By Michaela Gordoni
Ray Romano and Phil Rosenthal say they used their real-life siblings and in-laws as inspiration for characters in EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND.
Rosenthal’s mother wasn’t happy when she realized Debra’s parents, Warren (Robert Culp) and Lois Whelan (Katherine Helmond), were based on his own brother’s in-laws, Parade reported.
“We made them from Connecticut and a little high-toned to contrast with our parents [Marie, who was largely based on Rosenthal’s mother, Helen, and Frank, who was inspired by Romano’s dad, Al ] in the show,” he explained.
“And we made it so that Frank and Marie didn’t like them. Now, these are relatives, right? In-laws. My parents’ real in-laws.”
Right when the show ended, Rosenthal’s mom called him.
“‘Are you out of your mind? We have to see these people!’ I said, ‘Ma, your comfort is something I’m willing to sacrifice for the program,’” Rosenthal said.
Related: How This EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND Co-Star Helped Patricia Heaton in Her Journey to Sobriety
Romano said Richard, played by Brad Garrett, is based on his brother, who’s a New York cop. Romano did add a “weird kind of slant to it” that his mother didn’t like.
“My mother would say, ‘Raymond, does he have to be like that? The guys at the precinct are making fun of him.’ I said, ‘Mom, it’s just a show. It’s not him!’” he explained.
A lot of real-life events found their way into the show, too.
“Stuff would happen in our real lives and [the writers] would say, ‘I don’t want to see this on the show!’ And I think 90 percent of the time, it ended up on the show,” Romano said.
His parents separated when he was 12 and got back together when his father came home to help when Romano broke his arm. The same storyline is Season 2’s episode, “The Anniversary.”
“My brother told me, ‘I told dad, “Raymond’s doing a thing about when you and mom were separated and he broke his arm.”‘ And dad just looked at him and went, ‘That b*stard will stop at nothing!’” said Romano.
Rosenthal previously explained why he shared his real life on the show.
“I guess, I had these terrible things happen to me and I thought, ‘You could either be depressed or make something out of it,'” he said.
Even though their families scolded them, they understood the “underlying sense of love and family” and ultimately “got it.”
Rosenthal and Ramono haven’t mentioned any regrets about including their family, so maybe it was worth the cost in the end.
The show is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a special on CBS on Nov. 24 at 8 p.m.
Read Next: ‘Debra!’: EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND to Air 30-Year-Anniversary Special
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