Call him actor, writer, producer, director, Welsh soccer team owner, and creator of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”—just don’t call him Rob McElhenney. He’s Rob Mac now.
Legally – and for good reason, Mac said Tuesday.
The artist formerly known as McElhenney posted on his X account (still labeled Rob McElhenney) a quick one-minute explanation for his surname change, which he says was given to an ancestor by a government official.
“Hi. Okay, I’ll take exactly one minute on this. Start the clock,” Mac said to begin the rapid-fire explainer. TMZ first announced the name change this week based on legal documents filed in Los Angeles.
“Yes, I’m shortening my name to Rob Mac,” he continued. “Mostly a stage name, but I digress. Is it kind of dumb? Sure. But the amount of time I’ve wasted trying to get people to spell or say my name correctly [cut to lots of people getting it wrong] is literally days of my life. Trust me, I added.”
“Still, it’s a family name; my grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all of us share it, and I love them and want to stay connected,” he added. “There’s heritage. Except it’s not even really a f—ing name. Not only have many generations changed its spelling, but the current one was given to my ancestor by a government official who decided that was now the spelling.”
Mac was also the name of his “sunny” character, so to be fair, there’s a legacy there, too. While still going by McElhenney, Mac also gained attention as a co-owner of Wrexham AFC, a Welsh football club, alongside Ryan Reynolds.
“But times have changed, and most people call me Rob Mac anyway,” he concluded. “My family knows and loves me, regardless of how many syllables I have, and that’s the only thing I really care about.
