Tonight’s ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Season Finale Ends With A Touching Tribute to Lynne Marie Stewart
Bonnie Kelly’s final appearance on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was fittingly hilarious, heartwarming, and absolutely, unashamedly horny.
Back in February, the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia family lost Lynne Marie Stewart, TV and comedy legend, at the age of 78. Stewart had been with Always Sunny since the show’s first season, when she made her debut as Bonnie Kelly in the episode “Charlie Got Molested,” and Stewart’s character would continue to grow for the next 20 years as Charlie’s boozing, crying, former sex worker of a mother further demonstrated to the Always Sunny viewership why her sweet baby abortion survivor is the way he is.
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In tonight’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 finale, Bonnie returned to the series to compete for Frank’s heart and his crank on “The Golden Bachelor Live,” which closed with an extended montage dedicated to Stewart’s best scenes from throughout Always Sunny history that we’ll have to watch three times, just to be safe.
In “The Golden Bachelor Live,” Dennis, suspicious of the dating show contestants whom he believes will steal his and Dee’s inheritance along with Frank’s heart (as if Frank would leave the bastard twins anything in his will), calls in a ringer to spice up the competition for the golden rose. Bonnie, Frank’s long-time bang maid and an aficionado on all matters carnal, throws her hat into the ring along with Sam, a chicken heiress played by Carol Kane, and Cock Chewa, Audrey Corsa’s TikTok star straight from the deepest depths of our collective brain rot.
Though Stewart’s time in “The Golden Bachelor Live” was limited, her performance in the final episode of Always Sunny Season 17 was an absolute scene-stealer. The moment when Bonnie arrives at Dennis and Mac’s apartment during the arduously rehearsed family meeting scene features a laugh-out-loud moment after Dennis asks her what she’s doing there, prompting Bonnie’s definitely-written-by-Dennis response, “To be a slut, and to marry Frank!”
But the real highlight of “The Golden Bachelor Live” came after the final scene of the episode, when, prior to the rolling of the end credits, the show played a dedication to Stewart that started with the words “For our sweet Lynne…” and featured her finest moments from throughout the Always Sunny canon. From “Charlie Got Molested” to “A Very Sunny Christmas” to, of course, “Old Lady House: A Situation Comedy,” Stewart was always one of the strongest performers in the series, and her appearance was always the highlight of the episode.
It’s only fitting that this emotional, climactic finale should be dedicated to Stewart, whose absence from future seasons of Always Sunny will be felt by the characters, the cast and the fans.