“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star Rob McElhenney is officially going by a shorter name—Rob Mac. And yes, he knows it sounds a little, well, douchey.
In a light-hearted video posted to X (formerly Twitter), Rob addressed the reason behind his new name. With a one-minute countdown on screen, he explained everything as simply as possible.
“Yes, I’m shortening my name to Rob Mac,” he said. “Mostly a stage name, but I digress. Is it kinda douchey? Sure. But I’ve wasted days of my life trying to get people to say or spell my name right.”
That last name—McElhenney—has stumped fans and interviewers for years. And Rob is tired of repeating himself.
Name Trouble Runs in the Family
According to Rob, his surname has changed several times over the years. And it wasn’t even his family that made the changes.
“Not only have many generations changed the spelling,” he added, “but the current version was just handed to my ancestor by a government official who decided that this was now the spelling.”
The actor revealed that name changes have followed his family since they arrived in America. It’s a piece of family history that, oddly enough, led him to this more modern, easier-to-pronounce nickname.
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Why “Rob Mac” Makes Sense
In an interview with Variety, Rob further explained the shift. As he gets older, more people refer to him as “Mr.” or “Sir”—and he’d rather keep things simple.
“I just say Rob or Rob Mac. It’s easier. People already call me Mac or Rob Mac because of the TV show. So why not?”
And that’s the key: “Rob Mac” isn’t just easier for others—it’s familiar to fans of his long-running comedy series.
So yes, Rob McElhenney is now going by Rob Mac. It’s a bit of a rebrand, but one that feels natural for the actor who’s always leaned into humor, honesty, and simplicity.
