Longtime fans of Modern Family were conflicted when it came to their love and support for Claire Dunphy. She’s a dedicated and hardworking woman who would do anything for her family. However, Claire can be overbearing and controlling too. She wants her loved ones to succeed so badly that she’s willing to control the entire situation to get the outcome in her favor.
That’s not to say that Claire’s overbearing nature came from a bad place. As annoying as Claire Dunphy could be, she can also be incredibly sweet.
Updated on June 10th, 2022, by Lynn Gibbs: Claire is more known for her authoritative nature than her maternal. As a true go-getter and competitor, Claire will do anything to succeed, even if that means taking the reigns from her family members and doing the work for them. And while this intense need to win comes from a good place, her intensity can be seen as annoying. Her three children were constantly annoyed by Claire and the same could be said for her brother Mitchell. In the end, Claire did learn to loosen the reigns a bit and show a softer, sweeter side but she'll always be Claire Dunphy.
Claire's Sweetest Moments On Modern Family
She Trusted Luke's Business Idea
It took time for Luke to find his way in life but it all came together in the 11th and final season. After taking courses at a local community college, Luke wanted to drop out when he thought of an incredible business idea.
Initially, Claire told him he wasn’t dropping out over a pitch, but after seeing his app and hearing about his idea, Claire gave him her full support. It was a big moment for not only Claire but for her relationship with her only son. What could have ended in one of the worst things she did to Luke turned into one of the sweeter Claire and Luke moments because she believed in him.
Despite Her Feelings For Dylan, She Rooted For Them
Claire did some messed-up things to her family throughout 11 seasons all because she thought she knew what was best. She did the same thing with Haley and her relationships.
Although Haley loved her boyfriend Arvin, she realized that her lingering feelings for Dylan were always going to be there. She had to make a choice, Arvin or Dylan. At first, Claire rooted for Arvin and did what she could to keep Dylan out of the picture. But when she saw how lost Haley was without Dylan, she sucked up her pride and gave the couple her support.
Claire Calmed Haley Down When She Had The Twins
Another endearing moment between Claire and Haley came after Haley brought her twins home. Haley wanted to do everything by the book (literally) and raised her babies through the advice of an author.
Claire—being an experienced mother of three—knew that the book wasn't working when the babies wouldn't stop crying. When Haley left the house for a little Claire took matters into her own hands and worked her magic to get the babies to stop crying. While Haley was annoyed that her mother didn't listen to her, she was thankful for her guidance and help.
She Learned Magic For Phil
Phil and Claire always had exciting Valentine’s Day plans as Clive Bixby and Juliana in Modern Family. But in the episode 'Do You Believe in Magic,' Claire had something else up her sleeve.
After lying to Phil all day and telling him she didn't care much about the day, she made a reservation at a sad diner to seal the deal with Phil that their date was going to be bad. When Phil showed up at the diner, he was livid. As the romantic one in the family, he wanted Claire to put in some effort. Little did he know, it was all a ruse. She showed up with a magic trick in hand, proving that she had an entirely new plan set up for the two. Phil was ecstatic. It was one of her sweetest moments.
She Dropped Everything For Haley's Babies
Claire was excited, horrified, and scared when she found out Halley was pregnant. It felt like Haley just got her life on track and now babies were going to complicate things. Not to mention Claire still wished Haley chose Andy over Dylan. But mom-mode kicked in for Claire at the news of the pregnancy and she did everything she could to be there for Haley.
She allowed Haley and Dylan to move in with them, she canceled her Italian trip with Phil to be there for Haley, and she babysat when Haley eventually gave birth. This proved that no matter how much Claire disagreed, she would do anything for her kids.
When She Finally Understood Alex
Alex was the black sheep of the family. Haley and Luke were equal in the brains department but Alex had always been exceptionally brilliant. Sadly, Alex was so bright that Claire didn't always know how to talk or interact with her.
But in the episode 'Under Pressure,' Claire got a look at Alex’s day-to-day life in high school and immediately apologized to her after Alex's therapy session. Claire didn’t realize how hard Alex had it until then. The two later had a loving moment at Alex’s graduation party when she thanked Claire for pushing her to succeed. Alex's amazing transformation wouldn't have been without Claire.
Her Anniversary With Phil
Claire was not a great gift giver. This could be because Claire was not the best listener to her husband and didn’t always take him seriously. But in 'Daddy Issues,' Claire stepped her game up and pulled out all the stops for their anniversary.
She rented the first apartment they ever lived in as a couple and made a nostalgic meal while listening to their favorite music before the kids came. It was so touching that it left Phil speechless and he (for once) didn’t think his gift was good enough. This scene proved how perfect Claire and Phil's relationship could be.
Claire's More Annoying Moments On Modern Family
Claire Fought To Become CEO Of Pritchetts' Closets & Blinds Only To Quit
After skipping the workforce to be a stay-at-home mom for over a decade, Claire was ready to get back to work. Luckily, her dad hired her at the company he built from scratch, Pritchetts' Closets & Blinds.
Over time, Claire worked herself up to CEO — a title she really wanted and almost fought her dad over. As the years went by, however, Claire admitted she wasn't happy and didn't have a passion for her job. Instead of keeping the family business in the family, Claire stepped down and applied for a new job. While it's commendable that she chased her dreams, it was frustrating that she threw the business her dad had created to the side.
Her Combative Relationship With Gloria
Claire did some horrible things to Gloria over the years on Modern Family. She wasn't thrilled that her dad married someone a few years younger than her, not to mention her jealousy over Gloria's looks.
While Claire loved and respected Gloria, she was unnecessarily combative with her. Claire kept her from their sons' school's party planning committee because she didn't want to share the spotlight, she called immigration on Gloria when she and Jay first started dating, and she lied to Gloria when she didn't want to spend time with her. In the end, all Gloria wanted to be was Claire's friend but it seemed like an impossible feat.
She Hid Phil's Notecards
Hosting the SCARB is one of Phil’s biggest accomplishments. The SCARB was an annual award show for the realtors of Southern California and Phil was lucky enough to host the event multiple years in a row. As always, Phil wanted to perform for the audience and wrote notecards full of jokes beforehand.
The only problem was that Claire didn’t find her husband’s jokes funny. She thought he was going to embarrass himself. To save him from flopping, she hid his notecards and a very panicked and underprepared Phil took the stage. Phil ended up crushing his performance but it was disappointing that Claire didn’t trust her husband.
Claire Took Control Of Haley's Personal Life
Claire saw a lot of herself in her firstborn Haley. It’s where Haley fell short that Claire tried to pick up the pieces because she didn’t want Haley to wind up pregnant at a young age. Sadly, this meant that Claire made many decisions on Haley's behalf without her daughter even giving consent. This was one of Claire's more toxic traits.
In one episode, Claire had a conversation with Haley about her future without even asking what Haley had planned. However, Haley ended up surprising Claire when she revealed that she had been running a successful styling blog. She even started her own hosting company — something Claire never understood. One of the worst moments, however, was when Claire intervened in Dylan's proposal for Haley while on a family vacation.
She Forced Mitchell To Pay Back Their Dad (Knowing She Too Owed Her Dad Money)
In the episode 'Grill Interrupted,' Claire found out that Mitch and Cam inherited a handsome amount of money from Cam’s deceased uncle. While Mitch and Cam had planned on buying the apartment above theirs, Claire suggested paying back Jay for the down payment he offered Mitch and Cam instead.
Mitch didn’t want to do it because it was technically Cam’s money but Claire forced Mitchell to do it anyway. Mitch paying back his dad without telling his husband was one of the worst things he did to Cam. What’s worse about this is that Claire also owed Jay money and didn’t do what she forced Mitch to do.
Is She Embarrassed By Her Family?
Claire was a woman who strived for perfection even though she herself was imperfect. She had these moments where she had to be right, which made others look horrible. And sadly, her need for perfection sometimes made it look like she was embarrassed by her family.
In the episode 'Snapped,' she pretended she was sick so that her kids wouldn’t be involved with a magazine interview she had lined up. In 'The Long Honeymoon,' she tried to send Alex back to Habitat for Humanity because she thought Alex was ruining her summer. It was a time every fan felt bad for Alex. And in 'Moon Landing,' she told her family she was embarrassed by them after they acted foolishly in front of an older friend of hers. Claire loved her family but she was embarrassed by them.
Did She Find Phil Good Enough?
It’s a long-running gag that Claire only married Phil because she became pregnant and wanted to annoy her dad. With this logic, Claire was just like her mother. Through all the jokes and one-liners, Claire loved her husband and wouldn’t be with him if she didn’t. However, she did have moments where she had a small wandering eye.
In 'Bad Hair Day,' she purposely went to her college reunion alone so that she could run into an old flame. And in 'Paris,' viewers found out that she made a pact with a stranger to meet again in Paris after several years apart. If Claire loved and respected Phil, she had an odd way of showing It.