The Gang on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia have done some absolutely terrible things over the years, but in the FX comedy's Season 12 finale Dennis (Glenn Howerton) did something truly shocking: he left.

After being confronted by the son he fathered (as detailed in the Season 10 episode "The Gang Beats Boggs"), Dennis realizes just how horrible of a person he is and decides to leave town, telling the Gang, "I can't do any of this sh--anymore!"

And while many viewers assumed Dennis would find his way back to the Gang in the early part of Season 13, Howerton revealed it might not be as simple as that.

"So... it's a little complicated," he told Uproxx. "I may seem a little bit evasive here, and I don't mean to. It's not entirely certain whether I am or am not. I might be. I might be, but I might not be. That really is the truth. Just to be clear, to dispel any potential weirdness, it has nothing to do with my relationship to anyone on the show or Rob [McElhenney] or Charlie [Day] or anyone like that. It's partially a creative and personal decision."

Shortly after the interview was conducted, news broke that Howerton had signed on to star in an NBC comedy pilot opposite Patton Oswalt, hence the uncertainty surrounding his return. Because while Kaitlin Olson is able to star in both Sunny and The Mick (which are on sibling networks Fox and FX), NBC would likely be much less open to sharing Howerton with FX — something which would be made near-impossible if NBC decides to pick up the pilot for a full 22-episode season.

Photo: Patrick McElhenney/FXX

However, Howerton revealed that Sunny might take an extended hiatus before it returns for Season 13, which might allow him enough time to shoot both projects. "I'm certainly staying open to the possibility of doing more, but there is a possibility that I will not," he said.

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If this is the end for Howerton, who also writes and executive produces Sunny, he said he'll look back on the experience "with a level of fondness that I can only describe as indescribable. It's been the greatest joy, honor of my life up to this point, to have been a part of this show."

"I don't know that you can point to any other character who is as dark and twisted and rapey and murderous and have it somehow still work, and be funny and likable. I'm just proud to create such a unique character," he continued. "And more importantly, not just for ourselves, but I've seen the impact it's had on our fans, on Twitter and when I meet people in person. I'm also a fan of things — music and shows and movies — that shaped me as a person, that made me feel like there are other people in the world who understand my sensibility, my sense of humor, and to hear from our fans that we've created in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia that does that same thing for them is the most rewarding thing in the world."