Olivia Munn Felt ‘Freedom’ Showing Double Mastectomy Scars: ‘Beauty Exists in Every Experience’ (Exclusive)

Olivia Munn is joining the ranks of other celebrities who have posed for the loungewear brand SKIMS. But in the newest campaign, her photographs capture something never before seen: scars from a double mastectomy.

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, the actress revealed the powerful images while chatting from Los Angeles with Savannah Guthrie during a live interview on theToday show. It's the first time she's shown her surgical scars since the operation, something she tells PEOPLE gave her much-needed relief.

"I felt a sense of freedom," Munn, 44, says. "It’s a part of my journey that had been hidden, so sharing it felt liberating."

Munn was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer in April 2023 after tests revealed she had luminal B — a fast-moving, aggressive cancer — in both breasts. She has since had five surgeries including a lymph node dissection, a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy. 

She tells PEOPLE that she's hopeful the campaign, which helps raise money for the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation, will speak to fellow cancer survivors. "I want other women to love their scars because they’re proof that we fought back with everything we have to be here," Munn shares. "Beauty exists in every experience."

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Speaking on Today, Munn said she didn't initially plan on showing her scars in the campaign.

"We were in the middle of the shoot and we were changing an outfit that could see more of my scars, and the makeup artist was touching up my scars and we got to my double mastectomy scars and they were just really hard to cover up," she told Guthrie. "And then I was looking in the mirror and I just thought, 'I'm done being insecure about my scars.' "

The SKIMS team, Munn said, were "so amazing and thoughtful and wonderful" when she made the suggestion. And even though Munn was scared, she knew its impact would far outweigh her worry.

"This is something I've been hiding for a real long time now and it feels like I can breathe a little bit more," she said. "...There's so many women that have these same scars as me, and I know so many of them feel the same way that I felt about them for so long. And I hope that they see this SKIMS campaign — and SKIMS is so iconic and associated with beauty and sex appeal — and cancer really doesn't have that same connotation. So I just really hope that other women who have gone through my same path feel a little better after seeing it."

In the SKIMS campaign, Munn models the brand's signature bras and shapewear, including the Ultimate Nipple Bra in Clay, the Ultimate Teardrop Push-Up Bra in Sienna, the Multi-way Bra in Onyx and the Back Smoothing Brief Bodysuit in Onyx. 

To further support breast cancer awareness, from Oct. 23, to Oct. 31, SKIMS will donate 10% of the retail sales price for each bra sold in SKIMS stores and on Skims.com in the United States (excluding bralettes) to the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation.

"It’s an honor to partner with SKIMS and Susan G. Komen on this incredible campaign. This cause is deeply personal to me, and I’m proud to help drive awareness and conversation around it”, Munn said in a statement released by the brand. “SKIMS’ commitment to empowerment and community aligns perfectly with the message of this campaign, which is all about confidence, comfort, and feeling your best self. That’s exactly how I felt shooting this.”   

Kim Kardashian, SKIMS' co-founder and CEO, praised Munn's vulnerability. "Olivia’s bravery in sharing her story is deeply moving, and we’re honored to amplify her voice this Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” Kardashian, 44, said. “Partnering with her and Susan G. Komen allows SKIMS to further our commitment to inclusivity and supporting every body."

Elsewhere on Today, Munn gave an update on her health and how she's managing it while parenting newborn daughter Méi June, born last month via surrogate, and 2-year-old son, Malcolm Hiệp — both of whom she shares with husband John Mulaney.

"I'm doing great," she said. "I am in the middle of mixing my medication around a little bit, because anybody who is going through this can understand that treatment can be taxing at times, so I'm trying to find the right medication. But I've got my hands full with a newborn and toddler, so a lot of my energy is going towards them and it's distracting a lot of the other side effects of my medication."

She admitted to feeling guilty for "being sick for so long and bedridden through so many surgeries," but praised her family for carrying her through.

"I thought when I got through the big hunk of surgeries, like the four surgeries in the beginning, that I would be able to get back on my feet. But then there came the first wave of medication and that just knocked me down and it was debilitating, And I found that I was just tired and not around as much and I couldn't hold them as much and I couldn't go to the playground as much," Munn said. "It was really exhausting."

"There's just a lot of guilt," she continued. "But I work with my oncologist a lot to try to figure out what I can do. We're just such a little family, we're really tight and we have a lot of fun and we laugh all the time. And John is just the most amazing husband and father, and so we figure out a way to make it all work despite how tired I can be at all times."

Munn also urged women to advocate for early detection through the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment test.

"You have to know your risk assessment score. It's a simple, online, free test and once you get that score you can take it to your doctor," she said. "Anything above 20% is considered high risk. Mine was 37.3%, so very high."

The X-Men Apocalypse star then explained what "advocating for yourself" really means.

"What I've learned is that it means you've got to go to your doctor and you inundate them with information and you don't stop until they give you the test that you need," she said. "Don't let them send you off, don't let them tell you that it's nothing to worry about. You have to keep fighting for yourself and don't leave the doctor's office until they give you the test that you need. Just keep pushing."

Today airs weekdays beginning at 7 a.m. ET on NBC.