McElhenney was born and raised in Philadelphia, growing up in South Philly and moving to Delaware County after graduating high school. In an interview with Temple News, he shared that he used to go to Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park to hang out, and would sometimes “go to the bars that let underagers in.” Apparently “Underage Drinking: A National Concern” was inspired by a bit of McElhenney’s own Philly experience! McElhenney attended Philadelphia’s Temple University for one semester before leaving Philly and moving to New York, where he met Day and Howerton as they all tried to make it as actors in the Big Apple.
The actor currently lives in Los Angeles with wife Olson and their two sons, but he does make it back to Philly to see his family for major holidays and big sporting events. He also flies back in to check on his bar, Mac’s Tavern, which he co-owns with Olson and some of his Philly friends, a must-see destination for “Always Sunny” fans. In an interview all about Philly with the Wall Street Journal, McElhenney shared some of his own must-see destinations in Philly, including the Schuylkill River Trail, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and The Mann Center for the Performing Arts. He also shared his cheesesteak restaurant of choice since everyone from Philly has one — for McElhenney, it’s Jim’s South St. Charlie and Dee have both chowed down on cheesesteaks in the series, but whether or not they came from Jim’s is anyone’s best guess. Maybe next season we’ll get to find out the gang’s cheesesteak preferences once and for all!