Career Timeline of John Mulaney: Major Achievements and Milestones
How John Mulaney built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
John Mulaney is a celebrated American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer, known for his sharp wit and observational humor. He gained significant recognition as a writer for Saturday Night Live (2008-2013), co-creating the popular character Stefon. Since leaving SNL, Mulaney has achieved further success as a stand-up comedian with critically acclaimed specials and has hosted SNL multiple times, solidifying his status in the comedy world.
1970: Original Cast Album: Company
In 1970 the documentary Original Cast Album: Company was released, later the inspiration for an episode of Documentary Now! that Mulaney wrote and starred in.
August 2008: Auditioned for SNL
In August 2008, John Mulaney auditioned for Saturday Night Live and joined the writing team.
2008: Started Headlining as a Stand-Up Comedian
In 2008, John Mulaney began headlining as a stand-up comedian and performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival.
May 2013: NBC Passed on Mulaney's Pilot
In May 2013, NBC passed on picking up Mulaney's semi-autobiographical sitcom pilot, Mulaney.
June 2013: Fox ordered a new script for Mulaney
In June 2013, Fox ordered a new script while considering whether to order the production of several episodes of Mulaney.
October 2013: Fox Picked up the Show Mulaney
In October 2013, Fox announced that it had picked up the show Mulaney for a six-episode season order.
May 2015: Mulaney Cancelled
In May 2015, The series Mulaney was cancelled within its first year.
2015: Joined Documentary Now! as Writer
In 2015, Mulaney served as a writer for the IFC mockumentary series Documentary Now!.
2016: Mulaney Performed at USO Event
In 2016, John Mulaney performed standup comedy at a USO event honoring the Armed forces at Joint Base Andrews, alongside other comedians and in the presence of President Barack Obama and other dignitaries.
2016: Wrote Documentary Now! Episodes
In 2016, Mulaney co-wrote "Parker Gail's Location Is Everything" and "Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid, Parts 1 & 2" episodes of Documentary Now!.
2016: Mulaney Donated to Bernie Sanders's Campaign
In a 2019 Esquire magazine interview, John Mulaney said he had donated to Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign.
2017: Voice of Andrew Glouberman in Big Mouth
In 2017, Mulaney started voicing Andrew Glouberman in the animated Netflix series Big Mouth.
April 14, 2018: Hosted Saturday Night Live
On April 14, 2018, Mulaney hosted Saturday Night Live.
2018: Co-Hosted Independent Spirit Awards and Voiced Spider-Ham
In 2018, Mulaney co-hosted the Independent Spirit Awards with Nick Kroll and voiced Spider-Ham in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
January 2019: Mulaney to tour with Pete Davidson
In January 2019, John Mulaney was slated to tour with Pete Davidson for a limited series of comedy shows called "Sundays with Pete & John".
March 2, 2019: Hosted Saturday Night Live
On March 2, 2019, Mulaney hosted Saturday Night Live.
December 2019: John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch released on Netflix
In December 2019, John Mulaney released a children's musical comedy special, John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch, on Netflix which was inspired by Sesame Street, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and other children's shows. The special featured Mulaney along with child actors and celebrity cameos.
2019: Acted in Documentary Now! Episode
In 2019, Mulaney had his first acting role on Documentary Now!, in the episode "Original Cast Album: Co-Op".
2019: Mulaney Donated to Bernie Sanders's Campaign
In a 2019 Esquire magazine interview, John Mulaney said he had donated to Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign.
February 29, 2020: Hosted Saturday Night Live
On February 29, 2020, Mulaney hosted Saturday Night Live.
October 31, 2020: Hosted Saturday Night Live
On October 31, 2020, Mulaney hosted Saturday Night Live.
November 2020: Joined Late Night with Seth Meyers as a Staff Writer
In November 2020, Mulaney joined Late Night with Seth Meyers as a staff writer.
2020: Mulaney interviewed André Gregory
In 2020, John Mulaney interviewed actor and playwright André Gregory for the Chicago Humanities Festival, discussing Gregory's memoir, This Is Not My Memoir, and his life and career.
May 2021: Mulaney Returns to Stand-Up Comedy
In May 2021, John Mulaney returned to stand-up comedy, working out new material titled John Mulaney: From Scratch, performing several sold-out shows in New York City before announcing a tour starting in Boston.
June 2021: Mulaney Appeared at Fundraiser Concert
In June 2021, John Mulaney appeared alongside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as openers for a concert featuring The Strokes, which served as a fundraiser for New York City mayoral candidate Maya Wiley.
February 26, 2022: Hosted Saturday Night Live and Joined Five-Timers Club
On February 26, 2022, Mulaney hosted Saturday Night Live and joined Saturday Night Live's Five-Timers Club.
May 2022: Mulaney Invited Dave Chappelle to Open His Show
In May 2022, during his From Scratch tour, John Mulaney invited Dave Chappelle to open his show, which drew criticism due to transphobic jokes Chappelle had made.
June 2022: Mulaney's From Scratch Tour
John Mulaney's tour From Scratch was scheduled to run from March through June 2022 with 33 shows.
2022: Wrote Documentary Now! Episode
In 2022, Mulaney wrote the episode "Soldier of Illusion, Parts 1 & 2" of Documentary Now!.
March 2023: New Netflix Special, Baby J, Announced
In March 2023, it was announced that a new Netflix special from John Mulaney, titled Baby J, was slated for release on April 25, 2023.
April 17, 2023: Teaser Trailer for Baby J Released
On April 17, 2023, a teaser trailer was released for John Mulaney's new Netflix special, Baby J.
April 25, 2023: Baby J Released on Netflix
On April 25, 2023, John Mulaney's new Netflix special, Baby J, was released. The special dealt with Mulaney's visit to drug rehabilitation and his efforts toward sobriety.
2023: Mulaney Cancelled Event in Solidarity with Writers Guild Strike
During the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, John Mulaney cancelled an event with Jon Stewart to promote his comedy special Baby J, in solidarity with the writers and amid strike rules.
2023: Mulaney Appears on Bupkis and The Bear
In 2023, John Mulaney appeared as himself in the episode "Borgnine" of the Pete Davidson series Bupkis on Peacock and guest starred in the episode "Fishes" in the Hulu series The Bear.
2023: Mulaney Honored Robin Williams in Netflix Special
In 2023, John Mulaney honored Robin Williams in the Netflix special The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up, filmed at the Hollywood Palladium as part of the Netflix is a Joke Fest in Los Angeles.
April 2024: John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA Announced
In April 2024, John Mulaney announced a six part series called John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA, to be live streamed on Netflix for six nights during the Netflix is a Joke Festival in early May, 2024.
September 9, 2024: Mulaney to Return to Broadway
On September 9, 2024, it was announced that John Mulaney would return to Broadway in the Simon Rich play All In: Comedy About Love.
November 2, 2024: Hosted Saturday Night Live
On November 2, 2024, Mulaney hosted Saturday Night Live.
2025: Mulaney to write and co-host SNL 50th Anniversary Special
In 2025, John Mulaney served as a writer on the NBC television special, Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special where he also served as a co-host with Steve Martin and performed in sketches.
