Everybody Loves Raymond is one of the most
successful sitcoms of all time. It was a ratings juggernaut for CBS, has generated
six international spinoffs, and catapulted the careers of several members of the cast. But as with any Hollywood success story, there's
always a darker side to the glitz and glamour. These are the secrets that one of America's
favorite sitcom families tried to hide. Salary Standoff In 2003, Ray Romano negotiated a one-year
deal that made him the highest paid actor on television, earning $1.8 million dollars
per episode. As the star of the show, Romano had always
been paid much more than the rest of the cast, but in light of his record-breaking season
eight raise, the rest of the cast, particularly Brad Garrett, seized on an opportunity to
renegotiate their own contracts. What happened was Garrett refused to show
up for the taping of the first episode of the season and demanded a raise, according
to The Washington Post. Patricia Heaton, who played Ray's wife, quote,
"called out sick," and both Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle, Romano's TV mom and dad followed
her lead. The message was clear, but Garrett also made
it a point to say that there was no ill will toward Romano from the rest of the cast. "My wallet is so big, I forgot to pay the
rest of the cast! Ahh!" The network quickly came to the bargaining
table and offered raises to the cast, as well as lucrative back-end deals that cut them
in on syndication profits worth an estimated $20 million dollars per actor. Unpaid wages Even though she played the perpetually overworked
and underappreciated matriarch of the Barone household, Patricia Heaton apparently didn't
see the irony in allegedly requiring her part-time assistant to work more hours than she was
supposed to. "I work very hard to the keep the house up
and running. I guess I feel, you know, kind of unappreciated…" According to TMZ, Heaton's ex-assistant, Jennifer
Lee, filed a lawsuit in 2009 seeking unpaid wages in the amount of $7,425, plus "overtime
and additional expenses." Lee claims Heaton fired her after inquiring
about the unpaid wages, and also alleges that she was told by Heaton that her child was
"'becoming a problem' because of the work schedule." It's unclear what ultimately happened with
the lawsuit, but if any of Lee's claims are even remotely true, it would be pretty bad
considering that $20 million syndication bonus the actress was earning. Loss of a cast member In a shock to both his real family and TV
family alike, Sawyer Sweeten, who played Geoffrey Barone on the show, killed himself while visiting
family in Texas in April of 2015. In a statement given to People, Sawyer's parents
stressed that their son did not suffer from "textbook depression" and that he was "happy,
upbeat and loving." His mother, Elizabeth, elaborated in an interview
with Larry King: "Over the course of those eight days, you
know, if he felt, you know suicidal, and he both times, you know his dad had asked him
and I had ask him, and both times he said 'no.'" But during a later appearance on The Dr. Oz
Show, both Sawyer's twin brother, Sullivan, and his mother shed some additional light
on Sawyer's struggles. "We both definitely enjoyed being on the show. I think it was afterwards when we realized
how much school we missed and how little we got to socialize with other kids." The toxicology screening revealed that Sawyer
had marijuana in his system at the time of his death. And his cousin, Jacklyn Stines, came forward
to speculate that the teen likely suffered from depression. Stines told Radar Online, "There is a history
of depression in the family, all through. Many of them are on medication for depression." The secret divorce In Brad Garrett's memoir, When The Balls Drop,
he couldn't be more candid about his divorce, particularly the alimony payments, which he
likens to "paying for the lease on a car after turning it in, while someone else is driving
it." But while he and his wife's legal separation
was going down, neither one uttered a word about it in public. "It's all for the best, I'm much happier now
than I used to be." According to USA Today, Garrett and his ex-wife,
Jill Diven, even kept the secret from their own families until just days before the news
of their split hit the press. Managing to completely avoid any tabloid interference,
Garrett and Diven each maintain that there is no ill will between them. Garrett said, "Our No. 1 focus is our kids
and parenting. We will always be friends because we will
never be single parents. We will always be two parents." That's a nice sentiment, especially for the
kids, although Garrett almost never stops joking how much money the divorce cost him. "I lost a house, a couple cars. Uh, yeah. Been divorced." Improper Theater Conduct Though comedy veteran Fred Willard didn't
have a huge part on the show, he made his role as Robert Barone"s father-in-law memorable,
racking up three Emmy awards in only 14 total appearances. And that's why his arrest at an adult theater
in 2012, makes seeing him in Raymond reruns that much more embarrassing. "Hey, what happened?" According to TMZ, Willard was caught touching
himself inappropriately when the LAPD entered The Tiki Theater for a routine anti-prostitution
enforcement check. And although both Willard and the theater
manager continually maintained the actor's innocence, Willard eventually entered and
completed a "diversion program" so that he could avoid a public lewdness trial, according
to CBS News. The comedy legend took the whole incident
in stride, and he even seemed like he was willing to talk about it publicly, like during
his appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. "It's the last time I'm gonna listen to my
wife when she says, 'Why don't you go out and see a movie?'" Thanks for watching! Click the Nicki Swift icon to subscribe to
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