In the mid-’90s, television audiences around the world were i ntroduced to the beloved sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond . The series ran for nine Emmy Award-winning seasons and is still in syndication to this very day.
Not only did the show help to make Ray Ramono a household name , but it also introduced us to a wide array of unforgettable and hilarious characters. So in order to help you gain a better appreciation, here are 15 Everybody Loves Raymond behind-the-scenes secrets fans didn’t know.
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The cast once staged a walkout to protest their low salaries.
This occurred shortly after Ray Ramono negotiated a contract that would secure him $1.8 million per episode , plus residuals. His fellow castmates, on the other hand, were still making $160,000 per episode.
Brad Garrett was cast immediately.
In the beginning, Phil Rosenthal and Ray Ramono pictured the character of Robert Barone as being much shorter . However, as soon as Garrett walked into the room and opened his mouth, the producers fell over laughing.
Peter Boyle initially only told Doris Roberts about his cancer diagnosis.
“He told me he had cancer of the bones three years before he died ,” she told the Los Angeles Times . “He said, ‘Should I tell them?’ I said, ‘No. They will treat you like a dying man and you don’t need that.'”
The kids’ names were changed after the pilot episode.
Originally, the kids were going to be called Alexandra, Gregory, and Matthew — after Ray’s children in real life. However, Ramono decided to change them to Ally, Geoffrey, and Michael .
Ray Romano didn’t like the title.
“It came about from a sarcastic comment my brother made , who is a police officer,” Ramono told CNN’s, Larry King. “And he said, ‘Look what I do for a living, and look at Raymond — yeah, everybody loves Raymond.'”
Patricia Heaton and Peter Boyle’s political ideologies clashed on set.
According to The New York Times , Patricia used to call Boyle a ” pinko flag-burning Commie .” He’d counter the attack and ask, “So tell me about this Christian God of yours.”
Brad Garrett struggled with alcoholism in the show’s first season.
Brad has gone on record, explaining that he used to be what is known as a “functioning alcoholic” and that in the early days, he would often show up to work drunk .
More than 100 different actresses auditioned for the part of Marie Barone.
Of all the characters, hers was easily the most difficult to cast. But once Doris Roberts began reading, producers felt as if they were hearing Marie’s true voice for the first time.
Peter Boyle would often fart on set.
“To this day we don’t know if it was voluntary or involuntary ,” Brad Garrett told Fox News. “It was definitely something to contend with but after we ended up knowing who it was on the set, we were able to get along with our business again.
Executive producer Philip Rosenthal is a bonafide foodie.
If you haven’t seen Phil Rosenthal in Somebody Feed Phil , you are missing out on what is quite possibly the best food show currently streaming on Netflix. It’s worth the watch just for the theme song.
The kids were actually related in real life.
The twins in the pilot episode only made it one episode and were later replaced with Sawyer and Sullivan Sweeten . Their older sister is Madilyn Sweeten, who played their older sister, Ally, in the series.
Amy originally had another brother.
Amy’s brother was originally named Russel and was played by Pee-wee Herman star, Paul Reubens . Later on, he is reintroduced as Peter and recast with Chris Elliot. Ironically, the two men have the same story of meeting Raymond in a comic book store.
The show wasn’t afraid to get meta.
In Season 3’s “Halloween Candy” episode, Frank decides to dress up as Frankenstein’s monster. This is actually a reference to one of Peter Boyle’s most beloved movies , Young Frankenstein, wherein he portrays the exact same character.
Peter Boyle had a very intense audition.
Peter got lost on his way to the studio and wound up walking into the wrong building upon his arrival. By his own admission, he was a little on edge . Luckily for him, the extra bit of bravado wound up securing him the part.
Sawyer Sweeten tragically took his own life at 19-years-old.
Sawyer was best known for playing young Geoffrey Barone. According to his mother, Sawyer’s depression hit fast and hard. Before anyone was able to understand the pain he was in, it was already too late.
