High Potential’s Kaitlin Olson reveals why she’s ‘not happy’ with husband Rob McElhenney’s name change

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney are now one of the busiest couples in Hollywood, between managing a variety of TV shows, business ventures and even a once-fledgling football club.

Kaitlin, 49, and Rob, 48, have been married since 2008, tying the knot soon after embarking on a secret relationship while making the second season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Since then, the two have achieved a variety of career highs, between the former’s continued success on television (most recently with High Potential), and the latter’s entrepreneurial adventures through his side company as well, More Better Industries.

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The couple spoke with Variety for a joint interview about all things career, marriage and parenting, with Rob dropping a bombshell of his own – he’s considering a name change.

The actor explained that due to his expanding business ventures taking him around the world, he found it confusing to deal with the last name “McElhenney,” especially compared to the character Mac that he plays on It’s Always Sunny.

“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 declared to the publication.

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He realized that several of his ancestors had tweaked their last name over the years too, and his It’s Always Sunny co-star and co-producer Glenn Howerton even offered: “You could be telling me something that he’s joking about, or you could be telling me something where he could be in downtown L.A. changing his name right now for all I know.”

However, one party who’s not happy with the decision: Kaitlin and their two sons, Axel, 14, and Leo, 13. “The kids are really not happy about it, because they have that last name,” she said, adding: “And so do I, legally!”

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The couple addressed how their romance began on the show’s set, born out of a mere flirtation. “Much like John Landgraf, I was very impressed with this guy who wrote this thing, who was a waiter, just how well he ran our television show,” Kaitlin shared. 

“He looked like he was about 14 years old, and he just was like this little boy who just knew what he was doing,” she continued. “He was so smart; he was so funny; he was great at collaborating. I remember calling my friend and being like, ‘I think I’m attracted to this person, but when I hug him, I can wrap my arms all the way around his body and back into myself. He’s very thin and young.'” 

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However, while she found herself infatuated, the feeling was not mutual. “He was not my type at all, and I was falling in love with him. And, um, he didn’t feel the same way.” Rob blurted back: “I was professional!”

After the weekend during which they shot the episode when Rob’s Mac marries Mary Elizabeth Ellis’ Waitress, the feelings were hard to suppress, and they began dating. “I was finding myself on set, being in love with someone secretly, and thinking, ‘This is bad,'” Kaitlin recalled. “I wasn’t just attracted to him anymore. I quickly fell very hard in love with him.”