‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Kaitlin Olson Says That Her Kids ‘Love It’ When Strangers Call Her ‘Bird’
Kaitlin Olson says her family is a big fan of people calling her “bird,” but we already knew that — Dennis laughs at that bit every time.
Longtime sitcom actors know that a sense of humor about yourself is a prerequisite for lasting long in the TV comedy business. Whatever flaw, imperfection or vague resemblance your appearance bears to a non-human animal can and will come up in the writers’ room, and you need to get comfortable hearing superficial slams and shallow put-downs that could very well hit a nerve if you’re insecure. However, stretching back to Jackie Gleason on The Honeymooners, there’s no better way to become an audience favorite than being the plus-sized butt of the joke.
That goes double for women on sitcoms, especially the lone woman on a sitcom, and especially the lone woman on a sitcom where all the characters explicitly hate women — even the woman. Olson is one such actress who has had to suffer attacks about her vaguely aviary appearance ever since It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season Two when her future husband first told her that she looked like Big Bird while she was wearing a bright yellow pantsuit.
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During her recent appearance on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Olson admitted that the bird jokes have spilled over into real life, and her kids couldn’t be happier:
When Conan asked if Olson has experienced It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans mistaking her status in The Gang as an excuse to hurl similarly themed insults at her on the street, Olson answered plainly, “Oh yeah. ‘Dee’s a bird.’ ‘Shut up bird.’ A lot of ‘Shut up bird.’ Mostly ‘Shut up bird.’ On a daily basis.”
Conan asked Olson if Always Sunny fans have the audacity to call her the names that her closest coworkers and fake father use when she’s with her kids, Olson admitted of her offspring’s similar sense of humor, “Yeah, they love it. They think it’s the best thing in the world.”
However, Olson clarifies, she doesn’t take the bird jokes personally no matter who’s telling them, even if such comments ruffle the feathers of her rabidly defensive fanbase. “The most fun is when people do it in the comment section of whatever social media,” Olson said of the bird-calling strangers. “And then I have so many fans jump on it and be like, ‘You think she hasn’t heard that before?!’ … And I’m like, I find it hilarious, it doesn’t bother me at all.”
“Calling someone a bird is so not an insult,” Olson pointed out. “They’re calling me a bird! Who cares?”
Basically, in Always Sunny speak, “I’m Sweet Dee, and the joke’s on me!”
