How ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ Reunion Addressed Sawyer Sweeten’s Suicide

As the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond gathered together for the CBS sitcom’s highly anticipated 30th anniversary reunion special, they paid tribute to the cast members who are no longer with us.

During Monday’s Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion, cast members Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Monica Horan, and series creator Phil Rosenthal made sure to pay tribute to their late co-stars Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle, who died in 2016 and 2006, respectively, as well as to Sawyer Sweeten, who died by suicide in 2015 at the age of 19.

Sawyer, who was the real-life brother of onscreen siblings Madylin Sweeten and Sullivan Sweeten, played Geoffrey Barone on all nine seasons of the sitcom before his death a decade after its finale.

As Madylin and Sullivan looked back on their days as child actors on the series, Sullivan, who is Sawyer’s twin, said, “I definitely feel like I carried that experience through my whole life. I try to bring that kind of comedy wherever I go.”

Sullivan added that the final scene of the series finale is his “favorite memory” from his time on the show, as he’s a “sucker for a happy ending.”

Romano then chimed in, “Can we mention —,” before Madylin answered, “Sawyer? Yes.”

“Sawyer, of course, is no longer with us, and we miss him,” Romano went on, calling his late co-star “just this bright energy [and] light.”

“None of us really expected what happened, but you know, I try to think about the good moments, and oftentimes, that’s here on this set,” Sullivan said.

It was then that Sullivan and Madylin turned their attention to a discussion of suicide prevention. “I just think it’s so important in any conversation that we’re having about Sawyer, we’re very passionate in our family about suicide prevention,” Madylin said. “It is the second-leading cause of death between the ages of 18 to 25, but 90% of people who seek treatment are cured.”

“So many of the messages we get are people saying I’m so grateful to have heard about your brother,” she continued. “He saved my life.”

Heaton then asked the siblings if there was an organization with which they worked in honor of their brother, to which Madylin responded that their “main” organization is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

“People can grab a Sawyer T-shirt,” she added. “We do T-shirts every year, and all of the proceeds go there.”

The Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion is streaming now on Paramount+.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline​. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.