John Mulaney is one of the most hilarious stand-up comedians working today, whose career has been lauded over the years for its creativity and reliability. The former SNL writer, who is currently embarking on his "From Scratch" comedy tour, has quickly become incredibly popular - but has also been somewhat controversial, as the past few years have seen the famously sober comedian return to rehab, leave his wife, enter into a relationship with Olivia Munn, have a child with her, and draw fire and criticisms of transphobia after a performance opened with Dave Chapelle, who reportedly told transphobic jokes.
Despite his recent controversies, Mulaney has found great success in his Netflix specials, which present recordings of several of his comedy tours over the years. The comedian currently has three shows on the streamer, each with plenty of iconic bits that keep his fans laughing to this very day.
The One Thing You Can't Replace
Most of John Mulaney's fans are aware of the comedian's history of drug and alcohol abuse, which led to several stories that he would later tell onstage. One particular bit in New in Town, a special that originally aired on Comedy Central before coming to Netflix, tells the story of a high school party where things went way too far.
This bit is a classic example of Mulaney's early work, which includes spot-on pop culture references, brilliant storytelling, and a comedic twist to an already hilarious story that brings the entire bit to a close with perhaps one of the most memorable lines in Mulaney's entire career.
Mick Jagger
While John Mulaney has found his greatest success in stand-up comedy, his career truly began with his job as a staff writer for Saturday Night Live. Given the notoriety and absurdness of this job, Mulaney gathered plenty of interesting stories from his time on the show, including one encounter with Mick Jagger himself, which he tells in his most recent stand-up special, Kid Gorgeous.
This bit not only gives Mulaney the chance to humorously comment on his early career but also features the comedian's now-iconic impression of Jagger, whom he claims made for a particularly interesting guest star. This particular act has become one of the most quotable John Mulaney bits of all time, spawning dozens of memes within the fanbase.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is one of the longest-running drama shows ever, and also happens to be one of John Mulaney's favorites. In some thought-provoking commentary about the show, Mulaney explains some of his grievances about its content, as well as his favorite scene from the series.
In this act from New in Town, Mulaney pokes fun at the fact that crime series can "say anything on television," citing several disgusting lines he's heard Ice-T's character speak on the show. He also pitches an entire episode devoted to Ice-T continuing to compare sex addiction to various other addictions for the entire runtime.
Things Overheard
Many comedians derive content from the strange things they hear other people say in their day-to-day lives, and John Mulaney is no exception to this rule. The comedian often pokes fun at things he overhears in the world, including one exchange between a former boss and his secretary, which he relays in the first of his specials to premiere exclusively on Netflix, The Comeback Kid.
This bit has become famous for Mulaney's line therein where he claims that "the things people say mean nothing to them, but everything to me," which perfectly describes the comedian's approach to such interactions and has achieved memehood in and of itself over the years.
The Robot Test
Kid Gorgeous features some of the very best of Mulaney's observational humor, which he modeled after comedy legends like Jerry Seinfeld. In one of these classic bits, Mulaney laments the surging necessity for humans to prove to computers that they themselves are not robots just to log on to their view their own contents.
This sequence features the very best of Mulaney's explosive energy, as he prances around the stage to lend extra zaniness to his jokes. This rather random (and spot-on) observational humor makes Mulaney perfect for fans of other famous comedians, like Bo Burnham, who often provides similar commentary on day-to-day life.
Delta Airlines
An extended bit in John Mulaney's New in Town deals with the comedian's new standard of living after getting a girlfriend. Mulaney goes on a long rant about how he will accept any poor treatment from others when by himself, relaying a theoretical example about what he deems to be a "garbage airline."
During this particular bit, Mulaney engages in one of his signature and unrelenting rants, with his hypotheticals growing more and more bizarre with each passing sentence, ending with the Delta Airlines employees framing him for murder and sending him to prison for 30 years after taking off without him.
The Comeback Kid
In the eponymous bit from The Comeback Kid, Mulaney tells a true story about the time that he and his mother met then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton on the campaign trail. Used as the closer to this special, this segment has remained one of the most memorable stories told in Mulaney's career.
In any other hands, this tale would be rather uneventful and dull, but with Mulaney's capable storytelling techniques, this sequence of events is both memorable and wickedly funny. Mulaney comments on Clinton's infamous scandal with poise and sarcasm, telling the story of the 42nd President of the United States through the eyes of a disaffected child in Chicago. His random tangent recapping the ending to The Fugitive is the icing on the cake for this iconic tale.
The Xanax Story
John Mulaney's social awkwardness and occasionally self-destructive search for adventure often get him into the kind of trouble that few other functioning members of society would find themselves in. This is especially true of the time the comedian attempted to sneakily get a Xanax prescription during a doctor's visit under the guise of seeking help for a problem with frequent urination, as told in New in Town.
In this unforgettable story, Mulaney walks his audience through this appointment in excruciating detail as the doctor's visit slowly builds toward his receiving an unwanted prostate exam. This bit proved so popular with fans that it actually served as the plot to the pilot episode of the comedian's short-lived sitcom, Mulaney.
Horse In A Hospital
President Donald Trump was on the minds of many comedians after his election in 2016. While many celebrities made divisive headlines after voicing their opinions about Trump, Mulaney did something quite different by drawing a surprising analogy comparing the president to a "horse loose in a hospital."
Engaging thought experiences such as these are part of what makes Kid Gorgeous one of Netflix's most genuinely hilarious comedy specials. Mulaney's political commentary, though decidedly in opposition to Trump, doesn't alienate either side of the argument, but rather makes the most of the country's new normal, finding a way to make everyone laugh regardless of their political affiliations.
Street Smarts!
John Mulaney's most iconic bit from any of his standup specials is undoubtedly his long tangent regarding the odd "Stranger Danger" seminars he endured in school. In Kid Gorgeous, Mulaney introduces fans to Detective J.J. Bittenbinder, the man who taught Chicago students "street smarts," while also perhaps traumatizing them along the way.
This infamous bit begins with a lengthy commentary on school assemblies in general, eventually building up to the introduction of Detective Bittenbinder, whose three-piece suits and cowboy hat immediately signify his personality as he gives Mulaney and his classmates overly detailed information about how to "almost get kidnapped." This tangent perfectly encapsulates everything great about Mulaney's comedy, as his storytelling techniques, impressions, and hyperbole elegantly mesh into one of the greatest comedy routines of all time.