From 1960 to 1968, The Andy Griffith Show brought a sense of laughter and community into our homes—and Mayberry’s quirky crew of characters remain beloved after all these years. From Andy and Barney to Aunt Bee and little Opie, what wasn’t to love? In the iconic series, Ron Howard, who went on to become an accomplished actor and filmmaker, brought to life Andy’s young son Opie, originating the role at just six years old. Meanwhile, Don Knotts’ portrayal of Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife (for which he won five Emmy Awards) was equally as charming, as was the fact that he happened to be Sheriff Andy Taylor’s cousin—at least before the writers changed their mind several episodes in. Well, in a post shared to Instagram by Ron Howard, it was revealed that The Andy Griffith Show was actually something of a family affair! Keep reading for why this changes everything we thought we knew about the series.
The Andy Griffith Show’s hidden family connection
Howard excitedly shared a throwback photo of a time back in 1997 when Andy Griffith and Don Knotts paid him a surprise visit on set. “A fun photo of the day in ‘97 when Andy Griffith and Don Knotts surprised me with a visit to the set of Ransom in Queens. It was recently confirmed that Don and I were actually distant cousins!” he shared in the caption of the post, shocking longtime fans of the show. Imagine working alongside someone for eight years only to discover decades later that you had been family the whole time?!
Fans react to Ron Howard and Don Knotts’ surprising connection
While this revelation was certainly shocking for Howard, fans in the comments were also thrilled at the cool cast connection! “Cousins!! That is so crazy. That was a great show. I still catch it on MeTV occasionally. We live in Cedarburg, WI and we often describe it as Mayberry,” wrote one Instagram user. “We need more of this type of content in the world because it makes us all feel good. Thanks for sharing, and what a wonderful discovery,” shared another.
In addition to those expressing their excitement at this discovery, many took to the comments to share their enduring love for the series, proving that The Andy Griffith Show really has stood the test of time. “Been rewatching The Andy Griffith Show every night of the week on MeTV. What a well-written, well-acted show that was! They don’t make ‘em like that anymore!,” raved one Instagram fan.
Ron Howard reflects on his time on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’
Though Howard was the show’s resident youngster, he looked up to his adult cast members and his time on the series is something he looks back on fondly. “He treated me really well, but he made it a learning experience, not in a stern, taskmaster kind of a way, but I was really allowed a real insight into creativity and how things work and why some scenes were funny and others weren’t,” he told PopEater of working with Andy Griffith, which was reported by The Hollywood Reporter. He went on to share that despite Andy being focused on getting the work done, he always treated Howard with a kind, playful and fun nature that has stuck with him all these decades later.
And the adults on set appreciated what Howard brought to the table as well! In an interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Knotts expressed how impressed he was with young Ron’s skills as an actor who hadn’t even turned 6 yet by the time he got started on the show, saying he could do a “terrible scene or a funny scene” equally as good.
