Comedy isn’t just about getting the laugh—it’s about knowing who’s left hurting after it echoes. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has long been the class clown of television—unfiltered, unruly, and brilliantly wrong on purpose. It’s the sitcom that spikes the punch at the party, throws shade at sacred cows, and somehow keeps acing the comedy game despite breaking every rule in the book. But even the most chaotic jesters eventually trip over their own punchlines.

And that’s exactly what co-creator Rob McElhenney confronted when he looked back at a joke that crossed a line, swung too low, and missed the mark entirely.

The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Joke that didn’t land—it crashed Danny DeVito in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia / Credits: FX

Launched in 2005 on FX, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito,...