The Only It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Episode Danny DeVito Refused To Shoot

Danny DeVito's Frank Reynolds in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" often feels like a horrifying social experiment about how low, gross, and distasteful a man can get. Every time a new episode comes out, you just never know how deep he'll get into the depths of depravity, decadence, and deviance since Frank's standards of life are constantly sinking. There are hardly any boundaries that Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and Dee's (Kaitlin Olson) father hasn't crossed yet in one way or another.

Whether it's hanging out naked in the sewers with his reading-impaired buddy Charlie (Charlie Day) in search of stuff, promoting firearms on the news while disgustingly eating a sandwich, or munching on a giant ham that's been soaked in rum all day long on a chemically toxic beach site, there's virtually nothing that strikes Frank as too out-there. And DeVito has been a great sport ever since he joined the gang for their assorted shenanigans in 2006. Clearly, he finds it thrilling and hilarious to play such a devious, eccentric, and morally bankrupt character, giving it his all every time.

You'd think there's nothing the actor would say no to at this point. However, there was one instance many years ago when even DeVito had to put his foot down and object to a script he was given by the guys behind the long-running live-action comedy series.

During a Reddit AMA, showrunner Glenn Howerton was asked if his co-star DeVito had ever refused to do something that he and his fellow "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" creatives had put in a script. He said yes and went on to explain how they pulled a prank on him for April Fool's Day that worked a little too well. The crew took a spec script, removed Frank's storyline, replaced it with one that's outlandish even by the standards of the show, and sent it to him, making it look all legit.

In it, Frank gets arrested and goes to prison, where he's immediately sexually assaulted by other convicts. To get some protection, he joins a white supremacist group, which does defend him at first, but then they assault him sexually, too. In his ultimate desperation, Frank eventually seeks out the prison guards as well for support, but he meets the same fate as with the others before.

In addition to Howerton's Reddit comment, Day also told this story on Conan over a decade ago, and when O'Brien asked him how DeVito reacted to all this, he jokingly replied, "He called his lawyer." So, that's how a prank goes on a sitcom that's been on the air for over 20 years, making the most shocking, racist, offensive, and outrageous jokes for our entertainment. Frankly, I hope it never stops.