Axel Lee McElhenney is the son of actress Caitlin Olson and her long-time partner and husband Rob McElhenney. Both Axel’s parents are known as two of the main stars of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, FX’s longest-running TV series; mother Olson is Deandra Sweet Dee Reynolds and father McElhenney is Ronald Mac McDonald.
The couple has been together since the mid-2000s and are now parents to two children, including Axel.
Read about the couple’s first son, Axel, in the sections below; find out how he’s connected to some of the strange storylines in his parents’ TV series. Also, find out what parenthood has been like for Caitlin and Rob since he was born; how they’re raising him and his brother, some memorable incidents involving Olson and her son Axel, and more.
Axel Lee McElhenney Birth Details, Grandparents, Siblings, …
Axel Lee McElhenney, the first son of Leap Year actress Kaitlin Olson and her actor husband Rob McElhenney, was born in September 2010. Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney gave birth to Axel on Wednesday afternoon at 12:52 at their home in Sherman Oaks, California. The celebrities’ baby weighed 8 lbs and 7 oz.
Axel, now 11 years old, is the grandson of Donald Olson, Helen McElhenney, Melinda Olson, and Robert McElhenney.
He also has a younger brother, Leo Grey McElhenney, who was born at 1.15 am on Thursday 5 April 2012 at the couple’s home in Los Angeles. Leo is younger than Axel Lee by 19 months.
Olson admits that when she found out she was having Leo, she panicked because she didn’t know if she would be able to love someone as much as she loved her husband and Axel.
However, as soon as Axel’s younger brother was born, Olsson told Time magazine in 2015 how her second child had stretched her heart and increased her capacity to love. Caitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney welcomed their first child, son Axel Lee McElhenney,
Axel Lee McElhenney Was Born When His Mother, Kaitlin Was In The Middle Of Watching The Game
Olson and McElhenney’s first son Axel is quite an interesting story. He had his actress mother give birth while she was in the middle of watching a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Recalling the moments when she had just started having a fit, Olson told People magazine,
“I went into labor at the Phillies/Dodgers game on Tuesday night. As soon as Ryan Howard hit a three-run home run, we felt comfortable leaving to go have our baby. We love him like crazy, even though he made us miss the second half of the game.”
Olson went into labor while she was still at home. However, the actress figured that since it would take time, she might as well go watch the game between the Dodgers and the Phillies. Caitlin has been a fan of the team since she was a child.
Her original plan was to walk around the neighborhood and go to the grocery store, but the Oregon-born actress went to the game. When the time came, Olson told Glamour magazine that she had lasted five or seven innings. The Emmy nominee said the game was very important.
Olson told People in September 2010 that she and her husband love her like crazy, even though he made them skip the second half of the game.
Axel’s Parents, Rob McElhenney And Kaitlin Fell In Love On The Set Of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Olson met Axel’s father, McElhenney, while filming It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in 2005. Axel’s father Rob had invited his future wife Kaitlyn to star in the FX comedy series Its Always… as Deandra Sweet Dee Reynolds. The Ronald McDonald actor slowly began to fall in love with the eight-centimeter-tall actress.
Later, when their private affair became public, Olson revealed that she had fallen in love with McLenney long before him. They eventually began their relationship during the second season of the series but kept it a secret for the first year.
They dated for two years and finally married at the end of September 2008 at a Malibu vineyard. Two years after their marriage, Olson and McElhenney became parents of their first child, Alex. When they found out they were having Alex, Olson said she and her actor husband were stupidly excited and that they were completely beside themselves.
Also on 5 April 2012, their youngest son Leo was born.
Has Rob McElhenney And Kaitlin’s Son, Axel Appeared On It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia?
Axel somehow appeared on his mother’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The writer highlighted Olson’s actual pregnancy with Axel in the sixth season of the series in the form of Dee’s pregnancy.
The fact that Dee was expecting a baby in the sixth season of the series surprised many and was something more unexpected.
On this particular storyline, Olson said that it was great to be able to incorporate her real pregnancy into the series. The now 46-year-old actress was in her second trimester at the time of filming. Later, the episode in which everyone found out about Dee’s pregnancy was called “Who Got Dee Pregnant?”.
Kaitlin Once Revealed Axel Lee McElhenney Was A Perfectionist
Olson’s son Axel was once a perfectionist. The blonde actress confirmed this herself in a conversation with Raising Whasians in June 2016. Olsson said at the time that her eldest son used to get very upset when his Lego bricks fell apart, which was like the end of the world for him. The Finding Dory actress added that her son then felt like a terrible person.
But according to the actress’s mother, Axel was also very smart at the time.
This was reportedly a theme throughout Axel’s life at the time, and Olson revealed how she tried to tell him that nobody was perfect. And that is the message that the Vacation actress has tried to pass on to her children ever since.
Kaitlin’s Different Approach To Teach Her Son Axel About Safety
As a parent who herself was in a terrible accident as a child, Olson says she doesn’t always warn her sons Axel Lee McClenney and Leo by saying, “Be careful!” Instead, the Hacks star believes it would only scare them more.
The mother of two told Glamour magazine that in her home with her husband, it is customary to say: “Check your body”.
Olson and McElhenney are reminding their sons to take care of their safety. According to the Heat actress herself, she is trying to teach Axel and Leo to be aware of their surroundings and to keep themselves out of harm’s way.
Olson said that she tries to teach her sons to look around and make them aware of what they need to do to keep themselves safe. The Arizona actress wants her children to take risks, but also to wear a helmet.
Axel’s mother was in a serious bicycle accident at the age of 12 when she was hit by a vehicle. As a result, she ended up in the hospital with a fractured skull, which required several reconstructive operations.
Axel Lee McElhenney’s Parents Net Worth Is Massive
For a man who has been an integral part of America’s longest-running live comedy series, Axel’s parents must have been millionaires. As the stars of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia for 15 seasons, both Caitlin and Rob have a net worth estimated at more than 50 million dollars each. Moreover, since Axel’s father Rob is one of the show’s creators, reports suggest that the 45-year-old actor may have a much larger fortune than sources claim.
With a combined net worth of more than USD 100 million, Axel’s guardians are in every way in the league of the super-rich.
Axel Lee’s Other Facts
Axel and his brother have a rule that whenever anyone enters or leaves the house, be it their housekeeper, the boys must make eye contact and say hello to that person; especially if they are in the middle of a screen.

