John Mulaney slammed over 'sickening' joke about Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's death investigation

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: John Mulaney is facing criticism after referencing the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, during a recent Netflix monologue.

The comedian made the remarks during the April 23 episode of 'Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney', triggering mixed reactions from viewers.

John Mulaney questions Hackman death probe in Netflix monologue

John Mulaney drew comparisons between scientific theories and the circumstances surrounding Gene Hackman and his wife's death.

“Scientists are now like, we believe dinosaurs were killed 66 million years ago by an asteroid,” Mulaney said during his monologue, per US Weekly.

“Stop. You don’t know that. We don’t even know how Gene Hackman and his wife died, and we found their whole bodies with full clothes on, one week after the event,” he added on his show.

Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered dead on February 26 at their home in New Mexico.

It was determined they had likely died more than a week before they were found.

Gene Hackman's estate has rodent infection 

Gene Hackman’s cause of death was hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor.

His wife died of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a rare disease linked to rodent exposure.

“How about that Santa Fe police? ‘Uh, hello. Press conference No. 470. We now believe that a rat bit Mrs Hackman, turning her hands into mummy hands.’ Just slow down. You don’t know what happened,” Mulaney said.

Earlier this month, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office released images from the couple’s estate showing dead rodents and nests in multiple buildings, including garages and sheds.

Despite a final press conference held weeks ago, public interest in the case has remained high.

The curiosity increased when investigators also revealed that Arakawa had searched online for flu-like symptoms between February 8 and 12, shortly before she likely died, and ordered oxygen canisters. 

The events took a turn when Arakawa's death was changed after authorities discovered new evidence indicating she was alive a day later than initially reported.

It came to light that she made multiple calls to a health clinic on February 12.  

Internet reacts to John Mulaney's Gene Hackman joke on Netflix

Viewers responded strongly to John Mulaney’s take, with some calling the bit disturbing while others defended it as bold comedy.

“Just me thinking the Gene Hackman bit was just a tad sickening,” one Reddit user posted.

“That was the best line of the show,” another viewer argued.

“Only John could get away with a Gene Hackman joke this soon,” read another online comment.

“A confused elderly man dying. A dog starving to death. And nobody caring enough to even check on them until her body was bloated and mummified. Hardy-har-har, a laugh riot,” one user wrote on X.

"Those jokes you had about Gene Hackman was absolutely heinous," one wrote in part of a long Instagram comment.

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