Olivia Munn recalls how paparazzi pics with ex Chris Pine led to hair pulling

Olivia Munn opened up about her struggles with trichotillomania, which she said she first experienced while dating Chris Pine.

The Your Friends & Neighbors star has been candid about the hair-pulling disorder, which the actress said typically manifests in her picking out her eyelashes. She told Dax Shepard about the first time she started hair pulling on the most recent episode of the Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard podcast.

Munn explained that she had been dating Pine, whose star had risen after he had been cast in Star Trek. As a result, paparazzi started camping outside of his home, and Munn said they captured photos of her as she left his apartment.

“I did the horrible thing which was to read the comments,” she said. “At the time, you don’t know that it’s bad.”

This incident occurred after Munn attended the Stony Awards, where she dressed in a blue 1980s-style prom dress in order to make it on the “worst dressed” list.

“I couldn’t believe it worked,” she said of her outfit. “The fact that they know who I am to even put me on this list was very exciting.”

While the blue dress was intended to garner a negative reaction, Munn didn’t expect people to harp on her look when she was snapped outside of Pine’s apartment. She said people especially picked on a wallet clutch she had been holding. The experience started her trichotillomania, she said.

Trichotillomania can sometimes be triggered by anxiety or stress, according to the Mayo Clinic. Munn shared more about how it feels when she pulls her hair out.

“I’ll feel like, ‘Oh, this eyelash feels like it’s gonna come out,’ even though it’s not,” she said. “And then when you pull it, there’s a quick second of pain, and then there’s a satisfaction, and then immediate regret.”

While Pine and Munn split years ago, the two remain friends. Munn, who married John Mulaney in 2024, said she caught up with the actor after SNL50 and said he was “the best.”

Listen to Olivia Munn’s full interview on the Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard podcast below.