Olivia Munn Details Journey to Welcome Daughter Méi Amid Cancer Battle

Olivia Munn’s path to life as mom of two wasn’t an easy one.

The Newsroom star—who welcomed daughter Méi June Mulaney with husband John Mulaney via surrogate in September—revealed that after she gave birth to the couple’s son Malcolm Hiep Mulaney in 2021, her journey to having a baby girl was complicated by her breast cancer diagnosis.

“We really wanted a little girl, and right after that we got the diagnosis,” Olivia, 44, said during a panel at Hello Sunshine’s 2nd Annual Shine Away Event connected by AT&T Oct. 5. “We had already planned to turn my eggs into embryos because when you have eggs frozen, you really don't know the quality until they're turned into embryos. So we go through that, and out of all my 26, only five were good. We had four boys, one girl.”

The Daily Show alum convinced her doctor to harvest one last round of eggs before her cancer treatment would impact her fertility, hoping to increase her likelihood of having a daughter. And she recalled talking through the process with John, who she wed in July.

“I was like, ‘I know [the doctor] said we get one more girl and then we call it a day, but I won't feel good until we get two more,’” she shared, “‘So I need you to just be on my side and let me go through this. I know I'm putting myself at risk, but I just have to do this.’ And he said, ‘I'll support whatever you want to do.’”

Fortunately, the treatment yielded two more female embryos, leading to the birth of their healthy little girl Sept. 14. As the actress joked, “Now we have Méi—and 26 more!”

Olivia, who has previously spoken out about her fertility journey, reflected on the reaction she received when she first froze her eggs in her early 30s.

“I remember telling some people about this, some men, some women, and the shock and judgment that people gave me for that was so surprising,” she remembered. “I thought, ‘Well, people do IVF. This is the first step. So I'm just trying to use science to my benefit.’”

She continued, “It allows me not to have to worry about it or find a partner, and maybe I didn’t even want kids, but I wanted that insurance.”

Keep reading to see more stars who’ve welcomed new babies this year.

The This Is Us alum found herself with a Big Three of her own in September 2024, when she and her husband welcomed daughter Louise Everett Goldsmith.

The baby girl joins older brothers August "Gus" Harrison and Oscar "Ozzie" Bennett.

Everybody's in LA—including the couple's daughter Méi June Mulaney, who they welcomed via surrogate on Sept. 14.

"I am so proud of my little plum," Olivia—who also shares son Malcolm Hiep Mulaney with John—wrote on Instagram, explaining that her baby girl's name (pronounced May) is the Chinese word for plum. "My heart has exploded."

The Married at First Sight couple doubled their brood's size on Sept. 18, welcoming twin boys Hawkins Tyler Hehner—(born 6:05 p.m.—and Huxley James Hehner, who arrived three minutes later.

"Baby A was born normally. I pushed him out so fast, baby B was born BREECH," Jamie—who is also mom to daughter Henley Grace Hehner and son Hendrix Douglas Hehner—later wrote on Instagram. "It was a scary moment at first bc he was quite stunned and didn’t cry immediately but when he finally kinda 'came to' & I heard his little squeal I just lost it."

The Flash alum and his physical therapist wife announced the birth of their son Arthur James Grant on Sept. 12, calling the baby boy their older daughter Juniper's new "best friend."

More than a month after filing for divorce, the "WAP" rapper gave birth to her third child with the Migos member Sept. 7. The former couple's older kids—daughter Kulture and son Wave—visited their new sibling in the hospital. 

The High School Musical alum and her composer husband welcomed their second child, Emerson Clover French, Sept. 6.

The Vanderpump Rules star became a mom of two on Sept. 3, when she gave birth to daughter Sosa—who she concieved through the use of a sperm donor and intrauterine insemination (IUI).

Her baby girl's arrival came three years after her breakup with Randall Emmett, with whom she shares older daughter Ocean. 

The Glee alum gave birth to her second child—named Emery Sol Reich—with the entrepreneur, writing on Instagram Aug. 25: "Our hearts are so full."

Meet the new Princess of Malibu! The reality star and his wife welcomed daughter Joan Almond Jenner in August.

"Born at home in a flash, just the most amazing experience for mama and baby girl," Brandon—who is also dad twin sons Bo and Sam as well as  daughter Eva with ex Leah James—wrote on Instagram. "A beautiful, gentle birth. 9 lbs 2 oz, 21 1/2 inches long."

The Parenthood alum announced her journey into motherhood on Aug. 28, revealing that she named her baby boy after her former costar Miles Heizer.

It's a baby, baby, baby, oh! The pop superstar and the Rhode Skin founder shared on Aug. 23 that they welcomed son Jack Blues Bieber.

The "Body on Me" collaborators welcomed their first baby together—a son named Kareem Kenkaide Hayes—on July 18, their rep told E! News in August.

The country star welcomed a new gold chain cowboy when his wife gave birth son Major Yancey Tyler McCollum on Aug. 8.

Jenna Bush Hager announced on Aug. 5 that her twin sister gave birth to a baby boy named Edward Finn Coyne.

"My sissy had a little mister," the Today anchor wrote on Instagram, "and I fell madly in love with Edward Finn!"

On July 24, the Whose Line Is It Anyway? star revealed that he has a "6-month-old son that people don’t know about."

"It was not on my bingo card: 51-year-old dad—brand new kid," he continued, sharing that he welcomed baby boy Val Henry with an ex-girlfriend named Tina. "I didn’t see it coming."

The "See You Again" rapper—who shares son Sebastian Taylor with ex Amber Rose—privately welcomed a baby girl, Kadence, with girlfriend of five years Aimee Aguilar on July 17. 

Two years after welcoming son Dawson, the Bachelor in Paradise alums added to their brood with the July 22 arrival of their second baby boy Hayden Cruise Haibon.

The Dancing With the Stars couple welcomed their third son, Milan Maksim Chmerkovskiy, on July 12.

The WNBA star and her wife welcomed a baby boy weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces, on July 8. 

"That's my man. He is amazing," Brittney told CBS Sports. "They said as soon as you see them, everything that you thought mattered just goes out the window. That's literally what happened."

The Step Up star welcomed her third baby and second child with her fiancé on June 14, the couple confirmed on Instagram June 20.

"Rhiannon Lee Kathryn Kazee," the duo captioned their joint post. "From the moment you arrived, you have brought immense joy and love into our lives… your gentle grace, sweetness, and beauty have captivated our entire family." 

The "Bury Me in Georgia" singer and his wife officially welcomed their third child on June 18, a baby boy named Krewe Allen Brown.

The Glee star and his wife Mia Swier welcomed their second child on June 3, a baby boy named Brother László Criss.

"M & D just delivered their follow-up single," Darren wrote on Instagram June 6. "Brother László Criss. 6/3/24. Out now… and yes his first name is Brother."

The Oscar nominee and her husband shared they welcomed their twins, a girl and a boy named Maya and Cooper in April. 

"Brandon always wanted to name a son Cooper, so we can call him 'Coop,'" Gabourey told The Shade Room June 6, "and Maya was named shortly before our baby moon to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico. Both twins have traditional West African middle names after members of my family."

The Property Brothers star and his wife Linda Phan welcomed their second child on May 21, a baby girl named Piper Rae.

"Our family of 3 has become 4!" the couple wrote in a joint Intagram post June 5. "Piper Rae, I love you with all my heart."

The YouTuber and her husband Moses Hacmon welcomed their second child together, a baby girl named Elvis, she shared on Instagram June 4.

Erin Foster and her husband Simon welcomed their first baby, daughter Noa Mimi Tikhman on May 17. 

"Truly the most insane experience of my life, with the best ending,” Erin wrote in a May 19 Instagram post announcing the couple's new addition. "Being totally unbiased I would say she’s perfect and super advanced already, and might be the first person I’ve met who prefers me to Simon."

The NBA star and his wife welcomed their fourth baby, son Caius Chai, May 11.

The Walking Dead alum Tom Payne and his wife Jennifer announced they welcomed identical twins on April 1, 2024. 

“We are overjoyed to share the news that on April 1st, 2024, we welcomed twins into our family,” the couple said in a statement. “An entirely unexpected and wonderful surprise.” 

The duo also share a son, Harrison, who was born in 2022. 

Big Time Rush member Kendall and his wife Mica announced that they have welcomed their first child together, a baby girl named Maple.

The couple shared the news in a joint Instagram post March 22, posting photo of Maple as well as one of Kendall and Mica posing with their baby girl.

The married Revenge alumni welcomed their second daughter, Rio Rose, on March 12.