WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!

MY NEXT GUEST IS THE CO-CREATOR AND CO-STAR OF "IT'S ALWAYS

SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA," WHICH RECENTLY COMPLETED ITS 14TH

SEASON.

HE HAS NOW CREATED AND STARS IN A NEW SERIES, "MYTHIC QUEST:

RAVEN'S BANQUET."

PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW," ROB MCELHENNEY!

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )

>> Stephen: HI.

HOW ARE YOU?

>> Stephen: NICE TO MEET YOU.

THANK YOU FOR COMING ON.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> Stephen: I FOUND OUT SHORTLY BEFORE YOU CAME OUT

HERE, WHILE YOU HAVE BEEN ON LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS BEFORE,

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE BEEN ON SOLO.

>> THIS IS THE FIRST TIME.

>> Stephen: THIS IS JUST YOU, ROB McELHENNEY.

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) A, WE'RE HONORED, BUT WHY SO

LONG?

14 SEASONS OF "ALWAYS SUNNY."

WHY IS THIS THE FIRST TIME YOU'RE OUT HERE BY YOURSELF?

>> I WANTED TO DO A JOB.

IT TOOK 14 YEARS OF PREPARATION.

HOW AM I DOING SO FAR?

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I GUESS IT'S WORTH IT.

>> Stephen: STOP WHILE YOU'RE PEAKING.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, BEEN GREAT.

( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YOU'VE JUST

COMPLETED THE 14th SEASON OF "IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN

PHILADELPHIA."

I THINK IT'S REALLY BEGINNING TO CATCH ON.

( LAUGHTER ) >> YEAH.

>> Stephen: I HAVE TO ASK YOU A REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION.

>> OKAY.

>> Stephen: YOUR CHARACTER MATT GOT FAT, OKAY, AND WHY --

HOW TID THIS START?

WAS IT AN IDEA FOR, LIKE, THE ARK OF THE SHOW, OR WERE YOU A

SHOW RUNNER AND REALLY STRESSED AND YOU JUST START GAINING

WEIGHT?

>> NO, WE'VE ALWAYS FELT THAT, FIRST OF ALL, ONE OF MY FAVORITE

SHOWS OF ALL TIME WAS "FRIENDS."

I LOVE "FRIENDS."

>> Stephen: QUALITY PROGRAM.

ALWAYS LOVED THE SHOW, AND WHEN WE WERE THINKING ABOUT

SHOWS THAT WE WANTED TO MAKE, I THOUGHT, WELL, THEY'VE ALREADY

DONE THAT SO HOW COULD WE DO THE OPPOSITE OF THAT?

SO WE HAVE THIS SHOW WHERE THERE ARE THESE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND

LITERALLY IN THE THEME SONG SAYS, NO MATTER WHAT, I'LL

ALWAYS BE THERE FOR YOU.

I SAID, WHAT WOULD BE THE OPPOSITE OF THAT?

WHAT IF YOU MADE A SHOW WHERE YOU HAD CHARACTERS WHO WOULD

NEVER BE THERE FOR ANY OF THEIR FRIENDS, NO MATTER WHAT?

THAT WOULD BE AN INTERESTING SHOW, I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT

BEFORE.

>> Stephen: SURE.

O I WROTE THAT, AND YEARS WENT BY, AND EVENTUALLY I WENT

BACK AND STARTED WATCHING "FRIENDS" AGAIN AND WAS NOTICING

IN THE RERUNS THAT THEY WERE GETTING BETTER LOOKING AS THE

YEARS WENT ON.

>> Stephen: SURE.

BECAUSE THEY WERE RICHER AND HAD MORE MONEY AND PUBLICISTS

AND STYLISTS AND CHEFS.

>> Stephen: YEAH.

I THOUGHT, WELL, THAT'S NOT INDICATIVE OF REAL LIFE.

AS WE AGE, WE TEND TO GET LESS BETTER LOOKING, ESPECIALLY IF

YOU TREAT YOURSELF THE WAY THESE CHARACTERS TREAT THEMSELVES.

>> Stephen: SURE.

BY DRINKING HORRIFIC AMOUNTS OF ALCOHOL AND EATING TERRIBLE

AMOUNTS OF FOOD.

>> Stephen: THAT IS WHAT FRIENDS SHOULD LOOK LIKE.

>> THAT'S MAYBE A TRUE LOOK INTO LEBLANC'S FUTURE.

>> Stephen: AND THEN HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT?

( CHEERING ) >> YEAH.

SO I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT AGAIN.

LOOK, MAN, WE HAVE BEEN DOING THE SHOW 14 YEARS.

I'VE GOT TO MIX IT UP.

>> Stephen: WHICH ONE DOES YOUR LIFE LIKE, THIS ONE OR THIS

ONE?

>> I WILL BE 100% HONEST AND I'M NOT MAKING A JOKE, SHE MUCH

PREFERRED THAT GUY.

THAT GUY IS JOLLY.

>> Stephen: THE FAT GUY.

YEAH, THE FAT GUY.

THE OBESE MAN, I WAS GOALIE, FIRST OF ALL.

I GOT TO EAT AND DRINK WHATEVER I WANTED, AND IT WAS JUST A LOT

OF FUN.

THE RIPPED GUY, THAT'S A MISERABLE EXISTENCE.

( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )

>> Stephen: THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

I DON'T WANT TO -- THANK YOU.

A QUICK MESSAGE TO MY WIFE -- HONEY, HONEY, YOU DON'T WANT

THIS.

YOU DON'T.

THIS IS MISERABLE.

YOU DON'T WANT IT.

I'M FUN NOW.

>> I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT.

>> Stephen: THE NEW SHOW "MYTHIC QUEST," HOW IS IT

DIFFERENT THAN IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA?

>> IT'S ABOUT A VIDEO GAME AND IT'S THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GAME IN

THE WORLD.

I THOUGHT THE BEST SHOWS ARE ALWAYS, WHETHER FAMILY OR

WORKPLACE, PEOPLE THAT ARE STUCK TOGETHER FOR ONE REASON OR

ANOTHER.

IN SUNNY, THEY'RE STUCK TOGETHER AND THEY'RE FRIENDS BECAUSE NO

ONE ELSE WILL BE FRIEND WITH THEM.

>> Stephen: YES.

O THEY'RE STUCK TOGETHER BECAUSE OF THEIR ABJECT FAILURE.

SO MYTHIC QUEST, I THOUGHT, WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE

PEOPLE STUCK TOGETHER BY THEIR INCREDIBLE SUCCESS.

SO THIS GAME IS A MASSIVE HIT ALL OVER THE WORLD AND THEY HAVE

THE GOLDENED HANDCUFFS BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO WORK ON THE GAME

ALL DESPISE EACH OTHER.

>> Stephen: THERE IT IS.

O IF YOU WANT TO WATCH "FRIENDS," WATCH "FRIENDS."

IF YOU WANT TO WATCH THE OPPOSITE OF FRIENDS, WATCH

PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING I DO.

( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )

>> Stephen: ROB, NICE TO MEET YOU.

THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

"MYTHIC QUEST: RAVEN'S BANQUET" PREMIERES

FRIDAY ON APPLE TV+.

ROB MCELHENNEY, EVERYBODY!

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.