Olivia Munn

Biography:

Lisa Olivia Munn was born on July 3, 1980, in Oklahoma City to Kimberly Schmid and Winston Munn. Her father has German, Irish, and English ancestry, while her mother, of Chinese-Vietnamese descent, came to the U.S. as a refugee after the Vietnam War in 1975 and later met Munn’s father in Oklahoma. Olivia grew up with two brothers and two sisters.

When she was two years old, her parents divorced, and her mother later married a U.S. Air Force officer. The family first lived in Utah before moving in 1986 to Yokota Air Base near Tokyo, where Olivia spent much of her childhood. She has spoken about her stepfather’s harsh and verbally abusive behavior, explaining that she would distract her siblings by doing impressions and movie scenes to lighten the atmosphere. At sixteen, after her mother divorced again, the family returned to Oklahoma City. Munn attended Putnam City North High School and later enrolled at the University of Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in journalism with minors in Japanese and dramatic arts.

Her early career included internships at KJRH-TV in Tulsa and Fox Sports, where she briefly worked as a sideline reporter for college football and women’s basketball. She later admitted the job felt inauthentic to her and soon moved to Los Angeles, where she began pursuing acting. She appeared in small projects such as Scarecrow Gone Wild, Zebrahead’s “Hello Tomorrow” music video, and National Lampoon’s Strip Poker. In 2005, she landed her first major TV role as Mily Acuna in the teen drama Beyond the Break.

In 2006, Munn joined G4’s Attack of the Show! as co-host alongside Kevin Pereira after winning a public contest to replace Kevin Rose. Though gaming was not her strongest area, she proved herself with technical knowledge and confidence, hosting segments like “In Your Pants” and later shows such as Formula D and Around the Net. She remained with the program until 2010, while also acting in films including Big Stan (2007) and Insanitarium (2008).

She went on to appear in Date Night and Iron Man 2 (2010), earning praise from Robert Downey Jr. for her improvisational skills. She had roles in Greek, Chuck, and NBC’s short-lived sitcom Perfect Couples. That same year, she became a correspondent on The Daily Show, where her presence initially sparked debate but she went on to contribute 16 episodes until 2011, with her “Tiger Mothering” segment becoming notable.

From 2010 onward, Munn’s career grew steadily. She appeared in The Babymakers and Magic Mike (2012), along with a recurring role on New Girl. Her breakthrough came with HBO’s The Newsroom, where she portrayed economist Sloan Sabbith for the show’s three-season run from 2012 to 2015. She later took on roles in Office Christmas Party (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) as Psylocke, and The Predator (2018), where she drew attention for reporting that a scene featured a registered sex offender, which led to the footage being cut. Her later work included Netflix’s Love Wedding Repeat (2020), The Gateway (2021), and voicing Lady Bullseye in Marvel’s animated Hit-Monkey (2021–2024). In 2025, she began starring in the Apple TV+ drama Your Friends and Neighbors.

Alongside acting, Munn has modeled for brands like Nike, Pepsi, and Neutrogena and graced covers of Maxim, Playboy, FHM, and others. She released her book Suck It, Wonder Woman: The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek in 2010, blending humor with glimpses into her personal life. She has been active in advocacy, working with PETA on animal rights campaigns, writing for The Huffington Post, and speaking out against anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2025, she was recognized as one of Time’s Women of the Year.

Munn holds a black belt in taekwondo and has said her belief in the supernatural changed after working on Deliver Us from Evil. She has also been outspoken about sexual harassment in Hollywood, accusing director Brett Ratner of misconduct in 2017 and supporting the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.

Her personal life has included a relationship with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers from 2014 to 2017, and later with comedian John Mulaney, with whom she has two children—a son born in 2021 and a daughter via surrogate in 2024. The couple married in 2024. In March 2024, Munn revealed that she had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer the year before, undergoing four surgeries including a double mastectomy. She has spoken openly about her experience, crediting early detection with giving her treatment options.