Actor Rob McElhenney has filed to legally change his name to Rob Mac.
For several weeks, the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” creator and star has been going by Mac during business negotiations due to concerns that people in “other regions of the world” won’t be able to pronounce his original moniker, according to The Independent.
The 48-year-old has now filed documents in Los Angeles to officially make the change.
Through More Better Productions, the company that produced “Welcome to Wrexham,” the documentary about his and Ryan Reynolds’ takeover of Wrexham AFC, also started investing in football clubs across South America, though he’s said that his multisyllabic name could cause challenges.
McElhenney explained his situation last month in an interview with Variety.
“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 told the outlet.
The actor said he’d worried that changing his name might disrespect his family roots, but later found out that some relatives had already modified the surname’s spelling over the years to make it easier to pronounce.
When he celebrated his birthday, close family members shared that they’d also be open to adjusting the spelling. However, McElhenney’s wife, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” co-star Kaitlin Olson, shared that their two sons weren’t quite as keen on the idea.
“The kids are really not happy about it, because they have that last name,” she said. “And so do I, legally,” she added, despite keeping Olson as her on-screen moniker.
Fans of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” will see McElhenney when Season 17 kicks off on FXX on July 9 with “The Gang F*s Up Abbott Elementary,” which is the second part of the show’s two-episode crossover with ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” according to Variety.
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