Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney, who met on ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,’ are parents to two children

Caroline Blair is a writer for PEOPLE. She has been writing about celebrities, entertainment, reality TV stars and news for five years.

People Editorial Guidelines

Published on August 6, 2025 10:41AM EDT

Leave a Comment

Rob Mac and Kaitlin Olson attend “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” 20th Anniversary Celebration on July 01, 2025 in Los Angeles, California ; Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney with their 2 sons at the Milk + Bookies 3rd Annual Story Time Celebration on April 15, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.Credit : Getty ; Michael Tran/FilmMagic

NEED TO KNOW

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney, who have been married since 2008, are parents to two sons, Axel and Leo
The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia costars welcomed Axel in 2010 and Leo in 2012
Olson and McElhenney have previously spoken about their differences in parenting

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney may have played blunt characters on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but in reality, they are doting parents to their two children, sons Axel and Leo.

The actors met on the sitcom in 2005 and married three years later. Olson and McElhenney became parents when they welcomed their son, Axel, in 2010. They became a family of four in 2012 when they welcomed son Leo.

Although Olson and McElhenney are both public figures who have previously brought their children to work and events with them, they have mostly kept their kids out of the spotlight. In May 2025, Olson revealed that she and McElhenney still struggle with deciding which parts of their children’s lives they want to highlight, especially after Axel and Leo appeared in their dad’s documentary Welcome to Wrexham.

“We’d talked about not showing their faces,” Olson told Variety at the time. “Rob went rogue and put them in a f—— documentary! I’m still unhappy about that.” However, McElhenney clarified that the kids “love[d] it.”

Throughout their parenting ups and downs, McElhenney previously shared that he and his wife also turn to their support system — which includes costars Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman — for guidance and parenting advice.

“They raised their children in very specific circumstances and they raised three kids who could not be better human beings: kind, respectful, driven, courteous. We defer to them,” he told Fatherly in 2020.

Here’s everything to know about Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney’s two kids, Axel and Leo.

Axel Lee McElhenney, 14

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney’s son Axel Lee McElhenney.Kaitlin Olson Instagram

After Olson famously went into labor at a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game, she and McElhenney welcomed their first child, Axel Lee McElhenney, at their home on Sept. 1, 2010.

“As soon as Ryan Howard hit a 3 run home run, we felt comfortable leaving to go have our baby,” the actress told PEOPLE. “We love him like crazy, even though he made us miss the second half of the game.”

Olson opened up to Spin in 2011 about how the pair landed on their firstborn’s moniker. “We thought the name was cool, and then someone reminded me of Axel Foley from Beverly Hills Cop and I was on board,” she revealed.

The actress’ pregnancy was written into the sixth season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, when her character, Deandra “Sweet Dee” Reynolds, became pregnant. “Ultimately we realized we were never going to be able to hide it, realistically,” McElhenney told TVGuide.com of the decision to script the pregnancy.

“Being able to write it into the show and document it has been really awesome,” Olson added. “It just happened to work out perfectly where I was shooting during my second trimester and I felt really good.”

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney with their kids Axel and Leo.Kaitlin Olson Instagram

The proud parents continued to incorporate their son into the show after he was born — having Axel play Dee’s baby throughout the season — and even developed a special episode for him in season 8 in honor of one of his favorite things.

“Axel’s obsessed with trash trucks,” McElhenney told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2012 about creating an episode centered around a Philly garbage strike. “Specifically so we could have a trash truck on set and he could spend at least three or four hours with it.”

In addition to being an integral part of his parents’ show, Axel has attended Dodgers games with his dad and played pranks on his mom. While talking with host Conan O’Brien in 2017, Olson opened up about how her sons teamed up on her while McElhenney was out of town.

“I got a glass of wine, turned the lights down, I was just like, in heaven. And maybe 20-30 minutes goes by, and all of a sudden I feel a finger on the back of my neck,” she recounted.

The actress continued, “I’m alone in the house, I freaked out and turned around and Axel’s standing there and he goes, ‘I’ve been watching you the whole time.’ “

All jokes aside, in honor of his 12th birthday in 2022, Olson honored her elder child with a heartfelt post, sharing a throwback photo.

“Happy birthday to my big boy. You’re twice this age now and twice this big…and I love you six hundred times more,” she wrote on Instagram.

Leo Grey McElhenney, 13

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney’s son Leo Grey McElhenney.Kaitlin Olson Instagram

McElhenney and Olson welcomed their younger son, Leo Grey McElhenney, on April 5, 2012.

“Leo Grey McElhenney..born April 5th after 23 very very long hours. We’re in love,” she wrote on X, alongside an image of the newborn sleeping peacefully.

The couple had announced they were expecting their second child the year prior.

“We’re having a boy! We’re so happy that Axel gets to have a brother so close in age,” Olson told PEOPLE in 2011. “We found out I was pregnant during my mom’s birthday weekend in Ojai. I was instantly so proud of this baby for already knowing how to make someone else’s special day all about him.”

McElhenney and Olson chose to delay filming It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia after he was born to soak up the newborn days.

Rob McElhenny and his kids Axel and Leo.Kaitlin Olson Instagram

“We still wanted to have enough time that we could both spend not sleeping and being up three, four times a night,” McElhenney told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “And being able to focus on him and not being worried about anything else.”

Once his parents returned to set, Leo joined them and later made a cameo in the 2023 episode “Risk E. Rat’s Pizza & Amusement Center.”

Leo is also involved with the soccer team Wrexham A.F.C., which his dad co-owns with Ryan Reynolds. While speaking with PEOPLE in 2023, Olson shared that she and her children are equally as excited as McElhenney about his Welsh sporting endeavor.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a crazier fan than him but our whole family is very crazy about it,” she said. “We love it. We love the players.”