After 20 years, Glenn Howerton is finally weighing in on the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fan theory that his character, Dennis Reynolds, is a serial killer.
“Look, I don’t want to answer that question definitively, but I don’t think he is,” Howerton, 49, exclusively told Us Weekly at the PaleyLive: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia 20th Anniversary Celebration on Tuesday, July 1. “In my mind he’s not. In my mind he’s just delusional.”
The actor explained, “[He’s] so afraid of not being in control that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to be in control of any situation more than that he’s an actual serial killer.”
Howerton has been playing Dennis since the show’s premiere in 2005 and throughout its 16 seasons, he’s raised several red flags with his actions.
Fans, therefore, have theorized that Dennis is a secret serial killer for saying things like, “We’re going to follow our victim then we’re going to jump her. Then I’m going to strangle her and you’re going to chop her into pieces” while getting into the mind of a killer during season 3’s “Mac Is a Serial Killer.”
During season 7’s “The High School Reunion Part 2: The Gang’s Revenge,” Dennis confessed that he randomly keeps “duct tape, zip ties and gloves” in his truck, raising eyebrows.
The following season, Dennis assumed the identity of Brian LeFevre after the gang finds his wallet at Paddy’s Pub. It is later revealed that LeFevre was murdered in the alley, and Dennis could have done it. (Dennis isn’t convicted and the murderer remains unknown.)
Dennis being an undercover serial killer is one of the longest-running jokes and theories surrounding the comedy show, continuing even to this day. During season 11, Dennis makes a clay sculpture he describes as “a woman’s head in a freezer, and it’s supposed to represent the preservation of love forever and ever.”
During season 12, Dennis is the prime suspect when a cat woman named Maureen Ponderosa is found dead in an alley. “Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer” is filmed a la true crime style and feeds into viewers’ long-held belief that he has what it takes to kill.
While Howerton played down Dennis’ suspicious activity and how it could point to serial killer tendencies on Tuesday, he was more open about some of his favorite moments from the show over the past two decades.
He told Us at the Los Angeles event that his “favorite” rant by Dennis is from season 5 when the crew is going up against college kids.
“I go back to my alma mater and try to join in with my old fraternity, and then I come back, and I rant and I’m screaming, ‘Savages idiots,’” Howerton recalled. “That was the first time we ever really had my character go that far with the ranting. And I remember it was Charlie [Day] that pushed me to really just go absolutely nuts. And I did, and it really struck us as very, very funny. So, I have a particular fondness for that particular rant.”
Howerton also pointed to “Frank Reynolds’ Little Beauties” from season 7 as his “favorite” episode to date. “That episode just cracks me up. It just cracks me up,” he said. “It just makes me laugh.”
Season 17 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia premieres with a two-episode special on FXX Wednesday, July 9, at 9 p.m. ET. Episodes available for streaming next day on Hulu.
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