Who Is Charlie Day’s Wife, Mary Elizabeth Ellis? Everything We Know About His Real-Life Romance With 'The Waitress'
Charlie Day’s wife, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, first met him in a bar—but it wasn’t Paddy’s Pub from his long-running FX Networks comedy, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Although the pair both star in that series, where many fans assume they met, their actual meet-cute happened far from the Paddy's set.
“The professional answer [to how we met] is we met each other and thought each other were great and had a very above-the-board, classy relationship,” Ellis told After Buzz TV on the red carpet in 2018. “The true story is, it’s a one-night stand that’s still happening this many years later. So, you know, just go for it, it might work out.”
Years later, the pair’s relationship includes plenty of professional collaborations. Ellis revealed to GQ in 2016 that they discuss their work “a lot” at home. “It’s a really beautiful and exciting part about our relationship,” she said. “I can’t imagine as an actor or an artist not having someone that I couldn’t talk to about process.”
Day made his leading-man rom-com debut in Prime Video’s I Want You Back back in April so there’s plenty of romance—and comedy—in his real life, too. Keep reading for a look at Charlie Day's marriage to wife Mary Elizabeth Ellis, including how he met his match after, well, a wrestling match.
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How did Charlie Day and his wife Mary Elizabeth Ellis meet?
It was love at first sight... er, arm wrestle? Years before they co-starred in Sunny, the pair met in New York in 2001 while Ellis was working on a play. After spotting her in a bar, Day arm-wrestled his friend to determine who could approach her. “One of my skinniest, weakest friends,” he recalled to Sean Evans on Hot Ones in 2017. “And I was able to beat him in an arm-wrestling competition. “We arm-wrestled and I won, and I met my wife.” Perhaps all is fair in love and war, as he added that he “still would have talked to her” even if he’d lost the wrestling match.
Ellis, however, was clueless about the competition at the time. She shared her side of the story on Conan in 2016, saying she “didn’t notice” the spontaneous wrestling match. “It’s usually the first thing I do when I walk into a bar is see where the arm wrestling is happening,” she quipped. “But I didn’t notice any that night. There was a very, very drunk Irish man talking very close to my face…[Day] came and rescued me.”
How long have Charlie Day and Mary Elizabeth Ellis been married?
Day and Ellis tied the knot on March 4, 2006, and have now been married for 16 years. Day celebrated his wife’s birthday in May 2021 with a sweet Instagram slideshow, writing, “Happy birthday @meellisday here’s to the next 20 together!”
How old is Mary Elizabeth Ellis?
Ellis is 42 as of early 2022, while Day is 45. The pair reportedly met when they were 22 and 25, respectively.
What was Mary Elizabeth Ellis in?
In addition to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Ellis and Day also both made a cameo in Reno 911, where they played incestuous siblings. Like Day, Ellis is known for her comedic roles. She memorably appeared in another long-running sitcom, New Girl, as Nick’s ex-girlfriend Caroline, in addition to starring opposite Fred Savage on The Grinder. Her acting credits also include films such as Masterminds, Happy Endings and Free State of Jones.
Is Charlie Day married to the waitress in real life?
Yep! The waitress (no, her real name has never been revealed) in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is played by none other than Ellis herself. She shares scenes with Day on the long-running sitcom, as his character Charlie Kelly is obsessed with her.
“I love just getting to spend time with him and hang out with him and have lunch with him, share the, you know, crappy catering lunch together,” the actress told Us Weekly in 2014 of working with her husband. “The hard things are when he directs me because I don’t take direction well. I think I’m pretty perfect.” She also called their on-camera arguments “good therapy,” adding, “Everyone should do it. Like role-playing of like, ‘I’m your stalker and you’re awful to me.’”
Related: Celebrate It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia With Charlie's Best Quotes
Their off-screen relationship isn’t the only hint of reality in her recurring waitress role, however, as Ellis’ resumé also includes real-life restaurant experience. She told Backstage in 2020 that she once worked as a hostess at the Olive Garden in Burbank, an experience she described as “pretty soul-crushing.” The hostess-turned-Hollywood star also reflected on her time at the chain during her 2016 GQ interview, saying she thought of the job as “paying [her] dues.”
Does Charlie Day have kids?
Day and Ellis have a 10-year-old son, Russell Wallace Day. His name has special significance, per PEOPLE: Russell is from Ellis’ side of the family and honors a departed friend, while Wallace comes from Day’s side of the family.
“Becoming a father was pivotal in terms of prioritizing this career stuff, not putting it on a pedestal,” Day told Interview Magazine in 2014 of welcoming his son. Ellis has also said their routine changed since becoming parents, as she told GQ they no longer “read poetry” to one another as they did in their twenties: “It’s like, the kid goes to bed, and who’s cleaning up the poop, and what are we making for lunch tomorrow?”
When asked on Conan whether their son might follow in his parents’ footsteps as an actor, Ellis predicted he might instead end up behind the camera one day. “I mean 4-year-olds are just so dramatic but ours, I think he might be a director,” she said in 2016. “He likes to tell us what to do a lot, and it kind of works because we’re both actors.”
