No, it's that. I'm not particularly invested in the guy, but I know there's plenty of toxic behavior directed at him. My reaction is from the pretty casual distance of someone who has watched his stand-up and enjoys Big Mouth, but is not otherwise a "fan" of John Mulaney. The headlines of the last year started with me thinking "oh yikes, hope he gets better" to "ew what?"
I don't know, maybe 'problematic' isn't even the right word for what's been made public. More of a disappointing peek at a life that looks more chaotic than the public persona he used to put forth.
Yeah I never even really got that 'buddy' vibe from him. He's good at building the sense that he's quite relatable, then suddenly holding that relatability at a distance and making some withering observations about either himself or the people who are identifying with him. I think my reaction, more than anything about Mulaney himself, is hearing the way other comedians talk about him when they're doing interviews with the likes of Maron or Conan. He's universally hailed by his peers as a prodigy, someone in complete control of his craft. So yeah, maybe it is just the contrast of seeing what looks like a run of the mill celeb trainwreck that feels a bit scummy.
