Who Is John Mulaney's Wife, Annamarie Tendler? Details On Divorce Rumors, Checking Out Of Rehab
She stopped using his last name on her profile — is there trouble in paradise?
lev radin / Shutterstock John Mulaney has had multiple comedy specials on Netflix, winning an Academy Award in Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special for his special, "John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City." His most recent special, "John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch" premiered in December 2019.
In addition to his comedy specials, he was also a writer on "Saturday Night Live" for six seasons, and currently stars in the Netflix animated comedy "Big Mouth" with close friend and frequent collaborator Nick Kroll.
Mulaney has been open about his past struggles with drug and alcohol abuse, and on December 21, 2020, it was confirmed that Mulaney had entered a rehab facility in Pennsylvania after relapsing during the pandemic.
"John’s friends and family are happy that he’s finally getting some help and focusing on his health," a source said. “His fans know he’s struggled in the past with sobriety; he has talked about it openly. Unfortunately, he has struggled again during the pandemic. He’s on board with his recovery, he’s not fighting against rehab.”
Mulaney's surprise stint in rehab fueled rumors that he and his wife, Annamarie Tendler, could be heading for a divorce. Now that he's recently checked himself out of rehab and is apparently doing well in his new sober life, his wife temporarily reactivated her Instagram — and dropped his last name from her profile in the process. The couple unfollowed each other on social media.
Who is John Mulaney's wife, Annamarie Tendler?
Let's break down their relationship, including how they met, her role in Mulaney's comedy, Mulaney's recent release from rehab, and the divorce rumors that just won't stop.
They've been married since 2014.
John Mulaney and Annamarie Tendler were married in 2014 and currently reside in New York City. She's also made an appearance in his episode of "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," alongside Jerry Seinfeld, where Seinfeld accompanied Mulaney on an errand from Tendler.
But she's much more than this comedian's wife, that's for sure.
Tendler has an interesting job and has written a few books.
Tendler works for a company called Silk Parlor and makes lampshades. She also works as a makeup artist and wrote a book all about it called "The Daily Face." The book is full of tutorials on how to apply makeup in different, creative ways.
She showcases her hair skills and published a book called "Pin It! 20 Fabulous Bobby Pin Hairstyles," giving women the rundown on how to work different hairstyles with bobby pins.
Their dog, Petunia, is an Instagram star.
Mulaney and Tendler aren't the only two celebrities in the family. Their dog Petunia has her own page with over 160K Instagram followers. If you're a huge fan of French bulldog photos, you'll absolutely love seeing her antics.
Mulaney has also mentioned their dog in his stand-up, and she was even featured in a pre-special skit.
They wanted their wedding to be different.
When the couple tied the knot in 2014, Tendler shared why they chose the beautiful Onteora Mountain House as their venue.
"First and foremost, John and I wanted to get married in nature. Though we’d lived in New York City for 10 years the wedding ceremony just seemed like something that should take place within the peaceful surroundings of trees and mountains instead of concrete and skyscrapers. When John and I got out of the car and saw the sprawling vistas and towering trees we knew immediately we’d found our wedding site," she said.
"Plus, in the event of rain the ceremony would take place in the beautiful, wood pavilion with huge windows, so even indoors the incredible view would not be lost. We knew rain or shine it would be the perfect setting for the 1920’s inspired, woodland-deco bash we’d envisioned."
Tendler is a big part of Mulaney's stand-up.
The comedian makes his wife and the way they grew up a focal point of his stand-up.
“My wife is Jewish. She’s a New York Jew. I did it! Now, I was raised Catholic. I don’t know if you can tell that from the everything about me. My wife is Jewish, I grew up Catholic, so we got married by a friend. Being married by a friend is a beautiful ceremony that alienates both families’ religions, while confusing the elderly people at the wedding,” he said in his special, "The Comeback Kid."
She's very afraid of ghosts!
Tendler spoke about her fears in an interview, revealing her fear of this supernatural phenomenon:
"I was very scared to move into my new house. It was built in the 20s, which meant the chances of it being haunted seemed very high. I really didn’t want to move into a house, have a 'The Conjuring' situation, and then need to move out.
What a hassle. I’d lived in apartments since I was eighteen, so if I heard weird noises, I could blame it on my neighbors. If weird things happen in a stand-alone house, you are straight-up being haunted.
So, my first day there I went through the whole house with burning sage and you better believe I cleansed every single corner of every room. I also had a conversation with any spirits that may have still been living there.
It went like this: Hi Ghosts! I’m not sure if you are there or not, but I need you to know that I live in this house now. If you are a nice, friendly ghost feel free to hang here, just please don’t do anything at night that creeps me out. I would really appreciate it if you would lay low. If you are an evil spirit, be gone and never come back! I have to say my house feels pretty ghost-free."
Tendler claimed that Ben Affleck groped her.
After actress Hilarie Burton accused the actor of groping her and he apologized on Twitter, the makeup artist came out with the same claim.
Tendler tweeted that the actor groped her at a 2014 Golden Globes after-party and she wanted an apology. She wrote, "He walked by me, cupped my butt and pressed his finger into my crack.”
Tendler said in a follow-up tweet, “I guess he tried to play it like he was politely moving me out of the way and oops touched my butt instead of my lower back? Like most women in these situations, I didn’t say anything, but I have thought a lot about what I’d say if I ever saw him again.”
Affleck has yet to acknowledge the claim.
Mulaney and Tendler have recently been hit with divorce rumors.
Fans everywhere are worried that because of Mulaney's stint in rehab, the pair are heading for a divorce. What sparked even more fuel to the rumors was that Tendler unfollowed Mulaney on social media and then deleted her Instagram account right before her husband checked into rehab.
However, there are several reasonable explanations for Tendler to be vacating social media as her husband went off the rehab. It could be that Tendler didn't want to see any comments on her husband during his stay in rehab.
Tendler is no stranger deleting her social media, and Mulaney, in his respect to his wife’s wishes, turned off comments on posts with her in it. She has clearly expressed frustration in regard to dealing with constant questions about her husband several times before his rehab stint.
Lastly, the most reasonable explanation of her actions could be that with John Mulaney in rehab, Tendler simply wanted privacy during this time. This has all been speculation since none of the rumors have been confirmed nor denied, even now that he's checked himself out of rehab.
As of March 2021, Annamarie Tendler's social media accounts remain deactivated as her husband continues to work on his sobriety.
Mulaney checked out of rehab after a 60-day stay.
In late February 2021, John Mulaney left rehab after completing his 60-day program.
Mulaney revealed in a 2019 interview that he drank for attention, saying, "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.”
Unfortunately, his drinking led to drug use. “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's now continuing his sobriety work as an outpatient. A source said, “He is doing well, although he is still not ready to return to work.”
We wish Mulaney luck as he continues his recovery!
Molly Given is a writer living in Philadelphia and lover of all things to do with mystery and magic in life. When she’s not writing her fingers off she can be found planning her next adventure in a new part of the world.