It’s odd how some shows hang around in your head like an old song. Everybody Loves Raymond is one of those—airing for years, then suddenly gone, but never really forgotten. The sitcom wrapped up more than two decades ago, and now the original cast is reappearing for a 30th anniversary special in November 2025. Fans will be happy to see them, I’m sure. Still, the reunion comes with a sting: three beloved cast members have passed away. Peter Boyle, Doris Roberts, and young Sawyer Sweeten are gone, and the reunion will carry that absence. The rest of the cast, though, has changed — and in ways that are interesting, subtle, a little surprising.
A quick note before we dive in: I remember watching the show when it was new, laughing at the small domestic fights and thinking, “that’s so real.” Maybe that colors how I see these updates. But whether you watched as a kid or caught re-runs later, seeing the actors now is like finding an old friend who’s grown into a slightly different person. Familiar, yes. But time has nudged them.
Ray Romano: the same comic voice, different face
Ray Romano was in his late 30s when the show started in 1996, which feels nuts if you stop and think about it. Time does what it does—hair goes gray, faces collect lines—but Romano still looks like the guy who could tell a story at the kitchen table and have everyone in stitches. He’s grown a beard, his hair has gone gray, and he has that weathered-but-comfortable look many of us get as we push into our 50s and 60s. You can see the lived-in quality: more pauses in the laugh lines, maybe a softer edge to the expression. He’s still very much him, though, and you can almost hear his comic timing beneath the changed features.
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One thing I noticed: Romano doesn’t seem keen on a big reboot. He’s protective of the original, which makes sense. The show was personal to him, and not every good thing needs to be redone. That kind of restraint feels reasonable — maybe even right.
Patricia Heaton: the trademark smile endures
Patricia Heaton’s Debra had that famous red hair and a no-nonsense attitude that made her the perfect foil to Ray’s easygoing, sometimes oblivious, dad. Now her hair has shifted to a dignified gray, and that can throw you at first if all you remember is the flame-red Debra. It’s a reminder of how looks that were once central to a character fade into the background as people age. Yet the smile — that wide, ready smile — is still there, unmistakable. Heaton brings the same warmth and sharpness when she appears in photos or interviews, so the essence of Debra hangs on even if the outward trappings have changed.
Brad Garrett: still towering, more silver
Brad Garrett’s Robert Barone was the big, brooding brother—tall, imposing, often muttering under his breath. That physical presence hasn’t left him. He’s still notably tall, still has that serious-but-funny face. But the hair has softened into salt-and-pepper tones and he sometimes wears glasses now. Little things, tiny markers of time. His delivery—deadpan, close to the bone—remains a part of who he is, and you can see that continuity when you look at him today. It’s the kind of transformation that’s subtle: the same shape, slightly different paint.
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The Sweeten siblings: the most dramatic changes
The children who played Michael, Geoffrey, and Ally Barone remind you most of the show’s passage of time. They were kids during the run—blond, bright-eyed, a part of the family’s chaos. The grown versions of those kids have, unsurprisingly, changed the most.
Sullivan Sweeten: If you remember the twins as little blond troublemakers, Sullivan looks very different now: darker hair, glasses, a hint of facial hair. He’s taller, obviously, and no longer a child but someone with a presence of his own. There’s a quietness to his current look, a retreat from the bright exuberance of childhood photos. Given the family’s history and the tragedy they went through, that quietness feels, well, heavy when you look at it.
Madylin Sweeten: madylin’s transformation is the one that probably surprises viewers the most. Ally Barone was the blond little girl who often watched the grown-ups argue with a kind of skeptical amusement. Today Madylin has traded the long blond locks for darker shades—sometimes brown, sometimes with red tones—and the overall impression is mature and striking. She’s recognizable if you look for the eyes and the smile, but many will do a double take. It’s the kind of change that reminds you how much childhood is a costume: swap the hair, and suddenly the person wearing it reads differently to the world.
Brad Garrett
A mix of continuity and new stories
What’s interesting about seeing these actors now is how much of them is the same and how much is quietly altered. The personality core—timing, expressions, the way they occupy a frame—remains. But the small things, hair color, a pair of glasses, a beard, are markers of the years that have moved on. That tension between the familiar and the changed is what makes reunions like the upcoming 30th-anniversary special appealing. You want the comfort of the show’s rhythms but you also want to acknowledge that life happened in between.
Sullivan Sweeten
There’s another layer: the missing members. Losing Peter Boyle, Doris Roberts, and Sawyer Sweeten means the reunion can’t simply be a return to something complete. Instead, it becomes a remembrance and a celebration, tinged with loss. Fans will notice, and I think they’ll appreciate whatever reflections the remaining cast brings.
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To be honest, I’m curious. I’m looking forward to seeing them talk, laugh, maybe get a little serious. We’ll get stories, maybe some behind-the-scenes bits we didn’t know. And I expect, too, that some of the cast will still resist the idea of a full reboot—which I don’t blame them for. Not everything needs to be remade.
So yes: different, but not unrecognizable. Time has edited their features, added new lines and new hair colors, but the core that made the show work—those familiar beats and the actors’ instincts—persists. It will be nice to see them together, even if the reunion is a reminder that some things have changed for good.
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