Typing “Glenn Howerton illness” into a search bar brings up a rumor loop that has almost nothing to do with his actual life, built instead on his role as Dennis Reynolds and a 2018 near-quit. The real story involves a scheduling conflict and a marriage confusion, and here is what the record shows.
Known for: Dennis Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ·
Born: Japan, 1976 ·
Spouse: Jill Latiano (married 2009) ·
Training: Juilliard School ·
Show status: Season 17 announced
Quick snapshot
- No reliable public source documents a diagnosed illness (Scopepress UK)
- 2018: Howerton considered quitting and missed part of season 13 (Scopepress UK)
- His marriage to Jill Latiano stays separate from on-screen cast dynamics (Entertainment Weekly)
Six facts anchor the whole rumor debate, and every question below keeps returning to them.
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Full name | Glenn Franklin Howerton III |
| Born | February 13, 1976, in Japan |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Dennis Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia |
| Spouse | Jill Latiano (married 2009) |
| Training | Juilliard School |
What is Glenn Howerton’s illness?
Is there a confirmed illness on record?
- No credible public source in the available reporting documents a diagnosed illness for Howerton.
- Howerton continued acting, writing, and producing through the period the rumor circulated.
When People magazine asked Howerton about his near-exit from It’s Always Sunny, the conversation was about ambition and frustration, not health. The word “illness” never appears in the reported accounts of his departure discussions.
Why do search queries link Glenn Howerton to an illness?
- The rumor appears to spring from viewer confusion between Howerton and his manipulative character Dennis Reynolds.
- Dennis’s dangerous on-screen behavior is a performance, not a health record.
The most likely explanation is character bleed. Dennis is written as a vain, manipulative, occasionally menacing figure — a comic portrait of someone who would be deeply unwell in real life. Viewers who mix up the actor with the role search for a medical explanation the record doesn’t support.
Dennis Reynolds is the reason the illness rumor exists — and the reason it persists. Every new season gives the character another chance to behave terribly, and another round of viewers assume the actor must be the same.
The pattern: one highly convincing fictional character created a health rumor that no reliable outlet has ever reported.
Why did Glenn Howerton leave Always Sunny season 13?
Did Glenn Howerton try to leave It’s Always Sunny?
- Howerton told People magazine he almost quit because he felt boxed in and wanted to pursue other opportunities.
- The near-departure was discussed around 2018.
- NJ.com reported his blunt framing: “I wanted to quit.”
So the “he wanted to leave” rumor is real — as a moment in 2018. What the rumor gets wrong is the ending.
Was season 13 a full departure?
No. The scheduling conflict confirms his absence was not a departure. He missed part of season 13 because of the NBC sitcom A.P. Bio, was reportedly absent from the writers’ room for seasons 13 and 14, and remained an actor in the series (People magazine).
That combination — less writing, some missed days, no exit from the cast — is why “departure” headlines ran alongside seasons that clearly still featured Dennis Reynolds.
How did the cast and show handle his absence?
- The season 12 finale parked Dennis in North Dakota, which fed the exit narrative.
- Howerton later said the storyline was not proof of a permanent departure (NJ.com).
- He has since returned to behind-the-scenes work as the A.P. Bio schedule eased.
Shows with a tight five-person cast can’t just swap a lead and keep the chemistry. The solution was flexibility: give Howerton room to work elsewhere, keep the character alive, and let the schedule settle.
Howerton’s season 13 absence had a production reason — A.P. Bio — and a longer history — his 2018 almost-quit. Neither is a medical story.
What is Glenn Howerton’s ethnicity?
Where was Glenn Howerton born?
- Howerton was born on February 13, 1976, in Japan.
- His father was serving in the U.S. Air Force at the time.
A birth in Japan while a parent is on military duty creates the kind of detail that shows up in search queries every year. It also produces a question that the biographies don’t answer the way the internet wants them to.
Is Glenn Howerton Japanese?
No public biography identifies Howerton as Japanese. He is American, and his birth in Japan is a military-family detail, not a claim about his ancestry.
Birthplace is a fact of geography. Ethnicity is a question of identity and family background, and the available reporting simply does not assign Howerton a specific ethnic label.
What is known about his ancestry?
- Biographies describe Howerton as an American actor.
- No stated family-ethnicity record appears in the available reporting.
The accurate answer is to name the known facts: born in Japan, raised American, no single public ethnic label claimed.
The trade-off: curiosity about an unusual birthplace is natural, but a birth location isn’t a census. Howerton’s public identity is that of an American actor; the rest belongs to his private life.
Was Glenn Howerton’s wife in Always Sunny?
Who is Jill Latiano?
- Jill Latiano is an actress.
- She and Howerton began their relationship in 2007.
- They married in 2009 (People magazine).
Latiano has never been part of the main cast of It’s Always Sunny. The question “was his wife on the show?” usually comes from confusing two entirely separate marriages among the cast.
Who plays Dee on It’s Always Sunny?
- Kaitlin Olson plays Dee Reynolds (Entertainment Weekly).
- The role has been hers since the series began; the show has never recast it.
Entertainment Weekly’s cast coverage places Howerton as Dennis alongside Olson as Dee, which is why the on-screen sibling pairing is so easy to mistake for an off-screen one.
Which cast members are married in real life?
- Glenn Howerton is married to Jill Latiano.
- Kaitlin Olson is married to Rob McElhenney.
The two real-life couples are easy to confuse from a distance: Howerton and Olson play twins on screen, but their actual spouses are Latiano and McElhenney.
The implication: the “wife in the show” question mixes up two marriages. Latiano was never in the main cast; Olson’s on-screen twin is her costar, not her husband.
Did they replace Dee on Always Sunny?
Does Kaitlin Olson wear a wig?
- Dee’s hair is a constructed character look.
- A wig or styling change is a costume choice, not a casting change.
The wig theory gained traction because Dee’s hair changed noticeably across seasons. The simpler explanation: the character’s look was deliberately exaggerated as part of the comedy, and costuming changed as the show’s production values grew.
Was Dee actually pregnant during It’s Always Sunny?
- Kaitlin Olson’s real-life pregnancy was written into a season 7 storyline for Dee.
- The character’s pregnancy was a fictional mirror of the actor’s actual one.
That storyline is frequently cited as proof that the show filmed around an actor’s life — the opposite of the “replacement” rumor.
Has anyone else ever played Dee?
- Olson has played Dee continuously since the show’s 2005 debut.
- There has been no recasting, no replacement, and no “new Dee.”
If Dee ever vanished from an episode, the gap was a writing choice, not an actor swap.
Why this matters: the wig question and the pregnancy question both feed a false “replaced actor” rumor. A hairstyle isn’t a recast, and a pregnancy storyline is the opposite of a departure.
What are the banned episodes of It’s Always Sunny?
Why was Dee Day removed from Always Sunny?
- “Dee Day” was pulled from the Season 15 schedule because it includes a blackface scene.
- The episode was not included in the season’s available run.
The removal happened alongside other episodes featuring blackface or racial caricatures. The decision was specific: pull the offending episodes, keep the series going.
How did It’s Always Sunny not get cancelled?
- FX/FXX kept renewing the series.
- The core writer-performer group stayed tight.
- A sustained cult following carried it through ratings that were never massive.
People magazine’s framing of the show as the longest-running live-action American comedy only became possible because FX/FXX kept giving it chances.
What are the worst-rated episodes of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia?
- Critic-rated and audience-rated lists disagree on which episodes are worst.
- The widely cited low points overlap with episodes later removed from rotation.
The two categories — worst-rated and removed — are related but not the same. A low-rated episode is a preference question; a removed episode was a standards decision.
The removed episodes created the cancellation rumor, but the renewal history tells a different story: FX/FXX backed the show through controversy, not despite it.
The catch: “banned” makes it sound like the show was punished. The truth is narrower: specific episodes with blackface were pulled, while the series itself kept going — and is now approaching season 17.
Glenn Howerton and It’s Always Sunny: a timeline
Six dates separate the real story from the rumor loop.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1976 | Howerton is born in Japan. |
| 2005 | It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia premieres with Howerton as Dennis. |
| 2009 | Howerton marries Jill Latiano. |
| 2018 | Season 13 airs; Howerton misses part of it because of A.P. Bio scheduling. |
| 2020–2021 | Episodes with blackface are pulled; “Dee Day” is removed from the Season 15 schedule. |
| Upcoming | Season 17 is announced with Howerton tied to the series. |
Why this matters: every major rumor has a date attached — and the dates show that Howerton’s health was never a factor, his exit never happened, and the most controversial content was removed years before season 17 was announced.
What Howerton has said about leaving
“I wanted to quit.”
— Glenn Howerton, quoted in NJ.com (regional news outlet)’s report on his almost-departure
Howerton’s explanation was career restlessness: he felt boxed in, wanted to pursue other opportunities, and had those conversations around 2018 — the year he missed part of season 13.
— Glenn Howerton, as accounted in People magazine’s interview coverage
Howerton remained in the cast during seasons 13 and 14 even as he stepped back from the writers’ room.
— People magazine’s account of the production
The takeaway: the actor himself is the primary source for the departure story, and his own account never mentions illness. The “he left” rumor is a 2018 career crisis wearing a 2025 headline.
What to actually watch for
For viewers, the practical lesson is to check the date and the source before believing the next Glenn Howerton headline. The health claim has no documented basis, the exit story was a 2018 career crisis that never produced a departure, and season 17 will put both rumors to the test. For It’s Always Sunny’s audience, the clearest signal will be seeing Dennis on screen again — the rumor loop only survives when the show isn’t there to contradict it.
people.com, people.com, people.com, en.wikipedia.org, hola.com
Frequently asked questions
Is Glenn Howerton still playing Dennis Reynolds in season 17?
Yes, as far as available reporting confirms. Season 17 has been announced, and Howerton remains tied to the series as an actor and producer.
What is Glenn Howerton’s net worth?
The available sources do not establish an exact net worth. Online figures vary widely and cannot be verified from the reporting referenced here.
What did Glenn Howerton do before It’s Always Sunny?
He trained at the Juilliard School and built early credits in theater and television before It’s Always Sunny premiered in 2005.
Are Dennis and Dee twins in It’s Always Sunny?
Yes. Dennis and Dee Reynolds are twins in the show, played by Glenn Howerton and Kaitlin Olson.
Did Glenn Howerton win an award for BlackBerry?
The provided sources do not document an award win for BlackBerry. Any award claim should be checked against verified awards records.
Who is Jill Latiano outside of her marriage to Glenn Howerton?
Latiano is an actress. She began dating Howerton in 2007 and married him in 2009, and she has not been part of the main cast of It’s Always Sunny.
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Craig Newton is Senior Reporter at ScopePress.uk, covering breaking technology news and consumer tech stories across the UK.