Top 10 Surprising Facts About Modern Family
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Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Surprising Facts About Modern Family. For this list, we’ll be looking at the least known behind-the-scenes facts from this beloved comedy series. Which of these surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments below!
Real families must stick together, no matter what. Just like onscreen, the talented actors who make up the cast of “Modern Family” had to put up a united front multiple times throughout the show’s run. After the acclaimed first season, all of the cast members decided to submit their names for the Supporting Actor and Actress categories at the Emmys, instead of vying for Lead. Later on, they banded together again to renegotiate their salaries, in light of the show’s phenomenal success. These negotiations got ugly, at some point, with the cast suing the production company and even boycotting table reads. Although TV veteran Ed O’Neill wasn’t directly involved in the conflict, he stood in solidarity with the cast until their demands were met.
Sofía Vergara’s portrayal of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett was met with both acclaim and controversy. Over the years, the actress was called out multiple times for what was deemed to be a stereotypical depiction of Latina women. Vergara has since defended her portrayal of the character, stating that she drew inspiration from some of the women in her life. She admitted, however, that early on in the series, the writers were pretty clueless about the Colombian experience. As a result, she had to guide them towards a more accurate depiction. This, according to Vergara, is one of many reasons why representation is important, not just on the screen, but also in writing rooms.
“Modern Family” fans will agree that for as adorable as the character of Luke Dunphy is, he is certainly not the sharpest tool in the shed. Nolan Gould, the actor who plays Luke, however, is apparently a stark opposite. With a reported IQ of 150, Gould is a member of Mensa, the largest and oldest society of high-IQ individuals in the world. That makes him nearly as intelligent as Albert Einstein. Even though he began acting on the show around the age of 11, Gould was still able to graduate from high school at 13. He may differ from his character when it comes to the smarts, but we hope he’s just as adorable in real life.
If you watch the pilot episode of “Modern Family” with keen eyes, you may just notice the huge baby bump on Claire Dunphy. While the character wasn’t actually pregnant in the show’s universe, the real-life actress Julie Bowen was, with twins. Bowen has since revealed that during the audition process, she had a constant feeling that she wouldn’t land the role due to her pregnancy. As a result, she sort of stepped back from it and focused on trying out for another acting gig that featured a pregnant character. Thankfully, she had a rethink and threw herself back into the mix, ultimately landing the role of a lifetime.
After a highly successful 11-season run, “Modern Family” came to an end in April of 2020. While this conclusion may have been satisfying for many of those involved in the show’s production, one of its stars didn’t quite share that feeling. Sarah Hyland, who portrayed Haley Dunphy in all 11 seasons, expressed her disappointment with her character’s ultimate fate in the series. Hyland expected the character’s arc to have ended with a blossoming career in the fashion industry rather than being the mom of twins. After all, Haley took up an interest in fashion after she was expelled from college. Her concerns bring to mind the early criticism the show received for portraying its female characters as stay-at-home moms.
For the first two seasons, the character of Lily Tucker-Pritchett was played by a set of twin girls, Ella and Jaden Hiller. But when season three premiered, fans noticed that the Hiller twins had been replaced by a different actress. Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who took over the character for the rest of the show’s duration, was brought in after the parents of the twins told the producers they wouldn’t be returning. Apparently, once the girls’ personalities began to develop, their parents realized that they disliked being on set. Despite being offered significant salary raises, there was no changing their minds. The girls went into early retirement from show business.
The first time we’re introduced to Mitch and Cam, they’re on a plane returning from Vietnam after adopting their daughter, Lily. Although the introduction of Lily to the rest of the family is touching, and frankly pretty dramatic, things may have played out slightly differently in the real world. Back in 2009, when this episode aired, same-sex couples were not afforded the legal right to adoption in Vietnam. This means that unless the Tucker-Pritchetts had carried out an illegal scheme to deceive the Vietnamese authorities, their adoption of baby Lily would probably not have happened. It’s a minor detail in the grand scheme of things, but a surprising one nonetheless.
You may know this actor as Hayden Fox on “Coach” or as Zeek Braverman on “Parenthood,” depending on what generation you’re from. Either way, Craig T. Nelson has been a staple on American television for decades. Nelson’s appearance on “Parenthood” was only possible because he narrowly missed out on the role of Jay Pritchett. Nelson was the initial choice but his salary demands were a little more than what the studio could afford. Also, producers were put off by an infamous 2009 interview he gave on Fox News, and just decided to go with Ed O’Neill instead. A similar thing happened with the role of Phil Dunphy, which may have gone to Rob Huebel, if he didn’t “aggressively pass” on it.
As a kid, Sarah Hyland was diagnosed with a condition called kidney dysplasia, for which she required a transplant, later in life. In 2012, she received a kidney donation from her father. Sadly, her body rejected this organ after a few years, and it had to be removed. All of these medical procedures took an intense physical toll on the actress who, in some cases, was also filming episodes of “Modern Family” concurrently. She reported being so exhausted on set that she has now completely forgotten some episodes she filmed in the past. Thankfully, Hyland found a second organ donor in her younger brother and seems to be in much better health now.
Unlike her onscreen family, there have been severe tensions within Ariel Winter’s real-life household. In 2014, Winter was removed from her mother’s care after allegations of maltreatment surfaced, and her older sister was granted custody of her. Once this news came to light, a show insider revealed more details to the press about Chrisoula Workman, Winter’s mom, and her actions. Apparently, Workman had been overprotective of Winter, exercising tight control over what she ate and wore. She also allegedly berated her for her physical appearance. This behavior got so bad that the producers reportedly tried to get her banned from the show’s set. Workman has, however, denied all pf these allegations.
#10: A United Ensemble Cast
Real families must stick together, no matter what. Just like onscreen, the talented actors who make up the cast of “Modern Family” had to put up a united front multiple times throughout the show’s run. After the acclaimed first season, all of the cast members decided to submit their names for the Supporting Actor and Actress categories at the Emmys, instead of vying for Lead. Later on, they banded together again to renegotiate their salaries, in light of the show’s phenomenal success. These negotiations got ugly, at some point, with the cast suing the production company and even boycotting table reads. Although TV veteran Ed O’Neill wasn’t directly involved in the conflict, he stood in solidarity with the cast until their demands were met.
#9: Sofía Vergara Had to Guide the Show’s Writers
Sofía Vergara’s portrayal of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett was met with both acclaim and controversy. Over the years, the actress was called out multiple times for what was deemed to be a stereotypical depiction of Latina women. Vergara has since defended her portrayal of the character, stating that she drew inspiration from some of the women in her life. She admitted, however, that early on in the series, the writers were pretty clueless about the Colombian experience. As a result, she had to guide them towards a more accurate depiction. This, according to Vergara, is one of many reasons why representation is important, not just on the screen, but also in writing rooms.
#8: Nolan Gould Is Actually a Genius
“Modern Family” fans will agree that for as adorable as the character of Luke Dunphy is, he is certainly not the sharpest tool in the shed. Nolan Gould, the actor who plays Luke, however, is apparently a stark opposite. With a reported IQ of 150, Gould is a member of Mensa, the largest and oldest society of high-IQ individuals in the world. That makes him nearly as intelligent as Albert Einstein. Even though he began acting on the show around the age of 11, Gould was still able to graduate from high school at 13. He may differ from his character when it comes to the smarts, but we hope he’s just as adorable in real life.
#7: Julie Bowen Nearly Gave up on Playing Claire
If you watch the pilot episode of “Modern Family” with keen eyes, you may just notice the huge baby bump on Claire Dunphy. While the character wasn’t actually pregnant in the show’s universe, the real-life actress Julie Bowen was, with twins. Bowen has since revealed that during the audition process, she had a constant feeling that she wouldn’t land the role due to her pregnancy. As a result, she sort of stepped back from it and focused on trying out for another acting gig that featured a pregnant character. Thankfully, she had a rethink and threw herself back into the mix, ultimately landing the role of a lifetime.
#6: Haley Dunphy’s Unfulfilling Ending
After a highly successful 11-season run, “Modern Family” came to an end in April of 2020. While this conclusion may have been satisfying for many of those involved in the show’s production, one of its stars didn’t quite share that feeling. Sarah Hyland, who portrayed Haley Dunphy in all 11 seasons, expressed her disappointment with her character’s ultimate fate in the series. Hyland expected the character’s arc to have ended with a blossoming career in the fashion industry rather than being the mom of twins. After all, Haley took up an interest in fashion after she was expelled from college. Her concerns bring to mind the early criticism the show received for portraying its female characters as stay-at-home moms.
#5: The Hiller Twins Didn’t Like Acting
For the first two seasons, the character of Lily Tucker-Pritchett was played by a set of twin girls, Ella and Jaden Hiller. But when season three premiered, fans noticed that the Hiller twins had been replaced by a different actress. Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who took over the character for the rest of the show’s duration, was brought in after the parents of the twins told the producers they wouldn’t be returning. Apparently, once the girls’ personalities began to develop, their parents realized that they disliked being on set. Despite being offered significant salary raises, there was no changing their minds. The girls went into early retirement from show business.
#4: Lily’s Adoption Was Probably Illegal
The first time we’re introduced to Mitch and Cam, they’re on a plane returning from Vietnam after adopting their daughter, Lily. Although the introduction of Lily to the rest of the family is touching, and frankly pretty dramatic, things may have played out slightly differently in the real world. Back in 2009, when this episode aired, same-sex couples were not afforded the legal right to adoption in Vietnam. This means that unless the Tucker-Pritchetts had carried out an illegal scheme to deceive the Vietnamese authorities, their adoption of baby Lily would probably not have happened. It’s a minor detail in the grand scheme of things, but a surprising one nonetheless.
#3: Craig T. Nelson Almost Played Jay Pritchett
You may know this actor as Hayden Fox on “Coach” or as Zeek Braverman on “Parenthood,” depending on what generation you’re from. Either way, Craig T. Nelson has been a staple on American television for decades. Nelson’s appearance on “Parenthood” was only possible because he narrowly missed out on the role of Jay Pritchett. Nelson was the initial choice but his salary demands were a little more than what the studio could afford. Also, producers were put off by an infamous 2009 interview he gave on Fox News, and just decided to go with Ed O’Neill instead. A similar thing happened with the role of Phil Dunphy, which may have gone to Rob Huebel, if he didn’t “aggressively pass” on it.
#2: Sarah Hyland’s Health Challenges
As a kid, Sarah Hyland was diagnosed with a condition called kidney dysplasia, for which she required a transplant, later in life. In 2012, she received a kidney donation from her father. Sadly, her body rejected this organ after a few years, and it had to be removed. All of these medical procedures took an intense physical toll on the actress who, in some cases, was also filming episodes of “Modern Family” concurrently. She reported being so exhausted on set that she has now completely forgotten some episodes she filmed in the past. Thankfully, Hyland found a second organ donor in her younger brother and seems to be in much better health now.
#1: The Situation With Ariel Winter’s Mom
Unlike her onscreen family, there have been severe tensions within Ariel Winter’s real-life household. In 2014, Winter was removed from her mother’s care after allegations of maltreatment surfaced, and her older sister was granted custody of her. Once this news came to light, a show insider revealed more details to the press about Chrisoula Workman, Winter’s mom, and her actions. Apparently, Workman had been overprotective of Winter, exercising tight control over what she ate and wore. She also allegedly berated her for her physical appearance. This behavior got so bad that the producers reportedly tried to get her banned from the show’s set. Workman has, however, denied all pf these allegations.
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