Mulaney Isn't Only One Who Relied on Booze in Pandemic

Like many people, John Mulaney suddenly had a lot of downtime once the pandemic began. For someone who's struggled with cocaine and alcohol use, that wasn't a good thing. The comedian is now undergoing a rehab program in Pennsylvania. "It was a relief to his wife and family that he checked in," a source tells Us Weekly. "He had too much time in his own head." The 38-year-old had been sober for 15 years. He recently revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live that during the shutdown, he grew bored and eventually took a job as a writer on Late Night With Seth Meyers. "I wanted to have a boss and I wanted to have structure," Mulaney said. "Because my psychiatrist, who knows me well, said, 'Without external structure, I don't have confidence in you thriving.'"

Many people are struggling with isolation during the pandemic. Online alcohol sales in the US jumped 243% in March over the year before, per MarketWatch. The next month, the World Health Organization urged limits on sales, pointing out that drinking weakens the immune system. A software firm's survey this month of 1,300 telecommuters that 90% have been drinking while working from home, from "a glass or two with lunch" through "a whole bottle of wine a day," per Personnel Today. (More John Mulaney stories.)