‘Who Is Martin Mull?’: 9 Must-Know Stories From Bob Saget’s Heartfelt Doc
Martin Mull spent more than five decades making people laugh, from his groundbreaking work on Fernwood 2-Night to memorable roles on Roseanne, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Arrested Development. But as Netflix’s new documentary reveals, comedy was only one part of his story — and, according to Mull himself, it wasn’t even the most important one. According to Mull, he was a painter who happened to be a huge comedic talent.
Who Is Martin Mull? looks beyond the familiar face from TV to reveal the painter, musician, recovering alcoholic, husband, father, and accidental comedian behind it. From the surprising way he discovered he was funny to his friendship with Johnny Carson, 35 years of sobriety, and the art career that eventually took him to the Whitney, here are some of the biggest things we learned about Martin Mull.
Who is Martin Mull?, Now Streaming, Netflix
It was directed by Bob Saget, who passed away before it was finished
Who Is Martin Mull? began as a passion project for Bob Saget, who first saw Mull perform at the Main Point in Philadelphia and never forgot his parody songs and offbeat comedy. Saget began filming in 2018 and spent four years on the project before his unexpected death in 2022. His footage became the foundation of the finished film, making it as much a tribute to Saget and his friendship with Mull as a celebration of Mull himself.
"Showbusiness was an excuse to paint"
Despite his decades of success in comedy and acting, Mull considered himself a painter first. “I’m more of a painter who does the entertainment industry,” he once explained, viewing show business as a great day job that allowed him to pursue his real passion of painting. As Penn Jillette puts it in the documentary, “You’re talking about someone who was a world-class comedian, and that’s not what he did best.” Mull was a remarkably skilled artist who worked across a wide range of styles, from photorealistic portraits and landscapes to surreal, conceptual, and collage-like works.
He became famous thanks to a parody song about Johnny Cash
Before comedy and acting, Mull was a musician who initially picked up the guitar to help him pick up girls. His big break came with “A Girl Named Johnny Cash,” a parody of Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue.” Jane Morgan performed it on The Ed Sullivan Show with Cash in attendance, helping Mull land a Warner Bros. Records contract. He went on to release eight comedy albums and tour with Monty Python.
Becoming a comedian was a fluke
Mull’s move from music to comedy was almost entirely a fluke. As he put it when asked how he became a comedian: “I was a sh*tty singer.” The turning point came during a coffeehouse performance when his band’s stage equipment went on the fritz. With time to kill, Mull started talking to the audience — and absolutely slayed them. The reaction helped him realize that making people laugh might be where his real talent — and money — was.
He helped pioneer the mockumentary
Long before mockumentaries became a pop culture staple of TV and streaming, Mull helped pioneer the format with Fernwood 2-Night. He and Fred Willard played dimwitted hosts of a low-budget talk show in Ohio, interviewing their town’s eccentric residents as if they were real people. The deadpan humor confused and even offended some viewers, but the series was well ahead of its time. Mull even cast his own mother as a librarian.
He went from spoofing talk shows to hosting The Tonight Show
Mull may have made his name sending up talk shows on Fernwood 2-Night, but he eventually found himself behind the desk of the real thing, guest-hosting The Tonight Show more than 30 times. Johnny Carson was a huge fan of Mull (and his art), and the two bonded over being pulled between different creative passions (Carson was also a drummer).
In his heyday, he was a functioning alcoholic
At the height of his success, Mull described himself as a “functioning alcoholic,” even using his photorealistic paintings as proof he didn’t have a problem: “You can’t paint that and be drunk!” Eventually, as Mull joked, his “liver approached statehood,” and he knew it was time to quit. His doctor told him to enjoy one final cocktail, knowing it would be his last. Mull followed the advice and remained sober for the next 35 years.
If you or someone you know has addiction issues, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration‘s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
He didn't get recognition from the art world until later in life
After decades of painting, Mull held his first major art show in 2004, drawing 300 to 400 people and selling out in just three hours. Prices for his work reportedly quadrupled, and critic Mario Naves declared him an artist who deserved to be better known as a painter. Mull went on to sell out galleries and attract collectors around the world, with his work eventually appearing at the Whitney Museum of American Art. In his final years, he was doing exactly what he had always wanted: Painting.
Steven Martin was a huge supporter of his art
One of Mull’s biggest champions in the art world was fellow comedian Steve Martin. A serious art collector himself, Martin became a fan of Mull’s work and owns several of his paintings as part of his extensive personal collection. His support also helped Mull reach one of the biggest milestones of his career as a painter: Getting his work into the Whitney Museum of American Art. It was another sign that Mull’s painting was far more than a celebrity side project; it had earned the art world’s respect.
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