Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney's 2 Kids: All About Axel and Leo

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney couldn’t be further from their unfiltered and raw characters on It’s always sunny in Philadelphia when it comes to parenting their children, Axel and Leo.

The costars, who met on the FX show in 2005 and married in 2008, welcomed their first son, Axel, in 2010. Their second son, Leo, joined the family in 2012.

“Our philosophy is to raise our child in safety, confidence and happiness; to teach him that the world is a good place, not a scary place,” Olson told Healthy Mom & Baby shortly before Axel was born.

Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson Relationship Timeline

McElhenney said he and his wife also turn to their support system — which includes actors Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman — for guidance and parenting advice.

“They raised their children in very specific circumstances and raised three children who could not be better human beings: kind, respectful, energetic, polite. We obey them,” he told Fatherly 2020.

Axel and Leo spent part of their childhood visiting their parents on various sets including It’s always sunny in Philadelphia and Mickwhich Olson starred in and produced.

“My kids are 100 percent my priority, so I don’t take too many things that will take me away from them,” Olson told reporters during a press conference for Finding Dory in 2016. “I always want to be there before I go to bed.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney’s kids: Axel and Leo.

Axel Lee McElhenney, 14

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney’s son, Axel Lee McElhenney.

Kaitlin Olson’s Instagram

After Olson famously went into labor at a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game, she and McElhenney welcomed their first child, Axel Lee McElhenney, into their home on September 1, 2010.

“As soon as Ryan Howard hit a 3-run home run, we felt comfortable going to have our baby,” the actress told PEOPLE. We love him like crazy, even though we missed the second half because of him.

Olson opened Spin 2011 about how the couple got their firstborn’s nickname. “We thought the name was cool, and then someone reminded me of Axel Foley from Beverly Hills Cop and I was on board,” she revealed.

The actress’s pregnancy was recorded in the sixth season It’s always sunny in Philadelphiawhen her character, Deandra “Sweet Dee” Reynolds, became pregnant. “Eventually we realized we’d never be able to hide it, realistically,” McElhenney told TVGuide.com of the decision to script the pregnancy.

“Being able to write that into the show and document it was really great,” Olson added. “It worked out perfectly where I shot during the second trimester and I felt really good.”

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney with their children Axel and Leo.

Kaitlin Olson’s Instagram

The proud parents continued to include their son in the show after he was born — Axel played Dee’s baby throughout the season — and even made a special episode for him in season eight to honor one of his favorite things.

“Axel is obsessed with garbage trucks,” McElhenney said Philadelphia Inquirer 2012 about creating an episode centered around the Philly garbagemen’s strike. “Especially so we could have a garbage truck on set and he could spend at least three or four hours with it.”

Besides being an integral part of his parents’ show, Axel attended Dodgers games with his dad and joked with his mom. While speaking with host Conan O’Brien in 2017, Olson opened up about how her sons rallied around her while McElhenney was out of town.

“I got a glass of wine, turned off the lights, I was like in heaven. And maybe 20-30 minutes pass and suddenly I feel a finger on the back of my head – she said.

The actress continued: “I’m alone in the house and I’m scared and I turn around and Axel is standing there and he’s like, ‘I’ve been watching you the whole time.’ ”

All kidding aside, in honor of her 12th birthday in 2022, Olson honored her older child with a heartfelt post, sharing a photo memory.

“Happy birthday to my big boy. Now you are twice as old and twice as big… and I love you six hundred times more,” she wrote on Instagram.

Leo Gray McElhenney, 12

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney’s son, Leo Gray McElhenney.

Kaitlin Olson’s Instagram

McElhenney and Olson welcomed their youngest son, Leo Gray McElhenney, on April 5, 2012.

“Leo Gray McElhenney..born April 5th after 23 very very long hours. We are in love,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter)with a picture of a newborn baby sleeping peacefully.

The couple announced a year ago that they were expecting their second child.

“We’re having a boy! We’re so happy Axel has a brother so close in age,” Olson told PEOPLE in 2011. “We found out I was pregnant during my mom’s birthday weekend in Ojai. I was immediately so proud of this baby because he already knows how brighten someone else’s special day.”

McElhenney and Olson decided to postpone filming It’s always sunny in Philadelphia after he was born to absorb the newborn days.

Rob McElhenny and his children Axel and Leo.

Kaitlin Olson’s Instagram

“We still wanted to have enough time that we could both spend awake three, four times a night,” McElhenney said. Philadelphia Inquirer. “And to be able to focus on him and not worry about anything else.”

After his parents returned to the set, Leo joined them and later made a cameo in the 2023 episode “Risk E. Rat’s Pizza & Amusement Center”.

Leo is also involved in the Wrexham AFC football team, which his father co-owns with Ryan Reynolds. While speaking with PEOPLE in 2023, Olson shared that she and her children are just as excited as McElhenney is about his athletic endeavor in Wales.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a crazier fan than him, but our whole family is really crazy about it,” she said. “We love it. We love the players.”

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Source: HIS Education