It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been running for a whopping thirteen seasons and has already signed on for its fourteenth. The show follows ‘The Gang’ — a group of self-absorbed friends and family that run an Irish bas in South Philadelphia. The humour can be raunchy and jarring at times, but the show instantly hit a soft spot with fans when it first appeared on FX in 2005. That’s how they got Danny DeVito to sign on to be a regular for the second season!
Needless to say, the show has had plenty of time to have big-name celebrities make appearances. And they sure haven’t disappointed. Below is a complete list of all of the famous faces It’s Always Sunny have had featured on the show (ranked from worst to best). Some guest stars have reprised their roles multiple times because their characters are that good, while other guest appearances have left fans feeling they could’ve done without. Nevertheless, what’s for sure is that viewers have had tons of laughs thanks to the multitude of epic guest appearances the show has made possible.
Make sure to let us know in the comments which guest appearance is your favourite! Considering that the show doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon, we can expect many more exciting guest appearances in the future. Fingers crossed!
Christopher Lloyd
If you weren’t watching carefully, you may have missed Christopher Lloyd’s brief cameo at first. The celebrity was hidden behind a white Santa beard during season nine’s episode “Always Sunny Christmas Special.”
However, in a flashback scene, the star is more recognizable as he’s giving some loving to Charlie’s mom. Fast forward to the present, this memory then causes Charlie to react violently when he realizes who Santa really is.
Oscar Nunez
Viewers will recognize Oscar Nunez from his role in The Office. He makes a cameo in the episode “The Gang Tries Desperately to Win An Award) as the Sudz Manager. In the episode, the gang tries to improve the bar’s customer service after years of neglect. Too bad it turns out changing a reputation isn’t as easy as one might think.
Keegan-Michael Key
Leave it to the gang to somehow end up on a Family Feud-inspired game show, which was aptly titled Family Fight. As hilarious as the concept is on its own, it was made all the better when Key was invited to play the part of the host. He interacts with the gang as they try to (and fail at) answering the trivia questions. Better luck next time!
Sean William Scott
It felt fitting that a former American Pie star played Mac’s cousin and look-a-like in the season 9 episode “Mac Day.” The two were so similar in looks that they only ever referred to Scott’s character as Country Mac. However, they weren’t similar in beliefs. Country Mac was wildly more open-minded than regular ol’ Mac, which made for some stellar banter between the two characters.
David Huddleston
Fans went wild when show creators brought in the other Lebowski from Big Lebowski (Huddleston also played one of the Johnston brothers in Blazing Saddles). Needless to say, this actor is a comedy legend, so it was more than fitting when he was cast as Frank’s old business partner in the DVD special A Very Sunny Christmas.
Now, if only the show had more Christmas episodes, maybe they’d have a reason to call Huddleston up again.
Retta
Retta is best known for her role as Donna Meagle in Parks and Recreation — the girl knows how to treat herself, as evidenced by her famous meme. But her appearance on It’s Always Sunny was so small that you might have missed her. In the episode “the Gang Gets Extreme: Home Makeover Edition,” Retta plays the clerk at the hardware store where the gang is picking up supplies.
Pablo Schreiber
Netflix junkies will recognize Pablo Schreiber from Orange Is The New Black. Luckily, he was a bit less creepy during his appearance on It’s Always Sunny in which he played a man whose toy robot had been stolen by Mac on Christmas. Only Mac would steal someone else’s present on the most joyous day of the year.
Dennis Haskins
Fans of Saved By the Bell will remember Dennis Haskins as the lovable principle Mr. Belding. During his stint on It’s Always Sunny, Haskins also played a teacher, albeit a slightly creepier one (although- why did Mr. Belding always hang out with teenagers)? Haskin’s former co-star Patrick Thomas O’Brien has coincidentally also played a teacher in the episode “The Gang Runs For Office.”
Stephen Collins
Stephen Collins made a name for himself as the Reverend and father-of-seven in 7th Heaven, so we wonder what his old character would think of his raunchy appearance on It’s Always Sunny.
Collins was featured in the season two finale where it was revealed he was the biological father of the twins. Though Dee and Dennis were first swayed by his morally altruistic attitude, they soon realized that sort of life just ain’t for them. This guest appearance would’ve been cooler had Collins not admitted to some startling allegations a few years back…
Josh Groban
Think he’s only a pretty face with vocal chops? Josh Groban proved that he’s actually pretty decent at acting, too, when he took a guest role in It’s Always Sunny. Groban was actually cast as the short-lived boyfriend of Dee, though she eventually breaks up with him in favour of Brad Pitt during a daydream. Hey, after seeing Groban give acting a try, we might prefer him to Pitt!
Chad L. Coleman
When he’s not busy fighting zombies on The Walking Dead, Chad L. Coleman likes to do appearances on It’s Always Sunny. So far, the actor has been features in three episodes. His best episode has got to be when he recounted the sad ale of his worn out jeans to a fellow party attendee. Sounds like a wild night, right?
Judy Greer
Judy Greer has one of the most recognizable faces on TV thanks to the fact that she’s starred in almost everything. She’s most well known for her role as Kitty Sanchez on Arrested Development, but she’s also had stints on Californication, Royal Pains, Modern Family, House MD, ER and Two and a Half Men. In her It’s Always Sunny appearance, she plays an outcast from Dee’s days in high school, which is just as hilarious as it sounds.
Rob Thomas
It felt random since Rob Thomas is a singer not an actor, but the celebrity’s appearance during the season four episode “Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life” is one to remember — though fans still agree it was one of the wackiest casting decisions ever. Considering the episode featured Dennis experiencing hallucinations and paranoia, we guess it makes sense.
Thomas has since revealed he got the gig by inviting the cast to a concert, which led to them offering him a part on the show.
Sinbad
If you thought that Rob Thomas was an odd guest star, then you’ll never imagine who was also featured in the same episode as him. Comedian Sinbad was also a main star in the wacky episode, which came as a surprise for many since the celebrity hasn’t acted in decades. Sinbad kept reminding everyone in the episode that Rob Thomas was the lead singer from Matchbox 20, which makes us wonder if the band had to pay for that much free promotion.
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs
Sean Combs played one of the most eccentric characters we’ve seen on the show (and believe us, there are a lot of choose from). The rapper and music producer was cast as Dr. Jinx, a yellow-jumpsuit wearing Doctor who ran his practice from his garage. The gang hired him to help Charlie’s mom beat cancer, though viewers were skeptical of his credentials.
Alexandra Dadarrio
Before making waves on Baywatch, Dadarrio briefly played Charlie’s love interest in season 8’s episode “Charlie and Dee Find Love.” To this day, Dadarrio’s character Ruby Taft is the only woman who’s made Charlie forget about his obsession with the waitress. Too bad she had to go and get all famous with her role in True Detective or maybe Charlie would’ve finally found lasting love.
Dax Shepherd
Dax Shepard has played some pretty weird characters before, so of course he would make a cameo during the episode where Mac and Charlie join a cult. Without giving away any spoilers, let’s just say that episode was as epic as it sounds. Now we’re just waiting for the rest of the gang to join the cult so the show creators have a reason to bring Dax back,.
Guillermo De Torro
Leave it to Guillermo to star in the only It’s Always Sunny episode to deal with zombies. The famed directed played Pappy McPoyle in the horror-parody episode in which the gang crashes a wedding.
Pappy initially tries to warn the gang about the looming zombie invasion, but his tendency to rant and speak gibberish made him seem crazy (that is, until the zombies actually did come).
Jason Sudeikis
Jason Sudeikis played the role of Schmitty in the episode “The Gang Gets A New Member.” His appearance was actually highly foreshadowed in the show. He was first mentioned in the third season episode “Dennis and Dee’s Mom Is Dead,” but he’s never shown on screen until the sixth season. Sudeikis reprises his character again in the season seven episode “The High School Reunion, Part 2.”
