Everybody Loves Raymond: 10 Things About Robert That Would Never Fly Today

Raymond Barone (Ray Romano) may have been the star of Everybody Loves Raymond, but many of the supporting characters were just as crucial to the show. For most fans, Ray’s older brother, Robert (Brad Garrett), is their favorite character. He’s funny, dependable, and he has great storylines.

People feel bad for Robert. He’s often overshadowed by Ray and treated poorly. However, Robert makes some bad decisions throughout the show’s nine seasons. He finds himself in messy situations, and it’s mostly his fault. He might be lovable, but there are several qualities about him that would be questionable in 2020.

10 Suggestive Comments About Debra

Throughout the series, it seems Robert is envious of Ray’s marriage. He knows Debra (Patricia Heaton) is a good wife and he’s not afraid to point out that Ray is being a bad husband. However, Robert is sometimes too suggestive about Debra.

For example, in the season nine episode “P.T. & A,” Ray lies to Debra and tells her that all the members of the school’s P.T.A. think she dresses like a “tramp.” This isn’t true, but it upsets Debra. When she tries to remember what she wore to certain events, Robert recalls her dress without any problems. He remembers exactly what his sister-in-law wore, but he couldn’t remember what his wife, Amy (Monica Horan), wore to the same event. Ouch!

9 Taking Credit For Ray’s Christmas Gift

In the season seven episode “The Thought That Counts,” Ray lies to Debra that he already bought her the perfect Christmas present. Because she’s looking forward to the thoughtful gift, Ray knows he has to think of something good.

Robert helps his brother with the best gift: a first-edition copy of Debra’s favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Of course, Debra loves the gift and gushes over Ray. Eventually, Robert can’t control his emotions anymore and he announces that the gift was actually his idea. He wants the credit from Debra. While it was clearly his idea, he didn’t have to ruin the present.

8 Bullying Ray

For the most part, Ray is a good brother. He defends his family whenever it’s needed. However, one of the major conflicts of the show is the rivalry between Robert and Ray. Robert knows Ray is favored by his parents, which makes him bitter. You can’t really blame him for this, but he sometimes finds pleasure in watching Ray’s mistakes. He can even bully Ray.

In the season two episode “High School,” Ray attended his high school reunion. He finds out Debra is just like all of the popular kids who bullied him. When Debra teases him about this, Robert joins in. Robert was an athletic star in high school, so he can relate to Debra. They reminisce together, causing Ray to feel left out and bullied inside his own house.

7 Abusing Ray’s Money

Robert is a grown man, but he sometimes doesn’t act mature. He lives with his parents in the show’s earlier seasons, and he doesn’t seem to grow up and accept his responsibilities. In the season seven episode “Robert Needs Money,” Robert is at his lowest point with his finances. He needs money, so Ray and Debra decide to lend him $1,000.

Ray and Debra are shocked when they find out Robert abused their loan by taking the money to Las Vegas. He gambles the money, which is very disrespectful. Ray was actually helping his brother for once, and Robert abuses this generosity. Not cool, Robert, not cool.

6 Joking About His Nervous Tics

Everyone has a habit or tic that makes them unique. For Robert, he touches his food to his chin before eating. He also makes inappropriate noises at funerals. Garrett later revealed that Romano’s real-life brother, Richard Romano, had the same chin-touching nervous habit.

In the season eight episode “Crazy Chin,” everyone finds out why Robert has this nervous tic. When he was a young child, Robert watched as his mother, Marie (Doris Roberts), tapped a spoon to Ray’s chin to catch his drooling. He started mimicking the behavior. Everyone used to joke about his habit, which wouldn’t be acceptable in 2020. It’s not right to tease someone about a mental, nervous tic they can’t control.

5 Pretending To Be Ray

In the season six episode “Raybert,” Robert meets a woman who loves reading Ray’s Newsday sports column. When she thinks Robert is Ray, he doesn’t tell her the truth. He pretends to be Ray; therefore, Ray has to pretend to be Robert whenever he’s around the two.

Ray knows this isn’t going to end well, and he’s right. The woman shows up at Ray’s house and tells Debra, who Robert told her was dead, that she’s dating Ray. It blows up in both Robert and Ray’s faces, and it’s all Robert’s fault.

4 His Relationship With Stefania

Robert met Stefania Fogagnolo (Alex Meneses) while the Barone family was vacationing in Italy during the show’s fifth season. He’s immediately attracted to her. She’s the complete opposite of Amy, and they have a fairytale romance in Italy.

Afterward, it seems Robert is torn between his feelings for Amy and Stefania. He strings both women along, especially Amy, who has always been patient with him. There are a few occasions where Amy deserves someone better than Robert, and this is one of those times.

3 Reuniting With His Ex-Wife

In the season four finale “Robert’s Divorce,” viewers learn more about Robert’s past. His ex-wife, Joanne (Suzie Plakson), belittles him. She’s rude to everyone, and you feel sympathetic towards Robert.

However, when Robert later reunites with Joanne, he keeps her phone number. He considers rekindling their romance, even though he’s in a relationship with Amy. Robert definitely has commitment issues, but he should have known better to avoid Joanne at all costs.

2 The Fake Wedding Invitations

Robert finally proposes to Amy in the show’s seventh season. Everything seems to be okay, but there’s a big hurdle in “The Plan.” Ray persuades Robert to create a fake wedding invitation with multiple mistakes so Amy will take over the wedding plans. Robert won’t have to do anything.

Their scheme backfires when the fake invitations are sent out. The invitations have the wrong day, turned Amy’s parents into hillbillies, and they suggest that attire is optional, instead of “black tie optional.” Amy is furious with Robert and she has every reason to be.

1 Acting Like He’s Black

In the season three episode “Robert’s Date,” Robert meets friends of his Black NYPD partner Judy (Sherri Shepherd). He realizes he’s the only white person there, and he eventually starts acting like them. He dresses and talks like them, which is completely disrespectful.

This episode wouldn’t be acceptable to air in 2020. Not only does Robert personify all kinds of unacceptable Black stereotypes, but it becomes the running gag in the episode. Today’s viewers would voice their concerns about this episode.

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