Anna Marie Tendler, the ex-wife of comedian John Mulaney, reveals she suffered a mental breakdown and was suicidal during the collapse of their marriage in 2021.
Elle published an essay from Tendler in which she described her deep sadness over Mulaney’s decision to end their marriage, and the many ways she suffered during that difficult time. Tendler spoke of her bond with her dog Petunia, and credited the animal with saving her life. “When I was hospitalized for depression, self-harm, and severe suicidal ideation in the first two weeks of 2021, the doctors asked me to make a list of my reasons for living,” Tendler wrote. “Petunia was the one and only thing on that list.”
Anna Marie Tendler shared that her mental health “hinged wholly” on Petunia, adding that she was hospitalized for mental health issues in 2021. https://t.co/TyRXwIxm76
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) June 8, 2023
“Petunia and I moved to Connecticut in December 2020, in the wake of my severe mental health breakdown and what appeared to be the impending end of my marriage,” Tendler wrote. “We fused even more deeply together in an attuned and totally symbiotic relationship. She never let me out of her sight. (RELATED: John Mulaney Describes The Intervention That Turned His Life Around)
SANTA MONICA, CA – MARCH 03: Comedian John Mulaney and wife Annamarie Tendler attends the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards on March 3, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Tendler credited the dog for showing her the “deepest love I had ever known” and expressed gratitude for having that level of support while her life seemed to crumble around her.
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 23: Artist Anna Marie Tendler photographed during The Other Art Fair Los Angeles presented by Saatchi Art in partnership with BOMBAY SAPPHIRE at Barker Hangar on September 23, 2021 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for The Other Art Fair)
Tendler and Mulaney divorced in Jan. 2022 after seven years of marriage. Mulaney filed for divorce in July 2021 and announced two months later that he had fathered a son with actress Olivia Munn, according to Stylecaster.