Olivia Munn feels 'lucky' amid 'exhausting' breast cancer treatment

KiMi Robinson, USA TODAYSun, March 29, 2026 at 11:10 PM UTC

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Three years after her breast cancer diagnosis and double mastectomy, Olivia Munn finds ongoing treatment to be "exhausting" – but she's grateful to be alive.

In an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning released March 29, the "Your Friends and Neighbors" actor, 45, told CBS News Correspondent Tracy Smith she's "good today," though "the medicine you have to take afterwards is sometimes so exhausting."

"With that, I think that I'm so lucky. I don't look at it like cancer has taken these things from me or it's unfair that I have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life," she continued. "I know that I'm lucky to be here and I am so lucky that I'm in this chaos and I haven't slept in a few days and I'm exhausted. It's a true privilege to just be alive in the world."

Despite a routine mammogram and ultrasound finding no abnormalities, after the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment Calculator determined Munn had a 37% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer in 2023, she decided to get an MRI, a second ultrasound and a biopsy. Two months after her clean slate of health, a biopsy found she had Luminal B cancer, an "aggressive, fast moving cancer," in both breasts.

Olivia Munn attends the Los Angeles Magazine's Women Of Impact Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton on March 13, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California.

As part of her treatment, Munn underwent a double mastectomy, a partial hysterectomy (the removal of a uterus) and an oophorectomy (removal of one or both ovaries).

"Now my score is zero," Munn told Smith.

Olivia Munn's new philosophy after 'faced with the possibility of death'

Munn, who shares 4-year-old Malcolm and 1½-year-old Méi with husband John Mulaney, in February 2025, said she has "years to go in my cancer treatment." In the meantime, she tries to find the little joys in life.

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In a September Instagram video, Munn shared a timeline of her treatment. The most recent development was that in August, she began taking Arimidex, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a breast cancer treatment that "interferes with the production of estrogen in the body."

"It's not the Christmases and the birthdays and the New Years that we remember," Munn told Smith. "Life happens on a Tuesday. Like, it just happens. And you cannot expect it. And so every day, you should just be so present and grateful."

She continued, "Put your phone down when your kid says 'mommy.' This is what life is made of: It's all these tiny little moments. And once you are faced with the possibility of death and not being here, for me, all I wanted were the little moments."

1 / 0Céline Dion, more stars open up about chronic illness, health issues

Celebrities such as Selma Blair, Jada Pinkett Smith, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber have embraced speaking out about ongoing health issues, encouraging fans to do the same. Here are more stars who have opened up about their health struggles.Model and socialite Lori Harvey revealed she has been battling polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis — diseases originating in the reproductive system that don't have known causes — for years. In a September 2025 episode of the "She MD Podcast," the entrepreneur said gynecologists dismissed her symptoms for years before she received a proper diagnosis.

The Affordable Care Act mandates that most insurance companies must cover annual screening mammograms for those 40 and older. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends mammogram screenings every other year from ages 40 to 74 for those with an "average" risk for breast cancer.

The National Cancer Institute makes available a Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool, which "allows health professionals to estimate a woman's risk of developing invasive breast cancer over the next five years and up to age 90 (lifetime risk)."

After skin cancer, breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women, according to the National Cancer Institute. The NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program found survival rates for breast cancer from 2013 to 2019 were: 99.3% for localized breast cancer only found in breast tissue, 86.#% for regional cancer that has spread to nearby lymph nodes or organs and 31% for metastatic cancer, which has spread to distant locations.

Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Olivia Munn shares cancer update after years of 'exhausting' treatment

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