Olivia Munn has revealed that her mother Kim has been battling breast cancer after she urged her to get an MRI scan which led to the diagnosis.
It comes just two years after Munn herself battled the disease.
During her own ordeal with cancer, the 45-year-old actress underwent four surgeries in 10 months including a double mastectomy in 2023, driving the disease into remission.
Now she has announced that her mother has also gone through a double mastectomy, as well as 12 rounds of chemotherapy.
The news was accompanied by an Instagram album that included a heartwarming video of Kim ringing the bell that indicates her chemotherapy is complete.
However her treatment plan is apparently ongoing, as Olivia noted that her mother ‘will continue monthly Herceptin transfusions until this fall.’
Along with her daughter, Kim’s support system included her husband Sam, as well as Olivia’s husband John Mulaney who ‘came often to sit and gossip with her.’
Olivia Munn revealed her mother Kim’s battle with breast cancer – two years after she herself faced down the illness
‘After my own breast cancer diagnosis in 2023, I urged my mother and sister to take the Breast Cancer Lifetime Risk Assessment test,’ wrote Olivia.
‘My mother scored 26.2%. Her yearly mammogram had just come out clear but because of that high score I insisted she get an MRI,’ she recalled.
‘Shortly after that MRI, my mother was diagnosed with Stage 1 Her2 breast cancer. She has since completed 12 rounds of chemo and will continue monthly Herceptin transfusions until this fall,’ the The Newsroom actress revealed.
‘From my mom being there after my double mastectomy to me being there after hers. From me having to find an oncologist, to my mom and I sharing one. I can tell you this: going through cancer is really hard. But there’s something about watching a loved one go through it that is even more heartbreaking,’ she confessed.
‘My mom’s husband, Sam, and I learned everything we could about Her2, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, cold caps…’ Olivia wrote.
‘My moms husband, Sam, and I learned everything we could about Her2, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, cold caps…’ Olivia wrote.
‘I spent many nights taking care of my mom when the chemo became too much, wishing I could fight the fight for her, even if only for a day to give her a little break. It’s no small feat to realize you can’t do it for them,’ she reflected.
‘To anyone out there who is taking someone or has made it their profession to do so, thank you. These fights can feel impossible without you,’ added Olivia.
‘The Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment test saved my life and now my mom’s. This is a free, online test. Anything above 20% is considered high risk for breast cancer and you should insist that your doctor order a breast MRI,’ she urged fans.
Along with her daughter, Kim’s support system included her husband Sam, as well as Olivia’s husband John Mulaney who ‘came often to sit and gossip with her’
She also uploaded a video of Kim and John lounging on the couch together at home, chitchatting a sharing a laugh with one another
‘My mom’s husband, Sam, and I learned everything we could about Her2, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, cold caps…’ Olivia wrote; Kim and Sam are pictured together
Her album included a touching photo of Kim in the middle of her recovering cradling Olivia and John’s daughter Méi, whom they welcomed via surrogate last September
The suite of pictures concluded with a throwback snap of Kim and baby Olivia, mirroring the shot of Kim with her infant granddaughter
‘According to Dr. Thais Aliabadi every woman should take the test starting at the age of 30. She advises recalculating anytime you have started hormone treatment, had a baby or have a relative newly diagnosed with breast cancer.’
She noted: ‘We’re taught about our periods, yearly Pap smears and mammograms at 40. And now we need every gynecologist to incorporate the lifetime risk test into their care plan. All of these things matter, you can’t leave one off. My mom wanted me to tell you that she hopes by sharing her story it will help save someone’s life.’
Olivia movingly concluded: ‘I want to say how proud I am of my mom. She’s handled all of this with bravery and humor while still driving us crazy (just days after her double mastectomy she tired to do laundry and make dinner- she’s insane.)’
Her album included a touching photo of Kim in the middle of her recovery cradling Olivia and John’s daughter Méi, whom they welcomed via surrogate last September.
The couple are also parents to a three-year-old son called Malcolm, who was just one year old when Olivia discovered that she herself had cancer.
In her Instagram post documenting her mother’s treatments, Olivia featured photos of Kim with Sam and being visited in the hospital by John.
She also uploaded a video of Kim and John lounging on the couch together at home, chitchatting a sharing a laugh with one another.
The suite of pictures concluded with a throwback snap of Kim and baby Olivia, mirroring the shot of Kim with her infant granddaughter.
During her own ordeal with cancer, the 45-year-old actress underwent four surgeries in 10 months including a double mastectomy, driving the disease into remission
Although having little Malcolm at home made the initial news scarier, the task of taking care of him helped Olivia cope with her treatment
John and Olivia brought their daughter into the world via surrogacy, after Olivia’s cancer treatments caused her to go through early menopause.
Olivia’s cancer battle began in 2023 with a jarring diagnosis – just three months after she had a mammogram that indicated she was healthy.
Her astonishment was compounded by the fact that she had gotten a negative test for a cancer gene mutation not long beforehand.
She ‘did all the tests that I knew about’ and as a result was ‘walking around thinking I had no breast cancer’ shortly before she was diagnosed, she told People.
When she received news that she had cancer in both breasts, she ‘was not someone who obsessed over death or was afraid of it in any way’ but confessed that ‘having a little baby at home made everything much more terrifying.’
Olivia and John’s married last year after a romance that first went public in mid-2021, on the heels of the comedian’s split from his first wife Anna Marie Tendler; pictured 2024
Olivia, who was about to start shooting a film at the time, realized ‘cancer doesn’t care who you are; it doesn’t care if you have a baby or if you don’t have time. It comes at you, and you have no choice but to face it head-on.’
Although having little Malcolm at home made the initial news scarier, the task of taking care of him helped Olivia cope with her treatment.
‘When I’m with him, it’s the only time my brain doesn’t think about being sick. I’m just so happy with him,’ she explained.
‘And it puts a lot of stuff into perspective. Because if my body changes, I’m still his mom. If I have hot flashes, I’m still his mom. If I lose my hair, I’m still his mom. That’s really what matters the most to me. I get to be here for him.’
‘And it puts a lot of stuff into perspective. Because if my body changes, I’m still his mom. If I have hot flashes, I’m still his mom. If I lose my hair, I’m still his mom. That’s really what matters the most to me. I get to be here for him.’
Olivia and John’s married last year after a romance that first went public in mid-2021, on the heels of the comedian’s split from his first wife Anna Marie Tendler.
