‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’: Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney Agreed ‘It Was a Really Stupid Idea’ to Date — Now They’re Married
The FX comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is about the worst five people you’re ever likely to meet, but they’re hilariously awful. In real life, the stars of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia found love. Star Kaitlin Olson married creator/star Rob McElhenney against both of their better judgements.
Olson was a guest on the Basic! podcast on Oct. 19 to discuss the history of the series. She explained how she and McElhenney started dating, kept it from their co-stars, and finally broke the news.
Both Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson were against dating on the ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ set
McElhenney created the show with Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day. They needed a female and Olson won the role. By season 2, love was in the air.
“We both were smart enough to know it was just a really stupid idea,” Olson said on Basic! “Don’t date your coworker when you’re doing an ensemble that is working and the chemistry is working. I don’t know. We just fell in love but we both were like, ‘This is dumb. We can’t do this.’ And we’re like, ‘Great, we won’t do this.’ Then we just did it anyway.”
They kept the secret until ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Season 3
Olson was apprehensive about breaking the news to Day and Howerton.
“I was really scared to tell Glenn and Charlie because I thought they were going to be mad, I didn’t want to Yoko Ono the whole situation that they had going,” Olson said. “I was fortunate enough to be invited into this amazing cast, I didn’t want to blow it. But it was the entire second season which felt like 17 years we kept it a secret. It was really just a couple months. I think right before the third season we told them, right before or right at the beginning of the third season. And I burst into tears. I was like, ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I love him.’”
The gang was more reasonable than Kaitlin Olson expected
The news went down smoother than Olson was worried. Howerton and Day were just more blindsided than Olson expected them to be.
“We thought for sure they already knew because at this point we’re traveling and staying in hotel rooms and sneaking into each other’s hotel rooms,” Olson said. “I’m overthinking everything. The elevator would open and they’d see that we’re both standing in the elevator with coffee. And I was like oh, we blew it. They were like, ‘No, we just thought you were getting coffee together.’ Right, right, right. So I was shocked nobody had any idea. They were just confused.”
Even when they started spending nights and weekends together, Howerton didn’t put two and two together.
“Glenn and Charlie live together, so he kept coming to set going, ‘God, Rob is gone every single weekend. He’s meeting a new girl every weekend and staying at her place,’” Olson said. “Meanwhile it was just my house he was coming over to.”
