Ray Romano Admits He's 'Baffled' By 'Overachiever' Daughter Ally's Drive: 'I Did the Minimum Possible' (Exclusive)

Ray Romano has enjoyed a successful career in comedy, but he considers his daughter Ally to be the real success of the family.

Talking about his sons new documentary The Romano twinsin which twins Matt and Greg spend their mid-twenties living at home and searching for meaning in life, 66-year-old Ray points out that not all of his children have had difficulty finding their way.

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“Sometimes I’m confused as to where her desire comes from,” says Ray PEOPLE about her oldest child, Ally, 34, who graduated from the University of Southern California and now works as a senior director at a public relations agency.

Ray Romano and Alexandra Romano at her wedding to Zack Wilezola in September 2024.

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Looking back on his youth, Ray says his drive only came after he discovered his passion for stand-up comedy. “I’m also driven, but I was driven by something I discovered a passion for,” he says. “But I was terrible at school and did as little as possible.”

Anna, Ally’s mom, adds: “I wasn’t a good student either… I didn’t like school.”

But for Ally, school was the top priority. “Everything had to be A… A-plus,” says Ray. “You took all these qualities from us, and left nothing for the boys.”

The Romanovs in 2017. From left: Alexandra, Anna, Ray, Joe, Matt and Greg.

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Roman’s three sons — Matt and Greg, 31, and Joe, 26 — are following in their father’s footsteps: finding their footing later in life and hoping to discover their passion along the way.

“I’m more in line with Matt and Greg’s thinking,” Joe tells PEOPLE. “I live at home. I’m 26 years old, so I’m exactly where Matt and Greg were when they started this documentary.”

Now the three brothers unite because of a common passion. “We’re starting to write something right now,” Greg says of his collaboration with the brothers. “We don’t have a legitimate 9-to-5 schedule right now, but we’re in the process of writing a movie script and seeing where it goes—me, Matt and Joe.”

The Romanovs in 2000 at the premiere of the film ‘The Rugrats in Paris’ in LA.

Ron Galella, Ltd./Collection of Ron Galella via Getty

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No matter what his children choose to do or what ventures they pursue, Ray’s greatest hope is that they will find something they love. “I just want them to know that it doesn’t matter what you do. It’s about finding something you love to do, and that will be the answer,” the Everyone loves Raymond Emmy winner says.

He adds, “You should take your privilege and use it to give yourself time to find your passion. Some people don’t even have that ability. So, my advice to them is to look for it, find it and not be afraid of failure, because I failed so many times.”

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Source: HIS Education