Rob Mac’s Name Change Is Still Controversial in the McElhenney Family

Isn’t it funny how the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator formerly known as Robert McElhenney III decided that his surname was too much of a mouthful after he foisted it upon his wife and kids? Kaitlin Olson McElhenney certainly doesn’t think so.

Back in June, the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia family and fandom collectively scratched their heads when the star and creator filed paperwork to legally change his name to Rob Mac. According to the actor, writer and entertainment mogul, the name “McElhenney” was too hard to spell to play well in international markets, and, as he and his business partner Ryan Reynolds prepared to expand their soccer empire into Latin America, he needed a new legal title that was easier to pronounce. I guess that’s one way to tell your family that they’ll never be as big a deal as you are in Mexico.

During last night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel asked Olson about her feelings toward her husband’s new name, and, for a moment, the Always Sunny, Hacks and High Potential star seemed visibly perturbed by the reminder that the man who put his name on her kids apparently can’t be bothered to spell the damn thing.

When Kimmel asked Olson if her husband’s name change was a full-family decision that her and her two sons followed with their own rebrand, Olson said that, no, unlike Mac, the rest of the family isn’t ready to skip out on the extra letters. “We’ve all been handcuffed with McElhenney, and he’s bailed on us,” Olson griped.

Kimmel then asked his guest if her monosyllabic husband ever had a serious talk with her about the strange predicament the rest of the family would face after he ditched McElhenney. Olson needed a couple of seconds to compose herself and give a judicious answer that would impress even the most demanding of media trainers. “Listen, whatever makes him happy makes me happy,” Olson said, artfully danced around the question.

When Mac first started to soft launch his new name, Olson and their children weren’t shy about sharing their true feelings on the change. “The kids are really not happy about it, because they have that last name,” Olson said of the surname that Mac affixed on her own before abandoning ship. “And so do I, legally!”

Now, months later, Olson still has a bone to pick with the man who made her learn how to spell “McElhenney” only to forget it himself. And, not for nothing, I think people who speak Spanish are able to pronounce “Olson” just fine.