Rob McElhenney's wife makes anger clear over Wrexham call - 'We're still fighting about it'

Wales Online

23-05-2025

Rob McElhenney's wife makes anger clear over Wrexham call - 'We're still fighting about it'
Welcome to Wrexham has been a huge hit and won several awards since its release, but Rob McElhenney has been criticised by his wife, Kaitlin Olson, over one key decision
Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson are at odds over their kids being in Welcome to Wrexham
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Rob McElhenney has been rebuked by his wife for featuring their children in the Welcome to Wrexham documentary.
The series focuses on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator McElhenney and fellow actor Ryan Reynolds' journey as co-owners of Wrexham. Since its debut in August 2022, the documentary has won plaudits worldwide, catapulting the club to international prominence.
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Beyond their starring roles, McElhenney and Reynolds also helm the project as executive producers, earning numerous Emmy awards. However, it has come to light that Kaitlin Olson – McElhenney's wife and co-star on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia – was annoyed by his choice to include footage of their sons, Axel Lee and Leo Grey.
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Olson voiced her irritation during a joint interview with McElhenney for Variety about their appearances in front of the camera. Both sons are reportedly eager to follow in their parents' footsteps, a prospect that worries Olson.
"We'd talked about not showing their faces," she said. "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***ing documentary! I'm still unhappy about that."
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Rob McElhenney (left) has been supporting Ryan Reynolds during his legal battle
(Image: PA Wire/PA Images )
McElhenney defended his controversial decision, insisting that their children were enthusiastic about the idea. He said: "The kids love it. I have a different perspective. Millions of people across the world say, 'We love to watch them.'".
Nonetheless, Olson was not convinced by his justification, making her stance clear. She said: "I don't care about them – I care about my kids. We're still fighting about it."
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McElhenney also divulged details about his close bond with Ryan Reynolds, noting that they often communicate through WhatsApp messages. He and Olson have shown support for Reynolds and his wife, Blake Lively, amidst their legal dispute with It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni.
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"It's just our way of staying connected and navigating something together," McElhenney said. "And also me giving and showing as much support as I possibly can with all the other stuff that he's got going on, that I know is so difficult and challenging.
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"We both are just trying to offer our support in any way that we can that doesn't just simply add oxygen to the fire."
McElhenney also admitted that he's considering changing his name due to persistent mispronunciations of his last name. Despite Reynolds' best efforts to educate people with a catchy music video on its correct pronunciation, confusion still abounds.
"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.
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The change has not been universally well-received, particularly at home. Olson said: "The kids are really not happy about it, because they have that last name, and so do I, legally."
McElhenney has been open about their marital ups and downs, but remains positive about their future together. "The truth is that marriage is really f***ing hard," he said. "We've gone through terrible times, and we've gone through wonderful times.
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"We've hit seemingly rock bottom, and we've hit heights that I couldn't possibly imagine that I would meet with a partner. I'd like to believe that we're going to continue that for the next 40, 50, 60 years together."