Rob McElhenney does shots while telling Jimmy Kimmel about getting high with Snoop
For a guy who’s become another incongruous combination of super-jacked and genuinely hilarious (hello to Kumail Nanjiani), Rob McElhenney isn’t afraid to take in the liquid calories. Appearing on the Cinco de Mayo episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the vaunted comedy creator came out with an in-studio tray of tequila, glasses, and fixin’s, eagerly wishing a salud to Kimmel and stalwart side-man Guillermo Rodriguez before putting away a couple of hefty, Paddy’s Pub-sized pours. Noting that (Kimmel’s boss) “Disney will love this,” McElhenney disdainfully eschewed the traditional lime chaser, instead relishing his tequila with the thought of watching Kimmel get sloshed before getting down to that whole interview business.
As it turns out, McElhenney is, perhaps unsurprisingly, equally willing to tempt a stern talking-to from HR on his own shows, as the It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star regaled Kimmel with the time that guest star Snoop Dogg similarly brought some hospitality to the Mythic Quest set. Explaining that he was unprepared for the famous rapper and noted weed enthusiast to make his scheduled 7:30 a.m. call time, series co-creator and star McElhenney was taken aback by the prompt Snoop’s gracious offer of a joint before the day’s shooting. McElhenney got some call-and-response going with Kimmel’s COVID-sparse studio audience, noting that “When Snoop Dogg asks if you want to get high, you say ‘Yes!’” Still, McElhenney, inveterate on-set It’s Always Sunny tippler that he is, was unprepared for the experience, since, for one thing, COVID responsibility meant that each guy got his own joint for the occasion. And, for another, it’s Snoop’s weed. (Kimmel recalled how, during a remote for The Man Show, a similar bit of Snoop’s graciousness saw him hungrily raiding Snoop’s fridge and devouring an entire bucket of chicken.)
Luckily, as McElhenney confessed, “Acting is not that hard,” so he was able to get through his brief scene with Snoop just fine later that morning. Less propitious was McElhenney’s business call after that, when, as Mythic Quest Executive Producer, he was forced to go through an entire line-item budget call with his Apple TV+ superiors. Honestly, his happy largesse sounds like that time the ether-addled Mr. Burns was doling out favors, with Homer telling his coworkers, “If you wanna ask Burns for a favor, now’s the time! He’s doped up, or dyin’, or something!” (If the Season 2 Friday premiere sees a suspicious number of helicopter chases, we’ll know who to blame.)
Still, even sneaking illicit substances at work has consequences, as, after a commercial break, McElhenney explained why his tequila bottle was suddenly replaced by a bottle of a certain brand of gin owned by business partner Ryan Reynolds. It’s a long story, involving a long-distance DM friendship between the two actors, an unlikely deal to co-own a Welsh football club, and, apparently, some fine-print rules about what McElhenney can drink in public. (Kimmel’s second guest, actress Uzo Aduba, also recently purchased a soccer team, which makes this officially a trend.) “He’s fine,” shrugged McElhenney of his demanding business partner, downing a gin shot while telling Kimmel that Reynolds’ nice guy reputation is overblown. Salud.