John Mulaney is stirring things up again, this time with a joke about the bizarre and still-puzzling deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. During a recent episode of his variety series Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney, the comedian took a dark jab at the investigation into their deaths, and let’s just say, not everyone is laughing.
In the bit, Mulaney mocked how confidently people talk about ancient history while we can’t even nail down the facts about something that happened this year. “Scientists are now like, ‘We believe dinosaurs were killed 66 million years ago by an asteroid.’ 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,” John Mulaney joked. He followed it up with a swipe at the 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.”
The timing is definitely sensitive. Gene Hackman, 90, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were both found dead in separate rooms of their Santa Fe home in February. Authorities later said Betsy likely died first, on February 12, from Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a rare disease linked to rodent droppings. Gene reportedly died about six days later on February 18 from heart disease, with Alzheimer’s also cited as a contributing factor.
And the situation gets even more grim. One of the couple’s dogs was also found dead, apparently from starvation and dehydration. The dog was in a crate recovering from surgery. An environmental review of the property revealed major rodent infestations across several outbuildings, including dead rodents, nests, and feces scattered around.
So yeah, plenty of dark details, which is exactly why Mulaney’s joke is rubbing some people the wrong way. Fans are split. Some say it’s classic Mulaney: edgy, irreverent, and pushing boundaries like he always has. Others think it’s disrespectful, considering how shocking and tragic the story already is.
Gene Hackman was a Hollywood legend, two-time Oscar winner, career spanning five decades, and famously private in his later years. Betsy Arakawa, his longtime partner and former classical pianist, mostly stayed out of the public eye. The fact that their deaths turned into such a bizarre public mystery has only added to the media frenzy.
Whether Mulaney crossed a line or just did what comics do, poke fun at even the darkest stuff, is up for debate. But one thing’s clear: even in death, Gene Hackman remains a headline.