Rob McElhenney declared he has "fallen in love" with Ryan Reynolds while working together as owners of Wrexham AFC.
Back in November 2020, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and McElhenney - famed for creating and starring in ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ - teamed up to purchase Wrexham for £2.25million. They used their platforms to shine a light on the club and area, largely though the popular Disney+ documentary titled ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
After 15 years outside the football league, the Red Dragons secured the National League title with 111 points - four ahead of rivals Notts County - to clinch promotion to League 2. Both McElhenney and and Reynolds were in attendance as an emotional 3-1 victory over Boreham Wood at the Racecourse secured promotion.
Reynolds and McElhenney rewarded the triumphant players with an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas to celebrate, highlighting the strong bond they have with the dressing room. However, McElhenney revealed the acting duo have grown incredibly close during their time as owners.
“We've just kind of like fallen in love with each other in a platonic way, over the course of the season, and that was a really important thing for us too, because I feel very strongly specifically about men and male relationships, and I know how difficult it is for a lot of men to express love for each other, especially publicly,” McElhenney said on ’The Aarthi & Sriram Show’.
“I’m just not afraid to do that because – maybe because of my dad or because of the way I was raised – Ryan is the same, and I am still very proud that we were able to put that out in the world.”
On his relationship with Reynolds, the 46-year-old added: “We just became really close friends. And, I love his family, he loves mine. We spend so much time together now.”
McElhenney and Reynolds celebrated Wrexham’s promotion with the players and fans after the win over Boreham Wood last month, with the celebrity owners embracing after full time. The ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’ star had tears in his eyes as fans flooded the pitch, and he admitted he can barely remember the occasion.
“I don’t remember hearing the final whistle,” McElhenney revealed. “I don't even remember the end of the game, I just remember there being people on the pitch, and then hugging Ryan [Reynolds]…I think it felt like there was a weight that was lifted, not just off of us, but off of the entire organisation.
“It's the third oldest football team in the world, and they've been struggling for a long time so that's been our goal, and that was, I mean truly one of the greatest moments of my life and it just happened last week.”
McElhenney joined the players in jetting to Las Vegas just days after thousands of fans took to the streets in the Welsh town for the open-top bus parade to celebrate the dominant season and return to the football league. Reynolds was in attendance on the buss too, with the Hollywood ace even skipping the star-studded Met Gala to attend.
