Latest news with #nameChange
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Fans Blame Ryan Reynolds, Sentient Veneers for ‘Rob Mac' Name Change
The It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star and creator formerly known as Rob McElhenney just finalized a strange rebrand that has his biggest fans wondering whether to direct their outrage toward his best friend or his dentist. At this stage in his career, 'Rob Mac,' as the writer, actor and entrepreneur insists on being called, is so much more than just the father and bodyguard of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Over the last two decades, Mac has gone from a working actor whose biggest claim to fame was being edited out of The Devil's Own to the head of an international entertainment empire, and his old moniker, which his Wrexham A.F.C. co-owner Ryan Reynolds once playfully mocked on Mac's birthday, simply doesn't suit a multi-national magnate of Mac's stature and chompers. Last Thursday, Mac submitted the paperwork to legally change his name to 'Rob Mac' after recently explaining that the name change is necessary because his international business partners and overseas fans had a hard time pronouncing his former surname. While Mac's own family has publicly bristled against the rebrand, Kaitlin Olson's consternation is nothing compared to how Mac's fans are handling the news: In a Reddit thread about Mac's name change from the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia subreddit, fans were lukewarm-to-hostile toward Mac's new title, and they had ample suggestions on how to fix the perceived misstep. 'He might as well change it to Ronald McDonald,' one user suggested. 'I love Rob for being basically single-handedly responsible for my sense of humor (for better or for worse) so I will never hate him, but why is he like this?' a fan asked. Another snarked, 'Surprised he didn't change it to Rob Reynolds.' It's become a constant refrain in the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fandom to blame Mac's close friend and business partner Reynolds any time the series creator does something that fans deem cringe or unfunny, but the 'Rob Mac' news hit so close to home to the anti-Reynolds crowd that comments turned ugly fast. After all, it was Reynolds who first highlighted the trouble some fans have pronouncing McElhenney in a joking birthday video sent to his partner back in 2023, and McElhenney cited the duo's planned expansion into Latin America for a second soccer team as a reason behind his switch to a more accessible moniker. As for Mac's preposterously white set of teeth, which many Always Sunny fans believe to be veneers, maybe the pronunciation problems Mac was having with his old name were his own — you try saying a four-syllable Irish name with a mouth full of pristine porcelain. Get more Cracked directly to your inbox. Sign up for Cracked newsletters at Cracked News Letters Signup.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rob McElhenney Addresses Name Change: 'Call Me Whatever You Want'
Rob McElhenney has seen the online discourse around his name change and is chiming in. The Emmy winner, who made headlines for filing to legally change his name to Rob Mac last week, took to social media to 'dedicate exactly one minute' to explaining why he took such significant measures. More from Deadline Rob McElhenney Files To Legally Change Name As Wrexham AFC Closes In On Premier League, FX Renews 'Welcome to Wrexham' For Season 5 Eva Longoria's 'Necaxa' Docuseries From 'Welcome To Wrexham' Team Gets Premiere Date At FXX 'Yes, I'm shortening my name to Rob Mac—mostly a stage name, but I digress,' he said in a video shared Tuesday on X. 'Is it kinda douchey? Sure, but the amount of time that I've wasted trying to get people to either say or spell my name correctly is literally days of my life. Trust me, I added it up.' Although he wants 'to stay connected' to the family name, he noted 'it's not even really our f—ing name,' explaining, 'Not only have many generations changed the spelling. The current one was just given to my ancestor by a government official who decided that this was now the spelling.' 'It was a crazy time. But times have changed, and most people already call me Rob Mac anyway,' he continued. 'My family knows me and loves me regardless of how many syllables I have, and that's the only thing that I really care about.' I said what I said. — Rob McElhenney (@RMcElhenney) July 1, 2025 With a nod to other actors who have changed their names, Mac concluded, 'There are so many things going on in the world, and this is a silly one to continue to waste your time with. Honestly, call me whatever you want.' It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans can expect to see the co-creator and star's new credit when Season 17 premieres July 9 on FXX with 'The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary', the second half of the show's two-part crossover event with ABC's Abbott Elementary. Best of Deadline 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Soundtrack: From Griff To Sabrina Carpenter 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'The Gilded Age' Season 3 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Always Sunny' Star Files To Legally Change His Name, And His Family Isn't Thrilled
If you have a hard time pronouncing Rob McElhenney's name, you're apparently not alone. The 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' creator and star has filed papers in Los Angeles to legally change his name to Rob Mac, People has confirmed. Mac is the name of McElhenney's character in his beloved FX comedy and is the first syllable in his family's surname. Mac will now be credited as Rob Mac in projects moving forward, Entertainment Weekly reports, although FX has already been crediting him by this name in its online materials. The official name change comes shortly after the actor told Variety in May that he was toying around with the idea of legally changing his name because his company, More Better Productions, is expanding internationally. '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. More Better was behind the docuseries 'Welcome to Wrexham,' which chronicled Mac and actor Ryan Reynolds' acquisition of the football club Wrexham AFC in the United Kingdom. Although the name change might make it easier for people to pronounce his name, it seems that Mac's immediate family — which includes his wife and 'Always Sunny' co-star Kaitlin Olson — is a bit miffed by it. 'The kids are really not happy about it, because they have that last name,' Olson told Variety. 'And so do I, legally!' The 'Hacks' star, who still uses Olson professionally, and Mac share two sons, Axel, 14, and Leo, 13. The two teens may want to follow their dad's lead in the future, however. Mac told Variety that during a recent bash to celebrate his 48th birthday in April, some of his extended family members admitted they've been tempted to change the name as well. He also noted to Variety that he recently discovered some relatives had tweaked 'McElhenney' over the years.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kaitlin Olson Shares Why Her Kids Are 'Really Not Happy' About Dad Rob McElhenney's Name Change
Rob McElhenney's wife, Kaitlin Olson, is sharing that their kids are not big fans of their dad's name change The 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' star shared in June that he changed his name to "Rob Mac" The actor and his wife share two sons together: Axel and LeoRob McElhenney's kids are not big fans of their dad's name change. The It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star, 48, spoke with Variety last May before filing to legally change his name to Rob Mac, sharing that he was considering adjusting his moniker since his name is hard to pronounce. At the time, McElhenney's wife, actress Kaitlin Olson, 49, shared that the couple's two kids — Axel, 14, and Leo, 13 — were not happy about the change. "The kids are really not happy about it, because they have that last name," Olson said. "And so do I, legally!" Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In June, McElhenney filed to legally change his name to Rob Mac, PEOPLE confirmed, shortly after revealing he was considering the move due to confusion over the pronunciation of his surname. Entertainment Weekly reported that he will now be credited as Rob Mac in projects moving forward. Mac signed the documents in Los Angeles on June 26, per TMZ. The actor has already been using his shortened name, and has been credited online as Rob Mac in FX's official materials for the long-running sitcom, in which he executive produces, writes and plays the character of Mac. Elsewhere in their interview with Variety, Olson revealed that she's still mad at her husband for doing one thing that they agreed they wouldn't do: show their children's faces in public. "We'd talked about not showing their faces,' Olson told the outlet. 'I remember going through puberty — no kid should be seen publicly before they're ready to. Everyone's got their insecurities, and it's not their fault that we chose this path and that we're famous. Rob went rogue and put them in a f------ documentary! I'm still unhappy about that.' 'The kids love it,' McElhenney said, before continuing to share his thoughts on the subject. 'I have a different perspective. Millions of people across the world say, 'We love to watch them!'' Olson retorted, 'I don't care about them — I care about my kids! We're still fighting about it.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rob McElhenney Defends Name Change to ‘Rob Mac,' Admits It's ‘Kinda Douchey': ‘Many Generations Changed the Spelling'
Rob McElhenney, soon to be known as Rob Mac, is defending the decision to change his last name. In a recent post on X, McElhenney shared a brief video explaining why he abridged his last name for those still scratching their heads over the news. More from Variety Rob McElhenney Files to Legally Change His Name to 'Rob Mac' Why 'It's Always Sunny' for Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson: A Power Couple Who Juggle Four Hit TV Shows, a Winning Soccer Team and Ryan Reynolds Rob McElhenney Says Being Cut From His First Movie Was 'Humiliating and Terrifying' After Sharing Scenes With Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford 'Hi! Okay, I'm going to dedicate exactly one minute to this. Start the clock,' McElhenney said in the video as a 60-second timer appeared on screen. 'Yes, I'm shortening my name to Rob Mac. Mostly a stage name, but I digress. Is it kinda douchey? Sure. But the amount of time that I have wasted trying to get people to either say or spell my name correctly is days of my life.' McElhenney went on to explain that his last name has gone through many spelling changes with each passing generation, adding that the most recent iteration came when his family arrived in America. He said, 'Not only have many generations changed the spelling, the current one was just given to my ancestor by a government official who decided that this was now the spelling.' The name change was first revealed by the 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' star in a Variety cover story, in which he explained, 'As I get older, and people are more prone to calling me 'Mr.' or' Sir,' I just say Rob or Rob Mac. And I find that that makes things a lot simpler and easier. People already call me Rob Mac or Mac, obviously, from the television show and it just makes things so much easier.' Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
