Glenn Howerton Reveals Why He Wanted to Quit 'Always Sunny' Years Ago

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For a legendary television show that was initially thought to be a short filmshot on a digital camcorderby Rob McElhenney, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has come a long way, reaching truly unimaginable heights.

With Season 17 set to debut July 9 on FXX (formerly FX), the longest-running live-action sitcom in American television history starring Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and the great Danny DeVito has some interesting internal history of its own.

At some point back in 2016, before production of Season 12 had begun, star and co-creator Howertonbecame concerned and anxious that the show might be on the verge of continuing past its peak.

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"I wanted to quit, but it wasn't because I had other things going on,"said Howerton, who plays the iconic Dennis Reynolds.

Actor and co-creator of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," Glenn Howerton.

Maarten de Boer/NBC/Contributor/Getty Images

"There's a misconception that I went off to do A.P. Bio [a show he starred in from 2018-2021] or something."

"I told the guys, it was actually before we started working on season 12, I was like, look, I just don't want to wear out our welcome. I was worried that maybe we had sort of peaked or something,"Howertonexplained. "And I just was like, you know, we've been doing this for a long time. And I think I was also anxious."

The 49-year-old Howerton, who also stated he "never lost any appreciation for the show" during that period of uncertainty, comes off as someone who was simply concerned about where the rest of their acting career might be headed.

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But it's also probably something that actors and producers of popular TV shows go through at some point along the line when a series has managed to eclipse that rare double-digit mark in seasons.

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"I had not figured out yet how to, stretch myself and be able to do other things that I wanted to do with my career outside of the show," Howerton continued.

"I was aching to do other things and so I was starting to feel a little boxed in, frankly."

Thankfully, though, both for Howerton's co-stars and the show's many devoted fans, it sounds like it was a brief, fleeting thought.

"I just thought like maybe we should [end the show]," Howerton said. "And then they [his co-stars] were like, 'We don't want to end it,' and I was like, 'Oh, well I can't stop you.'"

For those familiar with the show, the above quote almost feels like a scene from the actual show.

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It's almost too easy to envision such a crucial conversation regarding the show's ultimate fate transpire in that manner, and proceed to be resolved in a brief exchange and then carry on, just as they have with a remarkable Season 17 right around the corner.

As difficult as it might be to imagine any of the cast members leaving the iconic show, much credit should be given to McElhenney for more or less "saving Dennis."

McElhenney stated that they "just kept writing it and kept writing him [Howerton] into [the show]."

"And we're like, he's just gonna eventually say he's coming back," McElhenneysaid. "That's what happened."

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Season 17 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia—the show that Danny DeVito hilariously referred to as "I Love Lucy on acid"—is slated to debut on Wednesday, July 9 on FXX, with each new episode available for streaming on Hulu the following day.

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Glenn Howerton Reveals Why He Wanted to Quit 'Always Sunny' Years Ago first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 4, 2025