Joel McHale Reveals Family Death, Shares Heartwarming Tribute

Joel McHale is mourning a loss in the family. The Animal Control star took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share that “After a long long battle with Alzheimer’s, my lovely, wonderful, funny, beautiful mother-in-law Sally, whom had all the style on Earth…left this place.” He went on to say that he met her in 1993, and was “so good” to him as he courted her daughter and his now-wife of 27 years, Sarah McHale. “Her patience and bravery at watching her daughter date an actor and eventually marry him was epic.”

“Everyone loved Sally,” McHale continued. “She was a force and was always game. She taught swimming in the ocean, the best gardener you’ve get seen, worked harder than anyone, and knew how to throw a party. Her generosity was biblical, and her grandsons loved the heck out of her. And boy am I glad she had Sarah McHale. The PNW is a much better place because of her. I will miss you dearly Sally. Love you.”

Alongside the heartwarming tribute were some photos showing off how loving and how loved she was. Many actors and fans took to the comments to share their condolences, with Mark Hamill simply responding with a broken heart emoji.

Just last month, McHale even told PopCulture he was going to spend the holidays in Seattle, noting that his wife’s mom and brother, his parents and his brother are there, meaning that it was a family affair for the holidays. There is no other way to spend the festive season.

Meanwhile, McHale is filming the second season of Fox’s . It’s unknown if this will have any effect with his filming schedule, as it sounds like he would need to go up to Seattle. Season 2 of Animal Control is set to premiere on Wednesday, Mar. 6 as part of Fox’s spring 2024 schedule. There’s nothing indicating that his mother-in-law’s death will conflict with filming, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he decided to take a few days off regardless to be with his family.

It is never easy losing a family member, even if one may have been expecting it. From the looks of the photos the actor posted, Sally truly lived life to the fullest with her family, and our condolences go out to McHale, his wife, and the rest of their family.