The Modern Family cast created one of the most beloved sitcom ensembles of all time with the actors being a big reason for the show's success. With the Pritchetts as the nuclear family and the Dunphys and Tucker-Pritchetts attached, there were a whole lot of highs and lows among this brood of family members. The series was a hit throughout its 11 seasons, and now that it has ended, many fans wonder what the Modern Family cast has been up to since then.
The eclectic ensemble featured everything from veterans of the television world to complete newcomers who audiences watched grow up on screen. Before Modern Family was canceled after season 11, the series won 22 Emmys, a Golden Globe, and three Critics' Choice Television Awards. A lot of these accolades were awarded to the Modern Family cast for bringing these memorable characters to life. As fans continue to rewatch the sitcom, they can look back on each member of the Modern Family cast, the characters they helped create, and the projects they have since moved on to.
Ty Burrell As Phil Dunphy
Phil Dunphy was everyone's favorite TV dad. Being a realtor meant he had a flexible schedule to help run his household and raise his kids. With three kids, he was closest to his son Luke, who was a miniature version of Phil. Ever the kid at heart, Phil loved creating inventions and trying to be youthful to impress those around him. As amazing as his wife Claire is, Phil was the heart of the household.
Ty Burrell delivered Phil Dunphy's best quotes with such color and life on Modern Family. His excitement for playing the character shined on camera, winning him two Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. After his success on Modern Family, Ty went on to do some voice work for characters in movies like Pixar's Finding Dory and Duncanville. He's also been in Rough Night and Muppets Most Wanted.
Julie Bowen As Claire Dunphy
Julie Bowen's Claire Dunphy was equally neurotic and adoring. She loved her family, but she also grew sick of them if she didn't have enough time to herself. Guiding her kids on the right path was Claire's main mission, and it was hard for her to relax without knowing her plans were on track. Outside of being a mom, Claire had multiple jobs in Modern Family and she became the woman who could do it all.
Bowen was incredibly relatable as Claire and she became a fan-favorite for her parenting style and everyday freakouts. Before the series, Bowen was most known for her role in Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore and Boston Legal, but she went on to act and voice characters in Hubie Halloween, Duck Tales, and The Fallout. Bowen will next be seen as part of the cast of the Peacock thriller series Hysteria!
Sarah Hyland As Haley Dunphy
Haley Dunphy was the eldest child of Phil and Claire, and was more into social events than her grades. Claire and Phil did their best to get Haley on a more structured path, but she was more concerned with her tumultuous relationship with Dylan than getting a degree. Eventually, Haley found her way and snagged a career she loved, all while marrying her high school sweetheart and having twins.
Sarah Hyland shined as Haley Dunphy. From high school to being a successful working mother, Hyland nailed the hardships of growing up in a nosey family. Hyland has since also been in The Wedding Year and Lipstick Jungle. She can now be seen on the Peacock series Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, reuniting with Modern Family love interest Adam DeVine.
Ariel Winter As Alex Dunphy
Ariel Winter played Alex Dunphy, the middle child of the Dunphy clan, who, unlike her brother and sister, cared about school from a young age. As one of the smartest people on Modern Family, Alex was more level-headed than the other members of her family and stopped them from getting into troubling situations. She may not have been a fan favorite character on Modern Family, but Winter did play the reserved and middle child to perfection.
Other than Alex, Winter has done mainly voice work for animated TV shows, including the main character Sofia in Sofia the First and Elena of Avalor. She is also a contestant on the celebrity reality series Stars on Mars along with Ronda Rousey and Lance Armstrong.
Nolan Gould As Luke Dunphy
Nolan Gould played the youngest member of the Dunphy family, Luke. Luke was just like his dad and looked up to him throughout the series. While Claire was wrangling her two teenage daughters, Luke and Phil were busy thinking of inventions, playing on the trampoline, and playing outside. Like his sister Haley, Luke wasn't the smartest, but he did have a big heart when it came to his family.
Although Luke isn't intelligent, Gould is the opposite and is a member of Mensa — a society for those with high IQs (via HuffPost). Luke was one of the most likable characters on Modern Family and Gould made the character endearing through his growth. Gould hasn't been too busy with acting after Modern Family, appearing in episodes of Grey's Anatomy and What's Up North. He will soon appear in the true-crime story Miranda's Victim alongside Abigail Breslin and Donald Sutherland as well as the comedy Camp with Joey King.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson As Mitchell Pritchett
Jesse Tyler Ferguson portrayed Mitchell Pritchett. As the son of Jay and brother of Claire, Mitchell was the opposite of his family members. He wasn't confrontational, was a little shy, and was soft-spoken. Mitchell went through a lot of personal growth in the series as he bounced between jobs and became a father. As a family man, however, Mitchell had his highs and lows with his dad since he wasn't always supportive of his sexuality. At the end of the series, Mitchell left his family behind for a new start in Missouri when his husband got a new job.
When Modern Family wrapped up, Ferguson popped into other TV shows like High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and Pete the Cat. He was also part of the cast of Cocaine Bear.
Eric Stonestreet As Cameron Tucker
Cameron Tucker was Mitchell's outgoing and theatrical husband. He started the series as a happy stay-at-home dad, however, there came a time when their daughter Lily didn't need him as much so he slowly started working at the local high school. Cam and Mitchell's relationship didn't always make sense because of how different they were, but they worked perfectly together as partners.
Eric Stonestreet was the perfect person to portray Cameron Tucker and went on to win two Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Modern Family. As a successful actor, Stonestreet has voiced characters in Secret Life of Pets and Sofia the First, but he's also starred in Identity Thief, andYou're Not a Monster. He recently appeared in the Disney+ holiday series The Santa Clauses.
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons As Lily Tucker-Pritchett
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons played the talented Lily Tucker-Pritchett. In season 1 of Modern Family, Cam and Mitchell just adopted her and introduced her to the family. From there, it was fun watching the couple raise a daughter for the first time. Lily had some of the sassiest quotes on Modern Family, but wasn't as dramatic as her dads. She liked going to school, was more serious and reserved, and was extremely popular.
With Anderson-Emmons joining the series as a child, Modern Family was the biggest project she was a part of. She's gone on to appear in only a few TV episodes, including Bill Nye Saves the World.
Ed O'Neill As Jay Pritchett
Jay was the stereotypical grump in the family, who was tired of his kids bickering or not having enough alone time for himself. However, he was seen to go through a dramatic change when he met Gloria, her son Manny, and their optimistic personalities. Friends and family of the couple have said Jay and Gloria didn't always make sense, but they were head over heels for each other. Because of Gloria, Jay became more family oriented and tried leading by example. As a retired businessman who made his fortune selling closets and blinds, Jay made sure his family was comfortable (but he had no problem telling them off if needed).
Ed O'Neill was one of the most well-known faces of Modern Family because of his time leading the cast of Married... With Children, another award-winning sitcom. With a long resume of worthy TV shows and movies, O'Neill continues to make audiences laugh in movies like Finding Dory and Ralph Breaks the Internet. O'Neill will also play disgraced LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling in an FX series and will return to his iconic role as Al Bundy in an animated Married... With Children reboot.
Sofia Vergara As Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
Sofia Vergara has been acting since '90s, but Modern Family was one of her biggest roles before leading to even bigger roles. Starring as Gloria Pritchett, she was a strong and confident woman who had the perfect relationship with her husband Jay. She was very passionate about her family and was often the first person to make sure that everyone was okay.
For her role as Gloria, Vergara was nominated for countless awards, including four Emmys. During Modern Family, Vergara also appeared in Bent, The Emoji Movie, and Hot Pursuit opposite Reese Witherspoon. She lends her voice to the cast of the comedy Strays alongside Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx and will play a real-life cartel leader in the miniseries Griselda. Vergara also notably is a judge on America's Got Talent.
Rico Rodriguez As Manny Delgado
Rico Rodriguez portrayed Manny Delgado, Gloria's pride and joy, and another intelligent character on Modern Family. Forming a close bond with Luke Dunphy, Manny was seen to be the sensible friend, often providing his loved ones with good advice when they were having a crisis. Other than portraying Manny Delgado, he made appearances in shows like NCIS, My Name is Earl, and multiple Disney shows.
Jeremy Maguire As Joe Pritchett
It was an exciting time for the Pritchetts when Gloria gave birth to Joe. Since Joe was so young, he was mainly shown following his parents around and pushing their buttons. However, at the end of Modern Family, Joe was the young burst of light Jay and Gloria needed at times, getting himself wrapped up in troublesome shenanigans that often required his parents coming to his rescue. Other than Joe, Jeremy Maguire is a promising star on the rise who had been in shows like General Hospital before Modern Family. When the series ended, Maguire took part in the TV series Turner & Hooch and appeared in an episode of S.W.A.T.
Modern Family's Side Characters
Reid Ewing As Dylan Marshall: Reid Ewing played Haley's on-and-off boyfriend Dylan. Haley's mom never felt that Dylan was good enough for Haley and urged Haley to find love elsewhere, but Haley stuck it out with Dylan. Through high school and college Dylan and Haley's relationship on Modern Family was a rocky one but ended with them starting a family together. Dylan was played by actor Reid Ewing who has since been in two shorts, Nest and Always Come in Second.
Adam Devine As Andy Bailey: For a short time, Adam Devine starred as Andy Bailey. After meeting Gloria on the playground, she hired Andy as her male nanny. After working for the Delgado-Pritchetts, Andy became close with Haley and started dating. Sadly, Devine's role ended when Andy moved back to Utah, but he was one of the most well-known side characters because of his time in projects like Pitch Perfect and Workaholics. He also stars in the series The Righteous Gemstones and starred alongside Pierce Brosnan in the Netflix comedy The Out-Laws.
Shelley Long As DeDe Pritchett: The incredible Shelley Long played Claire and Mitchell's unstable mother, DeDe Pritchett. After divorcing Jay, DeDe was in and out of the family's lives and only came back when she had something to prove. Sadly, DeDe was killed off in season 10, ending Shelley's time on the Modern Family. Long is known for countless roles, including iconic ones in Cheers and the Brady Bunch Movie.
Nathan Lane As Pepper Saltzman: Pepper Saltzman was one of Mitch and Cam's closest friends on Modern Family. While the couple had a handful of friends come and go throughout the series, Pepper was one who always stuck around. He was also their wedding planner. Played by the talented Nathan Lane, he's been in everything from The Lion King to The Birdcage to Only Murders in the Building. Most recently, Lane appeared in Ari Aster's Beau is Afraid.