Olivia Munn Opens Up About Surrogacy Journey After Breast Cancer Diagnosis

In an exclusive with ’SELF,’ Munn elaborated on her relationship with her surrogate for her daughter, Méi, and her newfound perspectives on motherhood.

Olivia Munn / Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Two years to the month after Olivia Munn was diagnosed with stage 1 Luminal B breast cancer, the actress is getting candid on becoming a mom of two with the disease.

On April 10, Munn shared with SELF how expanding her family with her comedian husband, John Mulaney, went differently than originally planned. The couple, who share a son, Malcolm, stated that doctors divulged that carrying another child could “put [her] life at risk.” 

“I loved carrying my son and I really, really wanted to carry my next child,” Munn shared. When she started taking medication for her diagnosis, she described how big of a physical toll it took on her body. “I probably had about, during the daytime, like maybe two hours of actual ability to interact with people and play with my son.“

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Munn received an oophorectomy, among a variety of other procedures for her cancer. While the oophorectomy would combat needing to take more of the medication that wore her down, in turn, she would need to opt for another avenue for childbearing, which weighed heavily on the actress. “I loved carrying my son and I really wanted to carry my next child,” she added.

Knowing that wasn’t an option, Munn moved forward to deliver her second child via surrogate. When she fostered a relationship with the woman who would ultimately carry her child, Munn felt her anxiety begin to slowly dissolve.

“She wanted to be a surrogate because she wanted to help mothers who were struggling to carry their own children,” Munn shared. “The sadness I felt from not being able to carry my daughter really dissipated once all of my hopes and dreams were placed into this other woman, and I knew that she was really kind and cared so much.”

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After the healthy birth of her daughter, Méi—who is now six months old—Munn has taken time to reflect on her perspective on surrogacy and how it has shaped her life firsthand. 

“When you meet people who wanna do [surrogacy], you realize there’s so much good in the world,” Munn stated. “At first there’s the sadness and there’s the concern that you’re losing control, but it is soon replaced by so much love and so much gratitude…”  

Munn’s full story with SELF can be found here, and the debut of her newest Apple TV+ series alongside Jon Hamm, Your Friends and Neighbors, premieres on April 11.