Posted in: FX, Hulu, TV | Tagged: always sunny, danny devito, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Star Danny DeVito Gets Birthday Love

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis offered Danny DeVito some birthday love.

If there was ever an occasion so momentous that it would have us pausing our coverage of filming on Season 17 and the upcoming crossover with ABC's Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and William Stanford Davis-starring Abbott Elementary, it's this one. Today marks the 80th birthday of Frank Reynolds' real-life alter ego, Danny DeVito – who is currently filming the upcoming return of FXX's Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, and DeVito-starring It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. To honor this special day, McElhenney, Olson, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis (The Waitress) took to social media to share some heartfelt thoughts about the pop culture legend and icon.

"This man was born 80 years ago today. He could still drink you under the table. He could still make you laugh harder than anyone you've ever met. He could still make you feel like you're the only person in the room. He could still give you the best advice you've ever gotten and make you feel loved no matter what. He's an American treasure. There is only one [Danny DeVito] Happy Birthday !!!!" McElhenney wrote in his Instagram post:

"Happy birthday to my favorite (rum) ham. Danny DeVito is everything you want him to be. Lights up every room, makes sure everyone is taken care of, gives his whole heart to everything and everyone he loves. Here's to 80 more. I wouldn't put it past him," Olson wrote in her post:

"Happy Birthday to one of the most generous, fun-loving, funny, kind, smart, lovely people I know. I'm so grateful to have known and loved you (and your wonderful family) for 20 years! You have enriched my life in endless ways. Gratitude doesn't cover it all, but it's a great place to start. Happy Birthday, Danny! #dannydevito I love you a lot," Ellis wrote as the caption to her post:

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Rob McElhenney on Danny DeVito

When the series premiered in 2005, it did so with the support of FX President John Landgraf and the network – but its freshman-year run didn't result in a ton of eyeballs tuning in. Landgraf avised McElhenney to bring on someone of "name" who could help boost the show's presence from a marketing standpoint – suggesting DeVito as he had previously run the actor's production company, Jersey Films. For McElhenney, the idea of bringing a "movie star" of any name (nothing personal against DeVito) would prove counter to the chemistry the cast developed during its first season that made the series so unique.

"We said, 'No'. I said, 'No, thank you. We don't want Danny DeVito'. I said, 'It's nothing personal against Danny DeVito. I grew up watching Danny. He's a legend, and he's incredibly funny, and we love him.' But we felt we had something really special, and we really thought maybe bringing a movie star on would ruin the chemistry," McElhenney explained. While he made a strong argument from the creative standpoint, it was Landgraf's response that proved to be the "killing blow" in this back-n-forth: take the meeting or the show gets canceled. Check out the story below (starting at 4:10), and see the exact moment McElhenney realized you can't worry about chemistry on a show when you might not have a show…

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