“Modern” wasn’t the only adjective that described the Pritchetts on the beloved sitcom Modern Family. They were funny, often messy and also plentiful. Patriarch Jay Pritchett and his children Claire and Mitchell all grew out their own branches of the family tree, making for a pretty large cast for the comedy that aired on ABC for 11 seasons. That number of co-stars makes it difficult to wrangle everybody together for a reunion, but the “grown-up” contingent of them did just that at the SAG Awards, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson explained the hilarious reason it was important that Ty Burrell joined them.
Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet took the stage at the SAG Awards on February 24 to present the trophy for Best Comedy Ensemble (which they won three times during Modern Family’s run), and it was a particularly special moment because Burrell had missed the cast’s previous reunion. During a segment on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Ferguson explained:
Honestly, on that night, we were all busy. Like Sofia [Vergara] was supposed to be doing press, I was supposed to be here in New York, Julie [Bowen] was shooting a show, Ed [O'Neill] had a glass of wine to drink. But we all canceled those very important things, and we figured out a way to come together. Because the last time we had a reunion, Ty Burrell wasn’t able to come, and so we posed with a photo of Ty. … We just had a picture of Ty, because he was the only one that wasn’t there. We had all of the kids and everyone, and then Ty. And then the internet thought he was dead.
Jimmy Fallon held up the pic from the reunion, which showed the cast members all standing together with a framed headshot of Ty Burrell — an obvious callback to the sitcom’s opening credits. However, apparently fans feared there might be a more grave explanation for the Phil Dunphy actor’s absence. Jesse Tyler Ferguson continued:
So when the SAG Awards happened, [Burrell] was supposed to do something else. I was like, ‘Ty, you can’t miss it again! People will really think you’re dead!’ It’s like, 'We need to present you to show you that you’re not dead!' So he made it.
In the end Ty Burrell came through, hopefully putting any fans’ remaining concerns to rest. The cast has remained close since the final episode aired in 2020, with mini-reunions happening every so often. Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Julie Bowen made a trip to Sofia Vergara’s lavish closet back in October 2023, and Sarah Hyland’s August 2022 wedding to Wells Adams was basically a Modern Family reunion.
Ty Burrell was actually supposed to officiate Sarah Hyland’s nuptials with the Bachelor in Paradise bartender, but he had to back out last-minute due to a family emergency, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson stepped in as the wedding officiant. It’s great that the actor was finally able to make it out to reconnect with his former co-stars, and not just because it proved he is alive and well.
Anybody who wants to relive any of Modern Family’s 11 seasons can do so with either a Hulu subscription or a Peacock subscription, and be sure to check out what other premieres are headed our way soon with our 2024 TV schedule.
