Rob McElhenney attends the Los Angeles premiere of "Blackberry" © Rodin Eckenroth

Welcome to Wrexham: everything to know about Rob McElhenney’s very famous wife

Kaitlin Olsen is a huge star in her own name

TV & Film Editor
September 19, 2023

Rob McElhenney is becoming a bit of a household name thanks to Welcome to Wrexham, the hugely popular documentary following his journey - with Ryan Reynolds - as they attempt to bring Wrexham’s football team up the league table. However, did you know that Rob’s wife is none other than Kaitlin Olsen? Find out more about his very famous wife… 

Rob is married to Kaitlin Olsen, an actress who co-stars with him in the hit comedy show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where she plays Deandra. The pair initially began dating secretly while filming season two of the hit show in 2005. Speaking about keeping their romance quiet, she told Elle magazine: "I didn't want to be Yoko Ono and break up the band. The whole time we were like, 'This could go terribly wrong.' But it didn't. 

WATCH: Have you watched Rob in Welcome to Wrexham?

"Our first sober date, he asked me to go to Big Bear with him for the weekend. He was living with Glenn [Howerton, who plays Dennis] at the time and told Glenn he was going skiing. Glenn was like, "Oh, I want to go." So Rob had to say that he wanted to go skiing by himself." 

Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson at a premiere © Amy Sussman

Of course, the pair eventually went public with their relationship and tied the knot in 2008 in Malibu, California. The couple share two children, sons Axel and Leo. 

While the actress is perhaps best known for playing Sweet Dee in the long-running series, she has also starred in the hit comedy Hacks, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Mick. The star previously opened up about accepting the role in It’s Always Sunny, revealing that she asked for major changes in her character - who is the only main female role on the show. 

She told Metro US: "I first read scripts and it was amazing. But the characters I fell in love with were the male characters. So when they first offered [Dee] to me I said, ‘Listen I definitely love this show, I love the writing, I love these characters that you’ve developed — except for the girl character. So, I’m not going to do that. But I will do it if you write that way for me.’ 

© Gilbert Carrasquillo
Actors Glenn Howerton, Danny DeVito, Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day are seen filming t's Always Sunny In Philadelphia in 2016

"And Rob said, ‘Listen, we absolutely want to do that, we want everyone to be interesting and unique and have their own very specific character, but still be funny.’ And I said the way you have the woman written right now is kind of this voice of reason, and I’m not interested in that because I can kind of see the potential of what it could be. He promised me, and I really believed him, that that was what they wanted to do. And he said, ‘We don’t really know how to write for women, because we just kind of write for ourselves.’ And I said, ‘Well don’t write for a woman, just write another funny character and I’ll make it a woman.’ So I’m glad that I trusted him, and I’m glad that he wasn’t lying."

© Amy Sussman

Kaitlin is very supportive of her husband and Wrexham AFC and has previously spoken praisingly of the club. After it was revealed that Kings of Leon would be performing on the football grounds, she said: "Oh my god, two of my favourite worlds colliding. I’m so proud of this team. I’m so excited. I don’t know if people are just following the show (Welcome To Wrexham) or they’re actually following the team but we are so close to going up and it’s huge.

"We have such excitement for this beautiful community who are rallying around this team. I love the Kings of Leon. I love that they’re playing. I just love all the attention that this glorious town is getting right now." 

More TV and Film

See more