There may be no show more iconic in American history than I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, but few people know just how groundbreaking the show truly was. Not only did it give a platform to one of the country’s best female comedians; the series actually invented many of the tropes from modern sitcoms. For example, I Love Lucy was the first show to be filmed in front of a live studio audience. It was also the first program to feature a pregnant woman on screen, partially due to the fact that the word “pregnant” itself was not considered appropriate for television.

So, why did CBS finally take the leap and write a pregnancy into the script? Was the actor who played Lucy and Ricky’s son also theirs in real life? And what happened to ‘Little Ricky’ post-show? Let’s take a look:

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The Little Ricky Story

In 1952, CBS released an episode of I Love Lucy called, “Lucy Is Enceinte.” The idea was to announce that Lucille Ball’s character was pregnant, although the network preferred to do so in French so as to avoid controversy. Unfortunately, however, their master plan failed, and the episode stirred up so much drama among conservative viewers that it was almost banned, according to a report by Ranker.

Nonetheless, as far as show creators Lucy and Desi were concerned, the pregnancy needed to be added into the script with quite a bit of urgency. The two were actually expecting a child together in real life, and Lucy was already showing.

Luckily, the comedic power couple was able to negotiate with the network in order to get the ‘okay’ to go along with the pregnancy storyline. Thanks to their grand idea to write a woman’s real-life pregnancy into the script, the character of their son Little Ricky was born.

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Richard Keith Saves The Day

Since Lucy’s real-life pregnancy corresponded with her onscreen one, many fans have wondered if Little Ricky was played by her and Desi’s own child. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. For one thing, Lucy’s real birth actually brought a daughter into the world. Plus, Little Ricky was not played by just one actor.

During the character’s baby years, he was played by a pair of twins, Joseph and Michael Mayer. However, when most fans think of Little Ricky, they imagine the little boy who starred in season six. This version of the character was interpreted by Richard Keith, born “Keith Thibodeaux.” He is currently the last surviving member of the cast.

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Where Is He Now?

After his time on the show, Keith continued as an actor on The Andy Griffith Show. Eventually, though, he traded in acting for music. In college, he and his buddies formed a Christian band. The group surged in popularity, becoming one of the top bands in the genre, and even did a world tour.

Soon after quitting the music industry, Keith met his future wife Kathy. A silver medalist in the International Ballet Competition, Kathy inspired Keith to try a new career path. The two currently run a Christian Ballet academy together.

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