Ray Romano Says First Day on “Everybody Loves Raymond” Set Was 'Terrifying’ Since He Had Just Been 'Fired' from Another Project
Ray Romano Says First Day on “Everybody Loves Raymond” Set Was 'Terrifying’ Since He Had Just Been 'Fired' from Another Project
Meredith Wilshere, Kristen O'BrienSun, June 7, 2026 at 4:58 PM UTC
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Ray Romano in 'Everybody Loves Raymond'Credit: Hbo/Worldwide Pants Inc/Kobal/Shutterstock -
Ray Romano reunited with the creator and writers of Everybody Loves Raymond at the 2026 ATX TV Festival
Romano shared that he was terrified on his first day due to inexperience and being fired from a previous sitcom
The sitcom ran for nine seasons, won 15 Emmy Awards, and Romano kept the iconic floral couch from the set
Ray Romano was terrified on his first day on the set of Everybody Loves Raymond.
Romano, 68, who executive-produced and starred in the sitcom that bore his name, reunited with creator Phil Rosenthal and some of the show's writers on May 30 in Austin, Texas, for the 2026 ATX TV Festival.
Romano and Rosenthal, 66, reunited with former writers Tom Caltabiano, Tucker Cawley, Mike Royce, Lew Schneider, Steve Skrovan and Aaron Shure for a conversation moderated by journalist Damian Holbrook.
From left is Doris Roberts (as Marie Barone), Peter Boyle (as Frank Barone), Ray Romano (as Ray Barone), Brad Garrett (as Robert Barone), Patricia Heaton (as Debra Barone)Credit: CBS via Getty
During the panel, Romano opened up about why the first day on the set was "frightening for me."
"I was doing stand-up for a living. A couple acting opportunities came up, and one of them was the show called NewsRadio," he explained. "I got cast in the original cast of NewsRadio. I'd never really acted before; I was doing stand-up. And on day two, I got fired."
Romano had been cast as an electrician named Rick in the 1994 pilot of the NBC sitcom, but the role later went to Joe Rogan after producers decided the comic's delivery didn't fit the pace of the show.
"Fast forward to the first day, and I'd just gotten fired from a sitcom, and this sitcom has my name ... and it was a little terrifying for me," he shared. "And I know when I watch that first season, I see myself get better towards the end of the season. I was a little stiff still, a little green."
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The sitcom starred Romano as Ray Barone, a sportswriter for Long Island's Newsday. Patricia Heaton played his wife Debra, with Madylin, Sawyer and Sullivan Sweeten as their kids. Brad Garrett played Robert, Ray's brother and a New York City police officer. Ray's parents, Marie and Frank, were played by Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle.
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Everybody Loves Raymond ran for nine seasons from 1996 to 2005. It was nominated for 69 Emmy Awards, winning 15 of them.
Brad Garrett and Ray Romano in 'Everybody Loves Raymond'Credit: HBO/Worldwide Pants Inc/Kobal/Shutterstock
Last year, following the Everybody Loves Raymond 30th Anniversary Reunion, Romano told PEOPLE that he took one specific thing from the set of the show: the floral couch.
"That's the first thing I took. That's the only thing I wanted to take was the couch," Romano said.
"I took the couch and it's in my home theater," he added, noting, "I hate saying that I have a home theater, but yeah, it's in the theater."
However, when it came to filming the reunion, he noted that "they came and got [the couch] and they brought it back."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
