"Cherishing this beautiful trip filled with incredible memories of love, laughter and pure bliss with my family and very delicious food!”
As actor Rob McElhenney continues to take steps to change his surname, his wife and kids are revealing how they feel about the move.
During a May interview with Variety, McElhenney revealed that he was taking the necessary steps to legally change his last name from McElhenney to Mac.
Mac has some significance, at least to McElhenney and his wife, Kaitlin Olson. It’s the name of his “Always Sunny in Philadelphia” character, a show that will begin its 17th season in July. And the show the lead to their 17-year marriage.
But the reason he’s changing his name to Rob Mac isn’t to pay homage to the show and his character, but rather to avoid any further confusion.
McElhenney explained to Variety that as he continues to do business internationally, his surname has become increasingly hard for his colleagues to pronounce.
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“As our business and our storytelling is expanding into other regions of the world and other languages in which my name is even harder to pronounce, I’m just going by Rob Mac,” he said, explaining that many of his extended family members are on board with the change.
His wife and kids, however, aren’t so thrilled with the change.
“The kids are really not happy about it,” Olson told Variety, “because they have that last name. And so do I, legally!”
Two years ago, his business partner Ryan Reynolds, who he own the Wrexham soccer club with, wrote and performed a song about the McElhenney name and the many ways it is mispronounced.
“Sure he’s got a pretty face, that people know they know. They think they recognize him from his big-time TV show,” the song begins. “But despite the accolades, despite the load of fame, one thing that they do not know is how to say his name.”
“Pronouncing all those Ns and Es and Hs can perplex ‘em,” the song continues. “So here’s a little birthday gift from all your mates in Wrexham. It’s McElhenney. McElhenney. While ways to massacre and mispronounce it there are many.”
Although his name has not yet been changed legally, McElhenney has been using his new moniker professionally. Rob Mac is expected to be his legal name by the end of 2025.
