It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is a live-action American Sitcom that premiered on FX in 2005. With a total of 14 seasons, this comedy series will not fail to entertain you. If you have already watched it, you might be intrigued by the character of Ronald McDonald, played by Rob McElhenney, the creator of the series himself. Mac is a fascinating yet mysterious character who doesn't fail to hold the attention of the audience. He will keep throwing hints about his sexuality from the initial episodes, which will make you a question: Is Mac gay?
If you are confused too, this article is for you. It talks about everything related to Mac and his sexuality and how he was revealed as gay. Read till the end to know the secret of Mac!
Is Mac a Gay Character of Always Sunny in Philadelphia Series?
You might have heard about the popular sitcom "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia", even if you haven't had the chance to watch it yet. Mac is one of the most talked-about characters in the series. If you haven't watched the series yet, you might be wondering who Mac is. Let's find out!
Ronald "Mac" McDonald is a co-owner and the bouncer/bodyguard of Paddy's Pub and generally the pub's most active manager. He is roommates with his best friend from high school, Dennis Reynolds, and has been best friends with Charlie Kelly since childhood. Mac is a member of The Gang, considering himself to be the "brains" of the operation, even though with those muscles, he is definitely the brawn. He is the one who gets upset at the injustice done but would never slip any of the opportunities where he could smell the money.
In season 11, Mac came out as gay only go back in the closet later in the same episode. As of season 12, Mac came out as gay and has since remained out.
Name
McDonald. His full name was not revealed until season seven. Before that season, viewers were given hints time and again that Mac is his surname. In the fourth season, we got to know the names.
Portrayed by Rob McElhenney, Mac's full name in It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is Ronald of Mac's dad, and mom are Luther Mac and Mrs. Mac, respectively. Similarly, in different seasons different clues are thrown to hint that Mac is not his real name.
It's only in the season seven episode "The High School Reunion" that the full name of Mac as Ronald McDonald is revealed. We get to know that Mac hates his full name because of two reasons. Firstly, because it is associated with McDonald's scandal, and secondly because it reminds him of his old nickname, "Ronnie the Rat," which he got in high school for ratting on his peers in high school.
Religion
Mac is catholic and the only member of The Gang to have a profound religious faith. In "The Gang Exploits A Miracle", Mac fears that the Lord will show his wrath if they continue to exploit the water stain in the bar. Throughout the series, he refuses to wear a condom during sex, because as he explains to Charlie, he went to Catholic school. He cares more about issues such as abortion, community activism, and parenting than the rest of The Gang, his views on such subjects are invariably twisted, ignorant, or prejudiced, and his actions regarding them are always hypocritical and selfish. For instance, after pretending to be adamantly pro-life in order to attract a female activist, Mac later tells her to get an abortion when he thinks she has become pregnant by him. In another instance involving the transgender woman Carmen, Mac discovers that she has married and had the operation to remove her penis. He then belittles Carmen and her husband by quoting the Bible to them and calling them "gay"; however, he only reacts so because he expected Carmen to call him once she had the operation so they could date again.
Sexuality
While continuing his charade as a heterosexual in earlier seasons, Mac seemed to have a thing for older women. He had sex with Dennis and Dee's mom, Barbara Reynolds, later saying it was the best sex of his life. Throughout the first 11 seasons, there were many insinuations that Mac was a closeted gay man; this was manifested by his obsession with men's physiques and his reactionary religious views on homosexuality. It is also implied that he might be in love with Dennis. He did not come out until season 12. Some examples of Mac exhibiting behaviors or saying things that hinted at or confirmed his homosexuality:
In the season 3 episode "The Gang Dances Their Asses Off", Mac challenges Dennis to a dance-off. During the dance-off, Mac gets on his knees and bobs his head in front of Dennis's groin.
In the season 5 episode "Mac and Dennis Break Up"
After coming out, Mac refers to himself as gay multiple times throughout the rest of the season.
Mac’s Personality
Mac comes from a broken home and is highly aggressive, often quick to begin shouting and threatening physical violence. He once got a knife-wielding meth head to back off after he sternly told him to "give us a minute" while arguing with Dennis. He is highly competitive and is unable to control his competitiveness. He is jealous of other people's success. However, he seeks his friends' acceptance and is easily flattered and manipulated, especially if complimented about his body or his fighting skills. Due to his inflated and fragile self-image, Mac is riddled with insecurities and often places great pressure on himself to look superior or not fail at anything. Consequently, in an unwanted position, he glamorizes himself. However, despite being incredibly out of touch with reality, Mac is surprisingly reasonable and quite possibly the most normal member of the Gang, due to not being as cunning and manipulative as Dennis and Dee, as twisted as Frank, or as strange and foolish as Charlie.
Mac Gains Weight
Mac claims to work out at the gym all the time. However, he only works out his "glamour bi and tri muscles" and lacks core strength. A major plotline during Season 7 was Mac's sudden and quite dramatic weight gain. Mac claimed that he was "cultivating mass", but everyone else, correctly, judged him as just getting fat. However, Mac seemed to truly believe that his weight gain was muscle, not fat. He has lost weight again, and in the Season Eight premiere, Mac says that his "sudden and unfortunate" weight loss is putting Paddy in jeopardy because it might hinder his ability to do his job as head of security. It is revealed that the reason for Mac's weight loss is that Dennis has been giving him "Mexican ephedra" pills, which caused him to lose his appetite, and telling Mac that they were "size pills". By the time of Season 13, Mac has become ripped.
Position in the Gang
Mac always sees himself superior to the rest of The Gang and attempts to prove his supremacy often. Mac sees himself as the boss in most situations, and the Gang constantly complains about his bossiness. From "Mac Day '' onward, the Gang seems constantly annoyed by Mac and makes regular mention of how they hate him due to his bossiness, religious pride, hypocritical homophobia, and desperate neediness. When Mac comes out of the closet for good in "Hero or Hate Crime?", the Gang agrees that they're happy for him despite hating him and earlier told him that they wouldn't like him whether he's in or out of the closet. After that episode, though, everyone seems to treat Mac nicer due to his being more honest with himself, even chanting for him simply for walking into the bar in "The Gang Tends Bar". Dennis is also driven to tears when Mac gives him his first Valentine's gift but is still clearly cold and dismissive of him and his emotions in "Dennis' Double Life".
Who Revealed That Mac Is Gay in the TV Show?
Mac himself revealed that he is gay. For over 11 seasons, Mac has denied he was gay and has actively fought against homosexuality, probably most notably in "Mac Fights Gay Marriage." Homoeroticism is such a part of his character; it's one of the defining elements of his short-lived doppelganger Country Mac, who made a brief but memorable appearance in "Mac Day." Mac has always been secretly gay but hates gay people, and the rest of the Gang could not care less. Keeping all this in mind, episode "Hero or Hate Crime?" seemed like a clear return to this long-running joke. Another trial episode, this adventure starts with Charlie (Charlie Day) kicking Mac out from underneath a falling piano. The catch? Charlie only knew to save Mac because Frank (Danny DeVito) yelled out, "Look out, f*ggot!" The whole episode descends into another exhausting gang argument, examining whether Frank was a hero for warning Mac or just a bigot (he's both). It's all Always Sunny as usual until the episode's last few moments. The third lawyer they see declares that Mac has ownership of the lottery ticket they're fighting over if Mac says he's gay. Mac, who's always proven to be more opportunistic than honest, excitedly screams, "Gay Mac rules! Rich, gay Mac!". It's in that moment one of the Gang's central characters and possibly the series as a whole change. The triumphant Mac is quickly replaced by a demure and wide-eyed one. After the Gang dismisses his revelation, pointing out that Mac has come out of the closet several times before, Mac says, "I dunno, maybe I'll just stay out. No, I think I'm out now. Yeah, I'm gay. Actually … It feels pretty good. See you guys."
Mac is forced to admit his sexuality to win the dispute, but the Gang expects him to return to the closet after the process is over. However, when given an opportunity to retract his admission, Mac finally decides to embrace his identity. In "Mac Finds His Pride", Mac finally comes out to his father as gay. Despite his father's disapproval of his sexuality, Mac is not ashamed by his own father's distaste for finding out he's gay.
Conclusion
Mac's protracted coming-out was all the lovelier for the ways in which it didn't have to happen. It'd have been easier for a show on which stasis is the norm to have a long-running joke about his attraction to men, edging up to the line of antigay sentiment but pulling back just enough so that the audience knew it was all in good fun. Instead, it showed us both the ways in which coming out is liberating and the ways in which it is only the beginning of a long conversation among friends and a reframing of one's own self-image. "Gay Mac rules!" Mac bellows, loutishly, after coming out. "Gay rich Mac!" Fans of the show on which he and his friends are constantly degrading themselves and other people can only be happy for him; dirtbags, after all, deserve love too.
