Fans of the comedy, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, are used to the characters on the show doing insane things for our enjoyment.  But did you ever think THIS would happen?

Have a Big Mac!

For the new season of Sunny, Rob McElhenney, who plays Mac on the show, has gained more than 50 pounds since the last time we’ve seen him!  A lot of people speculated that Rob had gained the weight as a result of succumbing to a lavish, over-indulgent lifestyle, but the truth is that he did it for the show.

Many sitcoms see the main characters growing thinner and better looking as the series stretches on, mostly due to the actors becoming wealthier and more aware of their looks than when the show started.  Rob and the crew thought they should create a story line for Sunny that better matches real life, where people get uglier, fatter, and lazier as they age.  During their off season, Rob started chugging weight gain shakes and managed to take in at least 5000 calories every day!  Now he has ballooned up and is ready to play the fat guy on the show, at least for this season.  But they aren’t willing to just play the “fat guy card” of comedy.  Instead, they are planning on using Mac’s weight gain as a catalyst for truly unique story lines.  Considering their history, I completely believe them!

The new season of Sunny starts tomorrow, September 15th, on FX.