Few actors get to create a character as magnetically awful as Dennis Reynolds and then spend years explaining why they wanted to walk away from him. Glenn Howerton is that rare sitcom lead: one of the principal performers and creators of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (IndieWire), and a performer whose possible departure has become as famous as the show itself. This is the sourced version of that messy timeline.
Known for: Dennis Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (IndieWire) ·
After season 12: Return left uncertain (IGN) ·
Season 6: Considered leaving, per Howerton (SlashFilm)
Quick snapshot
- Whether that uncertainty was ever a formal exit plan or remained a conversation is not confirmed (The Ringer).
- The exact internal reasons behind his earlier burnout, which he has described only in broad terms (SlashFilm).
- Howerton has said he wants to branch out into other work (The Daily Beast).
- He has also described the show’s workload as consuming roughly eight or nine months of his year (SlashFilm). (The Daily Beast)
Six career checkpoints, one pattern: Howerton keeps signaling distance from the show, then keeps coming back.
| Career checkpoint | What’s verified |
|---|---|
| Signature role | Dennis Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (IndieWire) |
| Creative role | One of the series’ principal performers and creators (IndieWire) |
| Exit signal | Publicly indicated an uncertain return after season 12 (IGN) |
| Return status | Back for nearly every episode of season 13, per Rob McElhenney (The Ringer) |
| Burnout marker | Considered leaving as early as season 6 (SlashFilm) |
| Post-Sunny ambition | Told The Daily Beast he wanted to branch out after 12 years (The Daily Beast) |
Who Is Glenn Howerton?
Glenn Howerton is one of the few sitcom leads who can say he helped invent the show he stars in. He is one of the principal performers and creators of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (IndieWire), and he has said his early ambition leaned toward dramatic work rather than comedy (The Daily Beast). That contrast explains much of what follows: a performer who loves his signature character but has never let it quietly define him.
- Howerton signed on to the NBC comedy A.P. Bio while his future on Sunny was being discussed (The Ringer).
- He later rejected the idea that he left Sunny specifically to make that show (The Ringer).
What this means: his public identity has always been a tug of war between serious ambition and a sitcom character audiences refuse to let go of.
Did Glenn Howerton Try to Leave It’s Always Sunny?
The answer is not a clean “yes” or “no.” He floated departure repeatedly, but he also walked each decision back. After the season 12 finale, Dennis left Philadelphia for North Dakota in the show’s story, and Howerton followed that episode by saying his return for season 13 was uncertain (IGN). He also stressed that the possible departure was a personal and creative decision, not a cast conflict (IGN).
- In 2018, he told The Daily Beast that after 12 years on the show he wanted to branch out and pursue other work (The Daily Beast).
- Howerton had signed on to A.P. Bio during that period, which fueled the narrative that he was leaving for a network lead role (The Ringer).
- He rejected the idea that A.P. Bio was the reason for any exit (The Ringer).
The same drive that made Howerton a sitcom lead also made him restless: three separate moments in the record — season 6, season 12, and 2018 — show him floating a departure without actually leaving.
Season 13 defused the story. Kaitlin Olson said Howerton would return for some episodes, and Rob McElhenney said he would appear in nearly every episode (The Ringer). The pattern is clear: Howerton keeps pulling toward other work, and Sunny keeps pulling him back.
How Old Was Glenn Howerton in Season 1?
- Born April 13, 1976, Howerton was 29 when It’s Always Sunny premiered on FX on August 4, 2005 (Wikipedia).
That puts the whole “golden god” energy in context. Dennis Reynolds was played by a man in his late twenties who was only a few years older than the character’s arrested-development bar. The number matters because it reminds fans how young the creative team was when they built one of television’s longest-running comedies.
Why it matters: the first season was not the work of seasoned TV executives; it came from a small group of actors in their late twenties figuring out a tone no one else had tried.
Who Created It’s Always Sunny?
- It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was created by Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day (Wikipedia).
- Howerton is one of the show’s principal performers and creators, not just a hired actor (IndieWire).
Because Howerton is both a creator and a star, reports of him “leaving” the show blur two different jobs: leaving the cast and stepping back from writing or producing.
The implication: a creator reducing his role is not the same thing as an actor quitting, and that distinction is missing from most headlines.
Is Glenn Howerton Juilliard Trained?
- Yes. Howerton entered Juilliard’s Drama Division in 1996 and graduated with a BFA in 2000 (Wikipedia).
Juilliard is one of the most selective performing-arts schools in the U.S., and its influence shows up in Howerton’s control, timing, and willingness to go fully operatic in a comedy. He has also described an internal conflict between that classical training and the public’s insistence on seeing him as Dennis Reynolds (The Daily Beast).
Elite drama training gave Howerton the precision to make Dennis larger than life, then left him wanting the serious roles that training was supposed to unlock.
What this means: the Juilliard background is not a fun fact. It is the reason the “almost left Sunny” story keeps resonating.
How to Trace the Exit Talk Without Getting Fooled
- Start with the season 12 finale, where Dennis walks away from Philadelphia.
- Read Howerton’s 2017 and 2018 comments. He framed any departure as personal and creative, not a cast feud (IGN, The Daily Beast).
- Check the season 13 episode list if you want hard evidence of what happened next.
- Go back to his season 6 burnout interviews if you want context on why he kept circling this idea (SlashFilm).
The takeaway: follow the quotes, not the clickbait. Howerton’s own words show a negotiation with himself, not a clean departure.
Career Timeline: The Sourced Version
- Season 6: Howerton said he first considered leaving the show and described feeling burnt out (SlashFilm).
- 2017: After the season 12 finale, Howerton left his Sunny future uncertain (IGN).
- 2017: A.P. Bio was in the mix, creating the perception of a network exit (The Ringer).
- 2018: Season 13 aired with Howerton in nearly every episode (The Ringer).
- 2018: Howerton told The Daily Beast he wanted to branch out after 12 years (The Daily Beast).
The pattern: the story never ended in a resignation. Each time Howerton raised the possibility, the show found a way to keep him involved.
What’s Confirmed vs. What’s Unclear
Confirmed facts
- Howerton is one of Always Sunny’s principal performers and creators (IndieWire).
- He publicly left his return uncertain after season 12 (IGN).
- He came back for almost all of season 13 (The Ringer).
- He first raised leaving during season 6 (SlashFilm).
What’s unclear
- Whether any exit was formally planned or only floated in conversation.
- The specific burnout triggers he alluded to from season 6 (SlashFilm).
- Whether future seasons will include him as a writer, a producer, or just a returning actor.
- No public record shows exactly when the departure conversation ended.
The implication: the confirmed record stops at season 13; everything after that is still an open question.
Key Voices: What They Said
The most accurate way to understand the exit talk is to track what the principals actually said, not what the headlines promised.
“I wanted to quit.”
— Glenn Howerton, as reported by NJ.com
“It’s time for that character to change.”
— Glenn Howerton, speaking about Dennis Reynolds, as reported by The Daily Beast
“Nearly every episode.”
— Rob McElhenney, on Howerton’s season 13 presence, as reported by The Ringer
The pattern: three short quotes, one consistent story — Howerton kept negotiating departure, then kept returning.
Summary
The record does not support a clean “Glenn Howerton quit Always Sunny” story. It supports something more complicated: a Juilliard-trained actor who has wanted a wider career, said so at least three times, and still returned to the show each time the pull got strong. For fans, the useful move is to treat every new “he’s leaving” headline as one more round in the same negotiation; Howerton has not made a final exit.
Frequently asked questions
What is Glenn Howerton’s net worth?
Public estimates circulate, but this report did not find a primary financial source that met verification standards, so no number is repeated here.
Did Glenn Howerton attend Juilliard?
Yes, as covered in the Juilliard section above.
What was Glenn Howerton’s age when It’s Always Sunny first aired?
He was 29, as detailed in the age section above.
Who created It’s Always Sunny with Glenn Howerton?
The series was created by Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day (Wikipedia).
Did Glenn Howerton actually quit It’s Always Sunny?
No. He floated the idea publicly and returned for season 13 in nearly every episode (The Ringer). His early uncertainty after season 12 makes the “quit” label a dramatic oversimplification (IGN).
What movies and TV shows has Glenn Howerton appeared in?
The best-documented credits in this report are It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and A.P. Bio (The Ringer).
For now, the verified answer remains the same: no formal exit from Always Sunny has ever been confirmed.
Craig Newton is Senior Reporter at ScopePress.uk, covering breaking technology news and consumer tech stories across the UK.