In the “Everybody Loves Raymond” 30th anniversary reunion special, the cast addressed the death of Sawyer Sweeten.
The sitcom originally aired on CBS from 1996 to 2005, following the antics of Ray Barone (Ray Romano) and his family, including wife Debra (Patricia Heaton), their kids (played by real life siblings Sawyer, Sullivan, and Madylin Sweeten) Ray’s brother Robert (Brad Garrett) and their parents, Marie (Doris Roberts) and Frank Peter Boyle).
During “Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion,” which aired on CBS on Nov. 24 (8 p.m) and also streams on Paramount+, the surviving cast members reunited onstage and went down memory lane. (In addition to Sawyer, Roberts and Boyle also died, which is why the show would never do a reboot without them, Romano said).
“I’ve got plenty of good memories of playing tag in the bleachers and the prop room,” said Sullivan, 30 who was Sawyer’s identical twin.
Romano then said, “Can we mention” and Madylin, 34, interrupted to say, “Sawyer? Yes.”
Sawyer died by suicide at age 19 in 2015.
At the time, Romano told The Post that he was “shocked” and “terribly saddened” over the news.
“He was a wonderful and sweet kid to be around,” Romano added. “Just a great energy whenever he was there. My heart breaks for him, his family, and his friends during this very difficult time.”
In the reunion special, Romano said, “So Sawyer, of course, is no longer with us, and we miss him.”
Addressing the two other Sweeten siblings, he said, “And he, just like you are, was this bright energy.”
“None of us really expected what happened,” said Sullivan, referring to his twin’s tragic death.
He added, “But, I try to think about the good moments. And oftentimes, that’s here on the set.”
Madylin added that she thinks it’s “so important,” in any conversation about her late brother to bring up the topic of suicide prevention.
“Were very passionate in our family about suicide prevention. It is the second leading cause of death between ages 18 to 25. But 90 percent of people who seek treatment are cured,” she explained.
The former child actress added, “And so many of the messages we get are people saying, ‘I’m so grateful to have heard about your brother. He saved my life.’”
Heaton asked if there’s an organization that the Sweetens work with, on behalf of Sawyer.
“We work with the national suicide prevention hotline, thats our main place,” said Madylin.
She added, “But people can grab a ‘Sawyer’ t-shirt. We do t-shirts every year, and all of the proceeds go there.”
The episode then showed a photo of Sawyer onscreen, with the text, “in loving memory of sawyer sweeten, 1995-2015.”
“Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion” airs Monday, Nov. 24 on CBS at 8 p.m and streams on Paramount+.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
