Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson’s Relationship Timeline: From Costars to Husband and Wife
Caitlyn Somers
·6 min read
Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney.Amy Sussman/Getty Images
From costars to husband and wife — Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson have the perfect Hollywood love story.
The pair met on set of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in 2005, but didn’t start dating until the following year when Olson made a move on McElhenney during a game night at costars Charlie Day and Mary Elizabeth Ellis’ house.
“He was there, and I’d been drinking, because that’s how I handled being nervous around him,” Olson shared on Dax Shephard’s "Armchair Expert" podcast in June 2018. “I would just move in to sit at the game and back up between his legs, and, like, move myself into his lap.”
The couple announced their engagement in December 2007 and tied the knot in September 2008. They went on to welcome son Axel in September 2010 followed by son Leo in April 2012.
McElhenney and Olson have continued to be open about their love for each other on social media.
In August 2024, McElhenney celebrated Olson’s birthday by getting a “K” tattooed on his finger.
“On aviary special day, sometime in the 70s, a star was hatched. ??Happy Birdday to the one and only @kaitlinolson,” McElhenney wrote via Instagram. “Thank you @winterstone for talking me out of tattooing my entire back with an ostrich. The K is much klassier ??.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about McElhenney and Olson’s relationship:
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
2005
Despite being disappointed in her audition, McElhenney, the show’s creator, cast Olson as Dee Reynolds, a struggling actress who works at the Irish pub, on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
“I left the room and Rob was like, ‘How did she leave out the funniest line that was in there?’ and he didn’t want to cast me,” Olson told Buzzfeed in 2015. “Rob, who I’ve now married, had to be talked into hiring me.”
John Shearer/WireImage
2006
Olson quickly developed a crush on McElhenney — and ended up making the first move on him at costars Day and Ellis’ house. Although the pair started dating, Olson shared that McElhenney “really just wanted [the relationship] to be casual” at first.
“I was like, ‘This person is completely in love with me — and he has no idea.’ It was no problem for me,” Olson shared on the “Armchair Expert” podcast in 2018. “It wasn’t even a game. It was just like, ‘Oh, you don’t know, you have no idea that you are completely in love with me. That’s so cute!’”
Eric Charbonneau/Le Studio/Wireimage
December 2007
McElhenney proposed to Olson at friend and costar Danny DeVito’s beach house in Malibu.
“She loves the beach when it’s cold,” McElhenney told InStyle in 2008.
McElhenney and Olson tied the knot at a vineyard in Malibu, California.
“We wanted our wedding to produce as little waste as possible,” Olson shared with InStyle in 2008, noting that they had natural decorations such as herbs and berries instead of floral arrangements.
Michael Kovac/FilmMagic
May 2010
Nearly two years after getting married, the couple announced they were expecting their first child.
“We’ve been together for many years now and we’ve been talking about kids for quite a while. I’m certainly ready,” McElhenney told People at the time, noting that they were having a baby boy.
“I went into labor at the Phillies/Dodgers game on Tuesday night,” Olson told People. “As soon as Ryan Howard hit a three-run home run, we felt comfortable leaving to go have our baby. We love him like crazy, even though he made us miss the second half of the game.”
Ray Mickshaw/FOX via Getty Images
October 2011
One year after welcoming Axel, the lovebirds shared they were expanding their family once again.
“We’re having a baby boy! We’re so happy that Axel gets to have a brother so close in age,” Olson shared with People at the time. “And that I get to add another set of balls to my very, very male world.”
Michael Tran/FilmMagic
April 2012
The pair welcomed son Leo.
“Leo Grey McElhenney…born April 15th after 23 very very long hours,” Olson tweeted. “We’re in love.”
McElhenney and Olson filled in for Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. During their talk, McElhenney began gushing about his wife.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, we’ve been married for 14 years this September. And I can tell you that I love you more now than I did 14 years ago,” McElhenney shared. “And that, for as hard as it is sometimes, just like in any relationship, I will keep showing up and doing my best, because I love you so much.”
“Apparently two married costars of a popular and long running sitcom have quietly separated after the husband cheated on her in Wales,” the entry read with the subject “not always sunny.”
Following the post, Olson took to Twitter and joked, “It was me who had the affair. But it was not with someone from Wales. It was with a whale. I’ve always loved whales. They’re the bosses of the ocean and I’m attracted to power. We ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult time. ????.”
McElhenney added to his wife’s post: “Sad to admit that the rumor is true. ??However some of the details are….incorrect.”
Getty Images(2)
November 2023
Olson outbid her husband for Kylie Kelce’s Eagles jacket, worn by Princess Diana, to benefit the Eagles Autism Foundation.
McElhenney bid $10,050 on the jacket before getting into a bidding war with a person who was later discovered to be his wife.
“I got a text from somebody I know who said, ‘I’ve been the one bidding against you, bozo.’ And it did not even cross my mind that this was a possibility. And it turned out that I live with this person,” McElhenney said on an episode of Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce’s“New Heights” podcast.
Olson, for her part, shared that she found out via social media how much money that her husband bid and wanted to win.
“I win basically,” Olson shared, adding that she was “honored” to get involved with a good cause. “I win. … He will not be wearing the jacket, ever.”
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
January 2024
The couple appeared at the 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards to celebrate the success of McElhenney’s show Welcome to Wrexham, which won five categories at the 2023 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
McElhenney penned a sweet tribute to his wife — and marked the special occasion by getting a “K” tattoo on his finger.
“On aviary special day, sometime in the 70s, a star was hatched. ??Happy Birdday to the one and only @kaitlinolson,” McElhenney wrote via Instagram. “Thank you @winterstone for talking me out of tattooing my entire back with an ostrich. The K is much klassier ??.”
