Rob McElhenney Thanks His Two Mom For Mother’s Day

Rob McElhenney let his moms tell their story this week in a partnership with GLAAD. The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star worked alongside his business partner, Ryan Reynolds, to showcase his mothers, Helena McElhenney and Mary Taylor, this Mother’s Day.

In the clip posted by GLAAD, Helena and Mary discuss their relationship, how they met, and the obstacles they encountered.

Helena said, “I met Mary approximately 37 years ago. I was a school teacher for a few years and then decided to get into nursing and that’s when I met Mary. The minute I met her, she was the person that I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

“I would go home and say, ‘I met this woman. I just love her. I can’t help myself. The blue eyes melt my heart,” Mary added. “Then it hit, and love is love.”

Helena recalled that, even though she loved Mary, she “was afraid, not only for my children, but for myself.”

“The first several years were really, really tough,” Mary said. “But we got through it.”

The two were officially married three years ago and now offer advice for the younger generation.

“If I could go back, I would tell me not to be afraid… To be strong and know that because you are who you are and how you have a loving family that’ll support you,” Helena said. “Who you love and how you love is your business, but sometimes you need a little help.”

Mary added, “And don’t worry about other people. Rely on the community for support.”

After the release of the video, McElhenney talked about his experience growing up with two moms. The 44-year-old actor said, “I get asked a lot about what it was like to have two moms. The truth is that it was a pretty great gift. By the standards of 1984 South Philadelphia, our upbringing was unconventional but my brother, sister and I were able to recognize early on that not every family looked exactly the same or like what we saw on television. Yet we had nothing but love and support and compassion and empathy… And I think that allowed us to flourish.”

Reynolds shared the video to his Instagram story with the caption, “Happy Mother’s Day,” tagging Rob and GLAAD.

Though the two men have never met in person, they co-own Wrexham A.F.C, a fifth-tier soccer team in Wales. During an interview for Rob’s Men’s Health cover, Reynolds said, “We’ve never met, which is the weirdest thing, because we Zoom and text every day. We’re kinda like work spouses – everything we’ve done has happened during this pandemic.”