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Olivia Munn attended An Unforgettable Evening Benefiting the Women’s Cancer Research Fund on Monday, April 28
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The actress, 44, told PEOPLE her recent relatable Instagram post of her son Malcom, 3, walking through N.Y.C. in only his socks following a tantrum has led to her being stopped in the streets by other moms
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“I just started crying,” she recalled of one interaction, where a group of women wanted to say hi to her son
Olivia Munn is overwhelmed with emotion.
The actress — who shares Malcolm Hiệp, 3, and 7-month-old Méi June, with husband John Mulaney — spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about how her recent relatable Instagram post of her son walking alongside her in just socks in N.Y.C. following a tantrum has led to an outpouring of support.
“Oh my gosh, the other day, I was walking on that same street and I ran into some women who wanted to say ‘Hi’ to my little baby,” Munn, 44, tells PEOPLE while attending An Unforgettable Evening Benefiting the Women’s Cancer Research Fund at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on Monday, April 28.
“And I just started crying. I was like, it’s just so hard. And they were very sweet,” she continues, adding that tantrums are a “hard moment” when it comes to parenting.
In the post, Munn could be seen holding hands with Malcom as he walks shoeless through a N.Y.C. street, getting his white socks dirty.
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Phillip Faraone/Getty
Olivia Munn attends An Unforgettable Evening Benefiting the Women’s Cancer Research Fund at The Beverly Hilton
Related: Olivia Munn Says ‘Having a Toddler and Newborn’ Is ‘Not for the Faint of Heart’ in Relatable Parenting Update
The X-Men: Apocalypse star revealed in the caption of her post that Malcom had had a tantrum during their outing earlier that day.
“Yes, this is my 3-year-old walking through the streets of New York in only his socks,” she wrote.
“I’m posting this for all the parents who thought it would be great to take advantage of the beautiful weather and took their toddler on a walk only for them to lie down screaming on the floor of Whole Foods, run through the aisles of CVS screaming ‘I don’t like anyone!!’ and knocked over your iced tea before your first sip, all while carrying your 7-month-old strapped to your body,” Munn continued.
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“After all of that, he insisted on walking home without his shoes,” she added. “And in a moment which I can only describe as total exhaustion, I said okay. So we walked over a mile home with only socks… through every street in NY.”
Munn concluded the post by saying, “This Easter Monday will live in infamy in my memory as the day I tried my absolute best, got us home without another tantrum and learned that the rubber padding on toddler socks can only take so much. Cheers to anyone else who went through this today or any other day. You have my utmost respect.”
Olivia Munn/Instagram
Malcom’s socks after the walk
Munn’s attendance at Monday’s event comes after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 after tests uncovered that she had luminal B — a fast-moving, aggressive cancer — in both breasts.
During her speech at the annual gala, Munn explained that her yearly mammogram and breast ultrasound had clear results before her diagnosis, but a doctor insisted on her doing the lifetime risk assessment.
She recalled struggling to tell her husband that she had cancer after a series of other tests confirmed she had the illness.
“When I got home, my son was playing in the yard, and was just over one year old at that moment, and I went over, and I hugged him so hard that he said, ‘Mama too much,’ ” she said during her speech.
“And then I turned to John, and right then we started planning my way out of this thing. The next day, I began scheduling all of my appointments. If you’ve ever been diagnosed with any cancer, you know, it’s a lot.”
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Munn praised the team of doctors who have not only looked after her but also helped to welcome her baby daughter. She then encouraged attendees at the fundraiser for cancer research to be generous.
“I don’t wish this journey on anyone, but if you have to face cancer, I pray you meet the kind of doctors that I did, the nurses, the hospital administrators, everyone along the way who showed me kindness in those scary days,” she said. “There are countless other doctors and researchers who I’ve never met that I have to thank.”
John Mulaney/Instagram
Olivia Munn and John Mulaney with their kids
Related: John Mulaney and Olivia Munn’s 2 Kids: All About Malcolm and Méi
Alongside Munn’s speech, the gala featured notable honorees, tributes to survivors, research updates and live music performances.
“I’m just so grateful that talking about my cancer and talking about the lifetime risk assessment test has spread so far around the globe and that there are foundations like the one tonight that are raising money for cancer research,” Munn tells PEOPLE.
“You know, my type of cancer it’s an aggressive and fast-moving cancer, and so only, like within the last 20 years, they’ve discovered that endocrine therapy can help my type of cancer, and that was only discovered because of funding for research,” she says. “And so the more funding into breast cancer research, the more opportunities we have to find more cures and to find more pathways to survival for other people who are going through the same process.”
Read the original article on People
