept of death, asked if he could meet Presley while touring the iconic home
The dad of two used humor to navigate the conversation and explain why that wouldn't be possible
John Mulaney recently had to break the news as to why his son couldn't meet his favorite musician.
The comedian and dad of two, 43, recently joined The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and recalled a difficult interaction with his son Malcolm, 4, whom he shares with his wife Olivia Munn, during his recent tour stop in Memphis. While the father-son pair were touring Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, Mulaney told host Stephen Colbert that he had to explain to his son why he wouldn't be able to see the late singer.
"So, we're in the jungle room, ... and we're looking around, and Malcolm goes, 'Dad, can I meet Elvis now?' " Mulaney recalled. "It had never come up while listening to 'Hound Dog.' You don't go, 'You know, son, this guy's dead, right? You want to know how he died?'"
"So, I go, 'No, you can't.' And, he goes, 'Please, I want to.' I go, 'Oh, no. It's not like a permission thing.' Then I realized all his grandparents are alive and he's never had a goldfish," he continued, realizing at that moment that his son wasn't familiar with the concept of death. "He doesn't know. Like, he doesn't know. And he's about to find out in the jungle room at Graceland that everybody dies. And so how did you convey this?"
The doting dad, who also shares daughter Méi with his actress wife, 45, went on to share how he explained to Malcolm why he couldn't meet Presley.
"I said, 'Elvis is in heaven now.' And he said, 'Why?' " Mulaney recalled of their conversation in Graceland. "And I said, "Uh, well, sometimes when people are in their early 40s, and they have a job and schedule a lot like daddy. Uh, and some of the same issues as daddy. They go to the bathroom and they go to heaven.'"
Mulaney and Munn were first spotted together in June 2021 and welcomed their son Malcolm Hiệp five months later. In July 2024, they tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at a friend's house in New York, with Sam Waterston marrying the pair and just their son and one other witness in attendance.
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While the Hollywood couple may travel often for work, they try their best to maintain a balance and show up for their kids. Back in April, the Your Friends and Neighbors actress shared that her son can recognize her husband when he sees him on TV. The proud mom also said that he made frequent visits to the set of Mulaney's Netflix show, Everybody's Live With John Mulaney.
"He clocks it and he says things to John, and he said the other day, he was like 'You had so many guys stand in a diagonal line,' and it was for like ... a height thing," she told PEOPLE. "Malcolm goes to set and he sees the same Mother Robot. He knows everyone there, so he recognizes John on TV and remembers it."
Following the PEOPLE event, Munn shared a clip of her interview on her Instagram Stories, adding, "Malcolm loves watching daddy's Netflix show Everybody's Live every Wednesday."
Olivia Munn and John Mulaney with their kidsCredit: Olivia Munn/Instagram
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During his Netflix show, the comedian poked fun at what it's like raising a toddler. Mulaney compared the experience to working on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, almost five years after the show ended following toxic workplace allegations made against host Ellen DeGeneres.
"You know what having a 3-year-old is like?" he asked viewers. "Having a 3-year-old is what I imagine working on Ellen [DeGeneres'] show was like. Because people come over and they're like, 'How is it?' And you're, like, 'Oh, it's fine. You know, we have fun. There's games.'"
"We have dancing, you know. So if he starts dancing, you dance. But if he stops dancing," he continued, changing to a more serious tone before saying, "You f------ stop dancing right away.'"
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: March 31, 2026 at 05:00PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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