A Report That “Besotted” Danny DeVito Is Allegedly “Too Chicken” To Ask His Estranged Wife Rhea Perlman To Give Their Marriage Another Go Has Got People Right In The Feels
Earlier this year, fans were delighted when Danny DeVito shouted out his estranged wife, Rhea Perlman, as he appeared on stage with the cast of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia at the Emmys.
Danny DeVito giving Rhea Perlman (his separated wife) a shout out for her 4 wins was not on my bingo card #Emmys2024 #Emmys pic.twitter.com/KnIeK9ldqs
— Priyant (@Priyant1987) January 16, 2024
Fox / Via x.com
As the actors honored some of the most iconic shows in television, Danny decided to remind everybody of how many Emmys Rhea had won over the years, proudly telling the crowd: “Rhea won four for Cheers.”
This random but undeniably sweet comment appeared to catch Rhea completely off guard, but she was visibly thrilled by it as she laughed with a huge smile on her face while watching her ex on stage.
At the time, some shared their hope that this was a sign that the former couple would rekindle their romance, which first started all the way back in 1971 at an off-Broadway play called The Shrinking Bride.
Rhea previously told the New York Post that upon seeing Danny, she knew she “had to meet him immediately.”
“I asked my friend if he had a girlfriend and she said no,” she added, detailing that they went out for dinner after the show where she “came onto” Danny “big time.”
Just weeks later, Rhea moved into Danny’s New York apartment, and the two got married in 1982 after more than a decade of dating.
Over the years, Rhea and Danny welcomed three children, Lucy, Grace, and Jacob, and they soon became renowned for the acting projects they took on together — including playing the titular character’s parents in the 1996 movie Matilda.
During filming for this ‘90s classic, Rhea and Danny took 8-year-old Mara Wilson, who played Matilda, under their wing after her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.
In her memoir, Where Am I Now?, Mara recalled the way that her adult costars stepped up to support her during this difficult time in her life, and how she would regularly have sleepovers and playdates at their home while her mom received medical treatment.
Mara’s mom sadly died soon after filming wrapped, just over a year after she was first diagnosed, and Mara remembered feeling heartbroken that her mom — who Danny dedicated the movie to — hadn’t been able to watch the finished project before her death.
Years later, Danny told Mara that he had taken an early cut of Matilda to her mom in hospital without anybody knowing.
Danny and Rhea remained close with Mara long after they finished working together, and are still on incredibly good terms today.
Meanwhile, the couple announced their separation in 2012 after more than 40 years together. Although they ended up reconciling just five months later, the pair separated again in March 2017.
Interestingly, the two have decided to remain married and don’t plan to get an official divorce.
Speaking about their split on the Wiser Than Me podcast, Rhea explained: “It was very difficult at first. And there were a lot of reasons that we separated, which I'm not gonna go into. But it took time for us to come to this somehow pretty decent understanding and relationship with each other."
“We are still very good friends and we see each other a lot. And our family is still the most important thing to both of us,” she added at the time.
And in 2019, Rhea told Andy Cohen that she and Danny are closer friends after their separation than they were in their final years as a couple.
Despite this, fans have held on to hope that one day they will be able to work things out, and a recent report about their relationship has only fueled the flames.
Speaking to RadarOnline, a source claimed that Danny is still “absolutely besotted with Rhea,” but friends believe he is “too chicken” to ask her to take him back.
"He consults her on important decisions, they spend holidays and birthdays and even anniversaries together,” the insider explained. “He's very coy and cautious on the subject — and the last thing he wants to do is make it awkward and fall at Rhea's feet.”
“If she wanted to move back in and make a go of things, he'd be back in a flash,” they added. "But there's a feeling among their friends that Danny's too chicken to make the first move."
While these reports are unverified, they still got people right in the feels.
The top comment on a Reddit forum discussing the article simply reads: “This is what America needs, now more than ever,” to which somebody else replied: “America? Nay, the world.”
“Give me her number, I'll ask her right now,” somebody else joked. One more added: “I truly believe that them getting back together would heal the world.”
One more theorized: “I feel like they'll always be soul mates even if they're not together.” Somebody else added: “This is so sweet. And so characteristically human. I hope she hears of this.”
While another jokingly concluded: “all i want in life is to be someone’s on again off again wife.”
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