Lil' Kev From ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Shares How Much the Residuals Pay Out
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia isn’t the kind of show to nickel-and-dime its guest stars, but the residual checks still aren’t exactly “move out of your mom’s house” money.
Of all the supporting actors who have only appeared in a couple episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Kyle Davis, better known by his street name Lil’ Kev, has embraced the show and his role more enthusiastically than anyone else. Davis made his It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia debut in the classic Season Three episode “Sweet Dee’s Dating a (Redacted) Person” playing a possibly (but probably not) mentally disabled rapper whom the titular bird briefly had in her beak, and ever since, Davis has been as passionate about the series and his character as are the many Always Sunny stans who make the online fandom so vibrant.
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Davis periodically makes videos about his time on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and its impact on his career, and during a recent post for his followers, he revealed the exact dollar amount of his quarterly residual check from the show. And, before any Always Sunny fans ask, no, FX isn’t just paying Lil’ Kev in Paddy’s Dollars:
In addition to his debut in “Sweet Dee’s Dating a (Redacted) Person,” Davis also appeared in the Always Sunny Season Six episode “Dee Gives Birth” when the rest of the Gang tried to identify the father of her child, running through her list of past flames before realizing that Dee finally pulled off the surrogacy scheme on poor Carmen and her husband. Since then, Davis has continued to emulate Lil’ Kev on his YouTube channel and on Cameo, where Davis is, as expected, a certified five-star man.
Considering how Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day shot the original pilot of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on a total budget of $100, Lil’ Kev pulling in just shy of twice that after taxes per residuals check is certainly nothing to scoff at. Nearly 15 years after Davis last appeared on Always Sunny, two episodes’ worth of work is still pulling in about $800 per year for him, and that amount should cover his total yearly popcorn budget, even after considering how many kernels Lil’ Kev wastes because they barely make it into his mouth.
