At the age of 23, Jordan Reid had spent a year developing and co-starring in one of the most storied television pilots in recent history. The original It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia episode was shot guerrilla style in her apartment for an estimated $85 and picked up by FX. Reid starred as the first Sweet Dee, next to her boyfriend and Sunny creator Rob McElhenney, and friends Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day. A rare Hollywood success story -- until Reid broke up with McElhenney and she was promptly forced out of the series altogether.
Reid, who is now married to Kendrick Strauch of The Harlem Shakes, opened up about the series of events leading to her Sunny exit for the first time publicly on her blog today.
As she tells the story, after FX agreed to shoot "a real pilot for the show," the four main actors called an impromptu meeting in a production trailer to ensure that everyone was on the same page when it came to the possibility of the network wanting to replace any of the original actors: "Together, we four agreed that they took all of us...or none of us. We were in this thing together -- had been for over a year now -- and we simply wouldn't allow them to split us up."
Around that same, Reid's relationship with Rob began to fall apart and the three guys (Rob, Glenn and Charlie) were made executive producers. Assuming that it was because "FX felt like a cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking old boys' club," Reid decided not to say anything because she was young and intimidated by the network. As her relationship continued to crumble, she was told by Rob, "in no uncertain terms that if I did not stay in the relationship, I would be off the show." Choosing to chalk the statement up to hurt feelings, Reid believed that she could not possibly be fired since she spent a year working on the show and had "been so instrumental in its success."
A few months later, she was told by her agent and manager that the network decided to drop her for being "too pretty." Reid received "a small payout," and Kaitlin Olson was recast as Sweet Dee who went on to marry McElhenney last year.