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Dan Fogelman created one of the most popular network television dramas in the past decade with This Is Us. The television producer and screenwriter never had much success in creating long-lasting television shows, but Fogelman struck gold with This Is Us. His inspiration for the show came directly from his own family, and, shortly after the This Is Us premiere, his work and family worlds collided.

'This Is Us' cast and crew Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Chris Sullivan, Dan Fogelman, Susan Kelechi Watson, Sterling K. Brown, Ron Cephas Jones, Chrissy Metz, and Justin Hartley sit onstage in front of a screen that has the NBC logo on it. Sullivan, Kelechi Watson, and Cephas Jones sit in the back row. Ventimiglia, Moore, Fogelman, Brown, Metz, and Hartley sit in the front row.
Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Chris Sullivan, Dan Fogelman, Susan Kelechi Watson, Sterling K. Brown, Ron Cephas Jones, Chrissy Metz, and Justin Hartley | Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Chrissy Metz is friends with Dan Fogelman’s sister on Facebook

Per Glamour, This Is Us actor Chrissy Metz is friends with Dan Fogelman’s sister, Debbie, on Facebook. But, according to the article, they’ve never met in real life. Hopefully, that will change since the series is coming to a close in season 6.

In This Is Us, Metz plays Kate Pearson, who, in the first season, is determined to lose weight. She joins a support group to help her meet her goal, and that’s where she meets her future husband, Toby. The show also starts with Kate employed as her brother Kevin’s personal assistant. But when he moves to New York, she decides to pursue a career in music.

There is a reason why Metz and Debbie are Facebook friends. Metz’s character in This Is Us and Dan Fogelman’s sister share a few traits in common, and that’s not a coincidence.

Kate Pearson is based on Dan Fogelman’s sister in ‘This Is Us’

Chrissy Metz shared in the Glamour article that her character is inspired by Dan Fogelman’s sister in This Is Us. Metz said, “Kate is loosely based off of Dan’s sister and their relationship, where he was very successful as a writer, and she was struggling with some issues.”

As mentioned previously, in This Is Us, Kate was Kevin’s personal assistant while Kevin was a famous Hollywood actor. Kate had dreams of her own, but she never felt as if she could achieve them. It’s easy to see the connection between Kate and Kevin’s relationship and Fogelman’s relationship with his sister.

Dan Fogelman pulled traits from his own sister and his relationship with her to directly influence a couple of the characters in This Is Us. And, in turn, he created one of the most iconic sibling relationships on television.

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Kate and Kevin’s relationship in ‘This Is Us’

In This Is Us, Kate and Kevin are opposites, but they care deeply for one another. They are twins, so, of course, they share some twin telepathy. Kate and Kevin sometimes fight in the show, but they always have each other’s backs when push comes to shove.

During an interview with TVLine before This Is Us premiered, Justin Hartley, who plays Kevin, described his character’s struggles in life. He said, “You have the age, unhappy at work and lonely at home. Really, the only thing he has in his life worth anything — besides a paycheck, but who really gives a damn about that? — is his sister [Kate].”

Kate and Kevin are each other’s constants in life, and it’s wonderful to know that their relationship in This Is Us was partly inspired by Dan Fogelman’s relationship with his sister.

This Is Us Season 6 premieres in early 2022.

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