WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17, episode 6!An early scene inIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiaseason 17, episode 6 features Rob Mac and Kaitlin Olson’s sons Axel and Leo McElhenney, though it isn’t their first appearance on the hit sitcom. Cameos by family members ofIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s main casthave long been a series tradition, but while most appearances have included the actors’ spouses, recent seasons have begun integrating their kids.
Among the most memorable familialcastings have been Danny DeVito’s wife Rhea Perlman, Charlie Day’s wife Mary Elizabeth Ellis (who has starred as The Waitress since season 1), and Glenn Howerton’s wife Jill Latiano. More subtly, Rob Mac has also included his and Kaitlin Olson’s sons, Axel and Leo McElhenney, in unnamed roles, which he does again inIt’s Always Sunnyseason 17’s “Overage Drinking: A National Concern.”
Rob Mac & Kaitlin Olson’s Sons Play Underage Drinkers In “Overage Drinking: A National Concern”
Serving as asequel toIt’s Always Sunnyseason 1, episode 3, the cold open of the season 17 episode “Overage Drinking: A National Concern” sees the Gang recognize that groups of young kids are drinking in the bar. The main characters faced that exact problem back in 2005, but the 2025 episode requires new, young teen actors to replace the now nearly 40-year-old underage drinkers from season 1.
That includes Trey Jr., theson ofIt’s Always Sunny’s season 1 characters Tammy and Trey. While 19-year-old Trey Jr. is drinking in Paddy’s Pub, some unnamed kids also appear in the bar with beers in hand. Two of those kids are played by Rob Mac and Kaitlin Olson’s sons, Axel and Leo McElhenney, who are respectivelycredited as “Bar Kid #1” and “Bar Kid #3.”
Rob Mac & Kaitlin Olson
Bar Kid #3
The two can be briefly spotted clinking beer glasses with another kid when Mac and Dee discuss how young everyone in the bar is, and directly ask the kids if they’re actually 21 years old. The kid who tells Mac “F*** off, grandpa” is the actor’s older son, Axel, while the younger one without any speaking lines is their second son, Leo.
Not to mention,the other pre-teen in the scene credited as “Bar Kid #2” is Glenn Howerton’s son, Miles Howerton. This marks the very first credited appearance of Howerton’s son onIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but it likely won’t be the last. While the kids are still extremely young, that could end up being the first look at the next generation ofPaddy’s Pubpatrons inIt’s Always Sunny’s future.
Axel & Leo McElhenney’s Previous It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Roles Explained
Though they’re featured more prominently inIt’s Always Sunnyseason 17, episode 6’s cold open, this isn’t the first timeRob Mac and Kaitlin Olson’s kids have appearedon the show. Axel McElhenney’s first cameo, though uncredited, was asthe baby Dee gives birth to inIt’s Always Sunnyseason 6after serving as a surrogate for Carmen.
Meanwhile, Leo McElhenney made his first creditedIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiaappearance in season 16. Leo played “Water Fountain Kid” in “Risk E. Rat’s Pizza & Amusement Center,” and even wore the same “Wildlife Trail Classic II” t-shirt he dons during his season 17 cameo. While he’s credited as two different characters, it’s still possible that Leo McElhenney is playing the same kid in both episodes.
