John Mulaney Says ‘There’s No Time for Inauthenticity’ In His 40s(Exclusive)

John Mulaney has entered a new era — one defined by fatherhood, humor, and, yes, non-alcoholic beer.

“I’m 43 now,” he says in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, emphasizing how he finds that unapologetic authenticity comes with age. “I find when you are so busy that there’s no time…You couldn’t fake s— if you tried, authenticity comes naturally.”

The proud dad and husband, who shares two children, Malcolm Hiệp, 3, and 13-month-old Méi with his wife, Olivia Munn, 45, explains, “If you just fill your life with children and work and friends and people and Zooms, you never have a moment to stand in your closet and be like, ‘What kind of person am I?’ There’s no time for inauthenticity.” 

Mulaney’s special brand of no-nonsense honesty has become central to his outlook in life, and to his latest project. The comedian recently joined Years, a non-alcoholic beer brewed in Chicago and Milwaukee, as a co-owner and creative director. 

What drew him in wasn’t just the taste, but the feeling. “It’s that familiar Midwestern vibe,” he highlights. “You can be drinking it in your friend’s driveway or on a fishing boat with your grandpa. It hits a nostalgia spot.”

Sobriety, for Mulaney, has been about finding joy in the ordinary. “When you stop drinking, you lose some things — but you gain a lot more,” he says. “You get new kinds of connections and new things that matter.”

These days, that means family first. Munn and the two young kids often travel with him on tour, and even with the chaos of touring, Mulaney says life feels smoother than ever. 

“We make sure that we are checked in [into the hotels], we make sure that the do not disturb is on the phone when the baby goes down,” he says of traveling with the family and being the first “big tour” since the birth of his daughter. “We have it down to a science.” 

The balance he’s found — between career, comedy and calm — mirrors what he sees in Years. “It’s not trying to be anything it’s not,” he says. “It’s beer energy without the beer.”

And as he prepares to become the first comedian to headline Chicago’s Wrigley Field next summer — where Years is served on tap — Mulaney reflects on what feels different this time around.

“In your 40s, you just stop pretending,” he says. “You fill your life with work and family and people you love. There’s no time for inauthenticity — and honestly, that makes everything a lot easier.”