Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Olivia Munn has revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The actress shared in an Instagram post that she hoped that sharing her diagnosis would help others find comfort, inspiration and support on their journey.

She explained that in February 2023, she took a genetic test that checked her for 90 different cancer genes, and she tested negative for all of them, including BRCA, which is the most well-known breast cancer gene.

This past winter, she had a normal mammogram, and two months later, she found out she had breast cancer.

“In the past ten months I have had four surgeries, so many days spent in bed I can’t even count and have learned more about cancer, cancer treatment and hormones than I ever could have imagined,” she wrote. “Surprisingly, I’ve only cried twice. I guess I haven’t felt like there was time to cry. My focus narrowed and I tabled any emotions that I felt would interfere with my ability to stay clear-headed.”

Munn shared that she has only let people see her when she has the energy to get dressed and get out of the house, take her son to the park, etc. “I’ve kept the diagnosis and the worry and the recovery and the pain medicine and the paper gowns private,” she continued. “I needed to catch my breath and get through some of the hardest parts before sharing.”

Had it not been for Munn’s OBGYN Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi deciding to calculate her breast cancer risk assessment score, the actress wrote that she may not have discovered her cancer for another year. She explained that the doctor looked at factors including her age, familial breast cancer history and the fact that she had her first child after the age of 30.

She discovered Munn’s lifetime risk was 37 percent and, as a result of that score, sent her to get an MRI, which led to an ultrasound and then a biopsy that showed she had Luminal B cancer in both breasts. That type of cancer is aggressive and fast-moving, Munn noted.

“Thirty days after that biopsy I had a double mastectomy,” she wrote. “I went from feeling completely fine one day to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next. I’m lucky. We caught it with enough time that I had options. I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day.”

She encouraged women to ask their doctors to calculate their breast cancer risk assessment score and that her doctor notes that if the number it comes out to is higher than 20 percent, they should get annual mammograms after they turn 30.

The actress concluded her lengthy post by thanking her friends, family and the doctors and staff at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles and Saint John’s in Santa Monica, including her surgical oncologist, reconstructive surgeon, oncologist and, of course, Dr. Aliabadi. She also took a moment to thank her partner and son Malcolm’s father, John Mulaney.

“I’m so thankful to John for the nights he spent researching what every operation and medication meant and what side effects and recovery I could expect,” Munn wrote. “For being there before I went into each surgery and being there when I woke up, always placing framed photos of our little boy Malcolm so it would be the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.”