.jpg?h=203784d2)
It may have been one of the biggest nights of Rob McElhenney’s career at the Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, but his heart was with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star’s attention was glued to his phone inside the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, as he watched the NFL wild card playoff game between his Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The moment was snapped by his wife, Kaitlin Olson, and shared on social media.
“Who schedules the Emmys the same night as the @eagles #gobirds #FlyEaglesFly,” McElhenney joked.
The 46-year-old star won his very first Emmy this year in the Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program as an executive producer on Welcome to Wrexham. Posing with his new hardware in a follow-up picture, he quipped, “Worth it I guess.”
Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson attend the Governor's Gala for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards at Los Angeles Convention Center on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. – Kevin Winter/Getty Images
McElhenney and Olson were also on presenting duty at the awards ceremony. The couple was joined onstage by their Always Sunny co-stars — Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day and Danny DeVito — to present Trevor Noah with the Outstanding Variety Series award for The Daily Show With Trevor Noah.
Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney present the Outstanding Variety Series award to Trevor Noah for "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" onstage during the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. – Kevin Winter/Getty Images
It was likely a bittersweet night for McElhenney, who is a diehard Birds fan. His team suffered a tough loss to the Bucs that ended their season and may have marked the final NFL game for his favorite player, Jason Kelce. The celebrated athlete appeared visibly emotional at various points of the match as speculation swirled about his potential retirement. According to a Tuesday report from ESPN, Jason told his teammates in the postgame locker room that he would, indeed, be retiring.
Jason has not publicly confirmed his own plans for next season.
Jason Kelce #62 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on from the bench during the fourth quarter of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on January 15, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. – Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
McElhenney has been an occasional guest on Jason’s New Heights podcast — which he co-hosts with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — and most recently made a surprise appearance after he and Olson dropped $100k on a one-of-a-kind piece of Eagles memorabilia signed by Jason’s wife, Kylie Kelce. During their chat, Jason explained that “every dollar” of the purchase was going to autism related research.
“We just truly believe in this organization,” McElhenney gushed. “It’s something we really feely strongly about.”
The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, originally set to take place last September, was postponed due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Hosted by Anthony Anderson at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the ceremony aired live Monday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET on Fox, and will be streamed Tuesday, Jan. 16 on Hulu. Keep checking ETonline.com for complete Emmys coverage and for the full winners’ list.
RELATED CONTENT: