Traffic infractions generally aren’t our beat here at LateNighter, but after watching this week’s Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney, we’d be remiss if we didn’t warn John Mulaney off driving without a valid license.
While discussing REAL ID (this week’s topic) Wednesday night, Mulaney disclosed that he’d let his New York State driver’s license expire and now needs to take both a written and a driving test in California in order to get a new license.
He didn’t reveal whether he’s been driving with an expired license, but we’re here to tell him: don’t.
Per California law, if you’re pulled over with an expired license, it carries the same penalty as driving without a license at all. Depending on the situation, unlicensed drivers can be fined up to $1000 and can face up to six months in jail. (For Mulaney, who also confessed to having “unlimited resources” during Wednesday night’s episode, one imagines jail time would be a bigger concern than a thousand dollar fine.)
In promotional materials for Everybody’s Live, Mulaney is seen driving a Chrysler TC by Maserati, which he has said he in fact personally drives, although that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily been driving it since his New York license expired.
(Not for nothing, Mulaney has called California home since at least 2022, which would suggest that he’s been in violation of another state law requiring that new residents obtain a California driver’s license within ten days of establishing residence. Just saying.)
We’ve all got a vested interest in seeing Mulaney, the family man and late-night talk show host, stay on the straight and narrow (and out of the clink). Here’s hoping he does the right thing.
