Ray Romano Admits He Faced A Dark Identity Crisis Three Months After Everybody Loves Raymond

Everybody Loves Raymond was the best gift that Ray Romano ever received in the course of his career, but it did not come without a price. After the end of the show, he went through a period where he was at a loss identity-wise, a crisis that he would later reveal lasted the entirety of three months.

Everybody Loves Raymond turned out to be a highly successful show, and even continues to earn Romano as well as his old castmates a fortune to date. However, his cash flow from the series was not always as gushing as it has been since the end of its run on CBS in May 2005.

In fact, Romano was so dependent on the success of the show, he admitted that his entire life completely changed when the network gave the greenlight for Season 1. He would enjoy the spotlight for another eight seasons after that, but there was darkness waiting for him on the other side of the show.

The End Of Everybody Loves Raymond Felt Like ‘Coming Out From A Submarine’ For Ray Romano

Ray Romano played the character Ray Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond. The character was depicted as a sportswriter for the newspaper Newsday. Ray lives in Lynbrook, Long Island with his wife Debra and their three kids: Alexandra (Ally), Geoffrey, and Michael. His parents, Frank and Marie, and his brother Robert live across the street.

The character was somewhat based on the real-life Romano, who has twin boys and a daughter. In the story, Ray is not able to take a stand on anything, especially if it leads to a conflict with his mother—except when it comes to sex or minor issues. Raymond’s mother likes him more than Robert.

According to his IMDb page, Romano featured in every single one of Everybody Loves Raymond’s 210 episodes on CBS. The show lasted a total of nine years, having first premiered on September 13, 1996. It is no wonder, then, that Romano felt at a loss when that incredible run came to an end. “ It was like I was in a submarine,” Romano said in an interview on Off Camera with Sam Jones.

Everybody Loves Raymond had become such a critical part of Ray Romano’s life, that he actually struggled when it was time to stop. According to his conversation with Sam Jones on Off Camera, this identity crisis lasted a total of three months after he filmed his last scene ever for the popular sitcom.

“[I had been] in the writers’ room, in the edit room… I was [also] on the stage,” Romano explained. “So now it just ends. And it’s like you’ve come out of this submarine, and you’re like, ‘This is where I live… My kids are 12!’ It’s really a weird feelingThe actor also half-joked that all his fame and fortune from the show similarly lasted for three months. He did also present the other side of the coin: “There was also excitement,” Romano added. “Because now you have all this time, you have money [and] a little bit of fame.”