Kim Munn Was Tough – Facts about Olivia Munn's Mother

Kim Munn developed an interesting relationship with her famous daughter, Olivia Munn, mainly filled with tough love and bartering. She initially objected to Olivia's chosen career as her siblings ventured into academia. And yet, Olivia has recognized Kim's influence on her talents and personality.

Kim Munn has often become the subject of many of her Hollywood star daughter's interviews. In many, if not all, of them, Olivia often highlights her upbringing and how her mom's approach to parenting influenced her personality. Kim was a strict mother who had her own vision of Olivia's future.

But her toughness was met with Olivia's iron will, who was determined to pursue her own dreams, and now all her children lead remarkable careers in different fields. Yet as she grows older, Kim has come to wonder if she was at all a good mother. Still, despite Olivia's sarcastic jokes about her parenting, her daughter has indeed expressed her gratitude.

Kim Munn Is Originally from Vietnam

Kim, a woman of Chinese descent, grew up in Vietnam and eventually relocated to the United States with her family when the Vietnam War ended. She was married to Winston Munn, who would later become Olivia's father. The former couple welcomed the now-42-year-old in Oklahoma City in 1980 but separated when she was two.

Kim found new love and married a U.S. Air Force soldier, and they became a "military family" that frequently moved around. However, the soldier was abusive, and the couple eventually divorced. She tied the knot for the third and final time with another man who fostered a loving relationship with Olivia.

Kim Munn Received a House as Mother's Day Gift

During a chat with David Letterman in March 2022, Olivia weighed her family's outward affection on a scale of 1-10, placing it at "level two." She explained that her family rarely expressed their love, especially her mother, who would even throw away the cards she made her for Mother's Day.

Yet, despite those odds, the two maintained a solid bond. In 2016, Kim received a house from Olivia as a Mother's Day gift, but it wasn't for sentimental reasons. As an anti-social person, Kim said she wanted the place so "no one else would buy it." So she asked her daughter to acquire the property as a Mother's Day present, as she always announced what she desired.

Although she was strict in some aspects of Olivia's upbringing, dating later became an exception, as she felt, "You love my daughter, I love you." When Olivia dated Aaron Rodgers (who fell out with his dad in the early 2010s), Kim lauded the quarterback for "making it" because he was a hot topic on Vietnamese blogs — that was the highest marker of success in Kim's eyes.

Kim Munn Did Not Immediately Accept Her Daughter's Desire to Become an Actress

When Olivia expressed her dreams of becoming an actress, Kim objected, saying her only choices were to become a doctor or a lawyer. But Olivia was determined, so she started negotiating with her mom. Kim wanted her daughter to take karate and piano lessons, but Olivia said she would only obey if Kim accepted her conditions.

She had to let young Olivia take theater classes, and so she did. Despite her mother's initial objections, Olivia (once accused of undergoing plastic surgery) saw her mother's hand in who she was. In a May 2019 Mother's Day tribute, she wrote:

"We are who we are because you are our mother. No matter how lofty the dreams we dreamt, you taught us to believe in our own strengths and that made all the difference. [...]"

As Olivia debuted her on-screen career, Kim was more than happy and ready to accompany her daughter to her first movie premiere; however, the paparazzi wasn't so kind. As she stepped out of the car to pose for pictures, one photographer yelled, "Hey, Asian lady! Out of the way!" as Olivia recalled, leaving Kim quite disheartened.