What The Cast Of Modern Family Is Doing Now
The following article includes references to mental health issues.
When "Modern Family" made its debut in 2009, it injected some new energy into the family sitcom genre, with critics immediately praising the witty writing, entertaining ensemble cast, and fun mockumentary style. Over the years, the success of "Modern Family" was recognized through nearly two dozen Emmy Awards. It was also celebrated for its groundbreaking depiction of a same-sex relationship. "'Modern Family' hit the air at the moment it was most needed and became part of the culture change wave that led to some of the real-world wins we've seen," GLAAD's Megan Townsend told IndieWire in 2020.
The extended Dunphy-Pritchett-Tucker clan helped to carve out equal representation on screen and left a legacy that would follow. But after 11 seasons, it was time for fans to say goodbye to their beloved TV family, who had their last appearance on April 8, 2020. It truly was the end of an era, but it provided closure for both the cast and viewers. The show's special tribute documentary "A Modern Farewell" aired two weeks before the two-part finale and looked back at the series' run, emphasizing just how much the cast had changed over the years — and they've continued to grow in the time since leaving the popular sitcom in their rearview.
While some cast members took a much-deserved break, other stars have taken their careers in different directions, with many also celebrating major life milestones. Keep reading to find out what the cast of "Modern Family" is doing now.
Ty Burrell found voice actor work after Modern Family
Ty Burrell is best known for playing Phil Dunphy, the lovable (though often hapless) husband of Claire and father of Haley, Alex, and Luke. Phil happily describes himself as a cool dad, but his actions often prove he's anything but — although he always means well.
Burrell is endlessly grateful he didn't lose out on the Emmy-winning role to the likes of Brendan Fraser, because he took home over a decade of treasured memories with his TV family. "I love the scenes where every single person in the cast is in a scene," Burrell told Parade. "Those days are some of my best days as an actor, because we all got closer on those days in the down times between scenes."
It was clearly a bittersweet ending for Burrell, but happily, he's managed that transition to working on other projects quite easily. Burrell did some voice acting work alongside his time on "Modern Family," working on films like "Finding Dory." So, when the show ended, he fully embraced it and found a regular home on the animated series "Duncanville," until its cancellation in 2022. He played Jack Harris opposite Amy Poehler, who voiced both his wife, Annie, and their son, Duncan. Burrell explained to Stuff that he enjoys the way he has to act using only his voice, making a change from his portrayal of Phil Dunphy, which involved a lot of physical humor.
Julie Bowen went back to working with Adam Sandler
Julie Bowen's career came full circle after spending 11 years playing Claire Dunphy on "Modern Family." In 2020, she reunited with her "Happy Gilmore" co-star, Adam Sandler, for Netflix's feel-good comedy "Hubie Halloween." Although 24 years had passed since the '90s flick, in many ways it felt like nothing had changed for Bowen.
"He still has a lot of the same crew, the same writers, same producers. So it's not like, 'Remember so-and-so?' He's right there. He's still there. So it felt like stepping into a little train that's been going the whole time, and I just got to jump on for a little while," she explained to CinemaBlend. Since then, the Emmy winner has continued to focus her efforts more on movies than TV — appearing in "The Fallout" and "Mixtape" — as well as executive producing the 2023 Disney+ original teen rom com "Prom Pact."
In 2022, Bowen opened up about her sexuality on her "Quitters" podcast, revealing that while she identifies as straight, she's not all that interested in labels. "[I was] in love with a woman for a while, but she didn't love me back," she explained. "It never really took off, so I never really had to challenge my concept of my sexuality." These comments came after Bowen's 2018 divorce from Scott Phillips. Going forward, her focus seems to be on work and taking care of her kids, as she admitted on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that she's happily retired from dating these days — that is, unless Harry Styles comes knocking, of course.
Sarah Hyland got her happily ever after
Sarah Hyland began portraying Phil and Claire's first-born, Haley Dunphy, on "Modern Family" when she was 19. Having spent the entirety of her 20s playing Haley, Hyland experienced a lot over the years, both on screen (with storylines including pregnancy, motherhood, and marriage) and in real life. By the time the series' 11-season run came to an end, it was time for the actor to get married for real.
Postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, her elaborate wedding to Wells Adams finally took place on a 52-acre vineyard in California in August 2022. Every detail of the wedding weekend was planned to perfection, and Hyland donned two Vera Wang dresses for the occasion. Alongside most of her "Modern Family" co-stars, the guest list included several celebrities like Kayla Ewell, Nina Dobrev, and Shaun White.
2022 was a busy year for Hyland, because she also reunited with her former "Modern Family" beau, Adam Devine, in Peacock's "Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin," which has since been renewed for a second season. Hyland relished the opportunity to star in the spinoff series, telling Screen Rant, "It was just such a joy to be singing again, not just in my shower or car." One of the reasons for this is because the role fits her so well. "I am very much like Heidi, so I put a lot of pressure on myself and want everything to be perfect," she admitted. For "Modern Family" fans, seeing Hyland and Devine embark on a new on-screen relationship was the icing on the cake.
Ariel Winter's career switched lanes after Modern Family
Having spent much of her life playing Alex Dunphy on "Modern Family," Ariel Winter understandably found it hard to transition to life off set. She struggled with leaving the stability and safety of the long-term show, something that other former child actors have also had to deal with. "This is new territory for me," Winter admitted to Teen Vogue in 2020. "I was doing something very specific for so long. Now I have to reset my mind and retrain myself to be in that place of, 'All right, I am ready to look for the next thing.' I am ready to work."
The actor took time away for herself after the series ended, moving away from the prying paparazzi lenses of Los Angeles to an undisclosed location with boyfriend Luke Benward, while taking on voiceover work, such as playing young Kairi in the video game "Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory." Once Winter felt she had found stability in her personal life and with her mental health, she was ready to return to TV. While her "Hungry" pilot previously failed to get picked up by NBC, the star's reappearance on the small screen in June 2023 featured Winter in new territory, with flaming red hair and looking nothing like her "Modern Family" counterpart.
The Fox reality series "Stars on Mars" would simulate an expedition to Mars, with 12 celebrity contestants — including Winter, of course — battling it out to colonize and conquer Mars. With William Shatner hosting the series, the last invader standing would win.
Nolan Gould started taking his health seriously
Nolan Gould was just a kid when he started portraying Haley and Alex's annoying little brother, Luke Dunphy, on "Modern Family." But by the time the series ended, he was in his early 20s. Ready to tackle new acting projects, he moved on to a three-episode arc as Travis Tordjman in the comedy show "What's Up North."
However, Gould soon found himself at a loose end during quarantine, which he treated like a six-month holiday. However, he admitted that this, coupled with a diet that exclusively consisted of pizza, was not helping him feel his best, so he decided to invest in his health. "I feel like now it's time to kind of make a decision on where I want to go with my career, and one of the ways you can do that is by changing my look and my mindset," the actor told People in 2021. Gould transformed himself physically and mentally with the help of a close friend, who became his personal trainer. Together, they did a socially distanced workout every day, which left Gould with a lot of fitness goals, like rock climbing at Yosemite.
When it was finally time for Gould to get back to acting, he played college student Chase Sams, who presented with a mysterious illness, on the beloved medical drama "Grey's Anatomy." The role led to other projects, like the 2023 crime drama "Miranda's Victim," which saw Gould share the big screen with the likes of Abigail Breslin, Donald Sutherland, Luke Wilson, Ryan Phillippe, Kyle MacLachlan, and Emily VanCamp.
Modern Family patriarch Ed O'Neill is not retiring yet
After a three-year break, Ed O'Neill returned to the small screen. The "Married... with Children" alum is best known these days for playing Jay Pritchett — Gloria's husband, the father of Claire, Mitchell, and Joe, and the stepfather of Manny. You'd expect that for any actor saying goodbye to a character they played for over a decade, that the emotions might get a little overwhelming at the end. However, O'Neill tried to take a matter-of-fact approach to the big life change that was happening and make the final season the best it could be.
"I'm not afraid of emotion but I was trying to maintain the same mindset we had for 11 years," O'Neill told The Business Journal in 2020, noting that emotions would probably hit him later at an unexpected moment. "It was a dream job," he added. "I am so thankful to have had it." The industry veteran went on to take a well-deserved vacation to Hawaii, followed by an extended career break during the pandemic. Though it may have looked like O'Neill was quietly slipping into retirement, that wasn't the case.
Variety announced that he'd taken on a new role, portraying Donald Sterling alongside Laurence Fishburne and Jacki Weaver in FX's sports drama "The Sterling Affairs," set to air sometime in 2023. While he told The Business Journal he wasn't exactly holding out hope for a "Modern Family" spinoff, O'Neill is also attached to reprise his first famous patriarch role in an animated revival of "Married... with Children," as of this writing.
Sofía Vergara thinks America's got talent
Following in the footsteps of her on-screen husband, Sofía Vergara — who played Gloria Delgado-Pritchett — would star in a TV miniseries of her own in 2023. In Netflix's "Griselda," the Colombian-American actor would take on the role of the titular character Griselda Blanco, a real-life drug lord who once controlled one of the most profitable cartels in history. While shooting the crime drama, it took Vergara two hours to transform into the character, according to an Instagram Story she posted in 2022.
Though Griselda is quite a departure from Vergara's "Modern Family" character, the actor is no stranger to running a successful (albeit legal, of course) business empire, having successfully launched several companies, including a talent management firm and a lingerie brand. She's also taken on a judge role on "America's Got Talent" — a position that she thinks very highly of. "It's an important position to be a judge," she told Access Hollywood in 2020. "You want to be a fair judge, and there are so many different talents that you can't be an expert on everything."
All of Vergara's success means that she's been living a very comfortable life post-"Modern Family." She shares a $26 million Beverly Hills home in an exclusive gated community with her husband, Joe Manganiello, which they purchased in 2020. Vergara also owns a freshly renovated Italian-style villa, which went on the market for $18 million in 2023.
Rico Rodriguez carries his character with him
Rico Rodriguez is another of "Modern Family's" young stars who literally grew up in front of the camera. After nabbing a few roles in popular kids' shows like "Cory in the House" and "iCarly," Rodriguez took on the role of Sofía Vergara's on-screen son, Manny Delgado, who is quite mature for his age, especially in the early seasons. Manny retains his kind but eccentric demeanor throughout the show's 11 seasons, and it's something that Rodriguez has taken with him, too.
He may be a far cry from the boy he once portrayed these days, but Rodriguez has said that he and Manny are one and the same. "As I've grown into the character I feel like now I have kind of followed his way of life," and 18-year-old Rodriguez told CBS News back in 2016. "Meaning how I present myself in public and trying to dress right and write poetry — it's just all coming together. Manny is kind of becoming a little like me, and I've become a little like him, which is awesome. So we're kind of like the same person," he continued.
His "Modern Family" role has obviously had a lasting impact on Rodriguez, and he has yet to move on from the show in terms of screen acting, as of this writing. Instead, he took his career in a fresh direction in 2023, taking on a voice role in the dark thriller comedy podcast "How to Win Friends and Disappear People."
Jeremy Maguire has been in high demand
For the first few seasons of "Modern Family," Manny was the only child in the Delgado-Pritchett household. But that changed in Season 4, when Jay and Gloria welcomed another child, a boy who they named Joe. Joe was initially portrayed by twins for that season, before being replaced by Pierce Wallace for Seasons 5 and 6. But when it came time for Joe to have a bigger screen presence, "General Hospital" alum Jeremy Maguire stepped up to the plate. He joined the cast of "Modern Family" in Season 7, and this was his biggest role to date, appearing in 91 episodes.
However, the job came with a new level of pressure for the child actor. "We would start work sometimes as early as 6:30 in the morning, which means I had to be up even earlier than that to eat and get ready," an eight-year-old Maguire recalled to Teens Wanna Know in 2020. That's obviously a lot for someone as young as Maguire, but he's grateful for the experience, adding, "I know it was a big opportunity for me to learn from such great people and I am so happy that I was a part of such a big popular show!"
Despite struggling with some of the demands of the show, Maguire did a great job and has been in pretty high demand since "Modern Family" ended. He's since recurred on Josh Peck's comedy-drama "Turner & Hooch," appeared in "The Virgin of Hyland Park," and guest-starred in an episode of "S.W.A.T."
Jesse Tyler Ferguson's career has branched out
It's safe to say that the "Modern Family" cast are extremely close — Jesse Tyler Ferguson even officiated Sarah Hyland's wedding. The Emmy-nominated actor stepped up at the last minute to replace Hyland's on-screen dad, Ty Burrell. "I adore Sarah, so I was like, 'This means a lot that she's asking me to do this,' but it's a lot of pressure," he admitted to People. Ferguson played Haley's uncle, Mitchell "Mitch" Pritchett, on the show, and it's clear the pair still think of each other as family. Thankfully, it seems like his role in her nuptials went off without a hitch.
Ferguson's on-screen prospects have also kept him busy. He notably appeared in an episode of "High School Musical: The Musical — The Series" as Marvin, and later played Peter in Elizabeth Banks' 2023 horror comedy "Cocaine Bear." However, Ferguson's career has also branched out in different directions. The "Dinner's on Me" podcaster wrote a cookbook titled "Food Between Friends," which stemmed out of a blog that he writes with his friend, Julie Tanous. The pair co-authored the 2021 book together after being approached by the publishing house Clarkson Potter. "It took them having the confidence in us to actually do it," Ferguson explained to Variety.
Additionally, Ferguson made his return to theater in the acclaimed 2022 Broadway revival of "Take Me Out." His performance as Mason Marzac earned him the Tony for best featured actor in a play. In his personal life, Ferguson and his husband, Justin Mikita, have welcomed two sons since "Modern Family" ended.
Eric Stonestreet is continuing to work on TV
As Cam Tucker, Eric Stonestreet helped bring to life the beloved Mitch and Cam pairing on "Modern Family." His performance was critically acclaimed, but as a straight actor, there have since been critical discussions about whether Stonestreet was right to have taken on the role. Co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson even revealed on his "Dinner's on Me" podcast that they agreed Stonestreet probably wouldn't have played Cam today, though that didn't diminish his spot in pop culture. Stonestreet was keen to help carve out a place for same-sex relationships on TV. The Emmy winner credited his early acting experience for steering him in this direction. "When I started doing theater, I got to know tons of gay people. And it's really one of the reasons I became an actor," Stonestreet once told "Larry King Now." "I was a fraternity guy, showed up to do a play, and I was blown away by how much I loved all the people involved."
Since playing the character, Stonestreet took some time away from the screen, before returning briefly in 2021 for an episode of "Madagascar: A Little Wild" and in 2022 for a two-episode-arc in "American Auto." Like Sofía Vergara, he's spent more time in the reality TV circuit, guest judging on shows like "The Masked Singer" and "America's Got Talent."
Stonestreet also announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend Lindsay Schweitzer in a comical 2021 Instagram post. Sharing a series of photos showing off Schweitzer's sparkly rock, he quipped in the caption, "She said, 'She'd have her people call my people.'"
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons is enjoying being a teenager
For the early seasons of "Modern Family," Lily Tucker-Pritchett was the baby of the show. She was portrayed by twins Ella and Jaden Hiller before she was replaced by Aubrey Anderson-Emmons in Season 3 for the remainder of the show. Lily was the only child of Mitch and Cam for the majority of series' run until they adopted her brother, Rexford, in Season 11.
Anderson-Emmons was just three years old when she started on the sitcom, and she admitted that she didn't really understand what was going on at first. "I didn't think the people were real. I was like, 'Do these people live in these houses?'" she told KTLA 5 in 2018. However, Anderson-Emmons quickly got to grips with acting after her mom explained that the houses weren't real, and nobody actually lived there. The young actor also sweetly revealed that she's pals with her TV parents, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet.
Like her co-star, Jeremy Maguire, Anderson-Emmons spent most of her childhood working on the show. So, after nine years, she happily took a break from acting to enjoy life as a teenager. While we imagine Anderson-Emmons will probably be in front of the camera again in the future, the young star's been making money with things like social media brand partnerships. Additionally, she's used her social media platform to promote many charities and social justice causes, and she spends her free time making cooking videos with her mom for her YouTube channel, which has over 40,000 subscribers.
Reid Ewing is speaking out about body positivity
Although they weren't together for the entirety of "Modern Family's" run, Haley and Dylan were clearly always meant to end up together. And by the time the series concluded, the couple were married and happily parenting their twins, Poppy and George.
However, things weren't always happy for Ewing off-screen, as he's spent years speaking about body positivity and detailing his personal experience struggling with body dysmorphic disorder. This resulted in Ewing undergoing several cosmetic surgeries beginning when he was 19, including implants in his cheeks, jaw, and chin, some of which were later removed. "My particular case was very kind of invasive. It was an act of violence against myself," Ewing told Instinct in 2020. "I wish I was a little bit more secure with myself that I didn't have to do that and go through with it."
Ewing has since recognized that the surgeries were unnecessary, and following the end of "Modern Family," the actor has continued to actively maintain his mental health. This includes being much pickier about the work he does moving forward, only taking roles that keep him in a positive headspace. As a mission statement for the future, he said: "I'm trying to be the person I want to be. I want to do anything I can to feel good about myself and meet my own expectations. I don't want to keep making the same mistakes and live a shallow, petty life." Ewing's since acted in a couple of short films like "Nest" and "Always Come in Second," which tell meaningful stories.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
Adam Devine's life after Modern Family is pretty divine
After recurring as Haley Dunphy's love-interest, Andy Bailey, on "Modern Family" from 2013 to 2018, Adam Devine jumped ship and never looked back. Already well known for playing Bumper Allen in "Pitch Perfect" and Adam DeMamp in "Workaholics," Devine continued to garner new levels of fame following his departure from the sitcom. He played the male love interest opposite Rebel Wilson in "Isn't It Romantic" the following year. Devine then starred in "Jexi," and has taken on a handful of voice acting gigs, including in the animated sci-fi comedy "Extinct," the holiday special "Reindeer in Here," and Netflix's Dr. Suess series "Green Eggs and Ham." By 2022, he landed his own "Pitch Perfect" spin-off series "Bumper in Berlin," as previously mentioned — which saw him reunite with Sarah Hyland, whom he affectionately refers to as his "tv work wife."
Devine also shared an important update about his relationship with his real-life wife and fellow actor, Chloe Bridges. After news of the Adam Levine cheating scandal broke in September 2022, the actor took to Instagram to clear up that he was not connected to the Maroon 5 singer, despite the pair having similar names. Alongside a snap of himself and his wife, Devine wrote: "Just want to post this and say that my wife @chloebridges and I are doing great and going strong. I am not Adam Levine. He's a different guy and a worse singer. We are however naming our future baby Sumner."