Kaitlin Olson Says She Practiced ‘Balls-to-the-Wall’ Physical Comedy in Front of Her Parents When She Was a Kid

Kaitlin Olson didn‘t come to rival Bugs Bunny overnight.

A week after the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star earned the unofficial title of Twitter’s second favorite slapstick comedian behind only the Looney Tunes icon — a comparison she described as “a huge compliment” — Olson opened up about how she became a cartoon character incarnate, detailing the decades she spent honing her comedy chops. 

“I’ve been inspired by women who are funny, who are not trying to look pretty,” Olson explained during a recent appearance on The Drive with Rob & Roz, a program on South African radio station Jacaranda FM. 

Beyond admiring female comedians — and perfecting her slapstick skills as a member of The Groundlings — Olson said her love for physical comedy spans back to her childhood, where she relied on wacky, “balls-to-the-wall” antics to amuse her family. “Throwing your body around to make people laugh, that makes me laugh so much,” Olson explained. “That’s how I used to make my parents laugh.” 

This passion for hamming it up apparently runs in the family, too. The sitcom staple, who shares two children with her husband and It’s Always Sunny co-star, Rob McEhenney, revealed that her 12-year-old son has taken after her, performing “the dumbest dances” imaginable. 

“It cracks me up,” she said. 

The apple doesn’t pratfall far from the tree, apparently.