Modern Family first came to our screens in 2009 and was for over a decade, finishing up in 2020 with its 11th season. One of the best modern sitcoms, the hit show earned critical and commercial praise, winning 22 Primetime Emmy Awards, six Writers Guild of America Awards, and even a Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy.

Update August 27, 2023: This article has been updated with even more fun facts about the cast of Modern Family.

Perhaps the most captivating thing about Modern Family is its ensemble cast. All the actors had great chemistry and have won numerous individual awards, becoming long-standing pop-cultural figures due to their appearance on the show. The cast have come from very different backgrounds and have shared some facts which you might not know. Here are 12 interesting facts about the cast of modern family.

12 Nolan Gould is a Genius

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ABC

Nolan Gould plays Luke Dunphy, and his character is famously not the most intelligent, and a lot of his charm lies in his naïveté and inability to grasp situations. The irony in his casting is that Gould is a genius, and at only 13 years of age, he was able to graduate from high school, something that takes the average student far longer to complete. He has an IQ of 150 and is a member of Mensa, per The List, which is the largest high-IQ society in the world. Clearly, he is starkly different from his on-screen character.

11 Eric Stonestreet Studied Criminal Justice Before Becoming an Actor

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ABC

Eric Stonestreet plays Cameron, who, with Modern Family, became a fan-favorite LGBTQ+ TV character; however, he revealed that his plan was not always to become an actor. Indeed, it wasn’t until he was in college that he realized acting could be something he could do when he starred in a play and received positive feedback. Before he realized acting could be an option, he wanted to be a warden at a penitentiary. If this was where he stayed, his life would have turned out very different.

Related: Modern Family: The 8 Most Hilarious Characters in the TV Show, Ranked

10 Ariel Winter Has a Purple Belt in Taekwondo

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ABC

Ariel Winter is very different from her on-screen character, Alex, and Taekwondo isn’t necessarily something we would associate her character being an expert in. Nonetheless, this is the case for the real-life actress. In the real world, Winter is extremely keen on exercise and trains almost every day in a variety of disciplines. She shares a coach named Gunnar Peterson, who coaches many celebrities, including the Kardashians.

9 Sofia Vergara Thought Ed O'Neill Spoke Spanish

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ABC

Sofia Vergara has become a huge name since her time on Modern Family, and she revealed that Ed O’Neil, who plays her husband onscreen, had been a part of her life well before they met on the show. She stated that she would watch Married…With Children, in which he starred, however, the voices were dubbed in Spanish as it was being broadcast to a Spanish audience. This caused her to believe that he spoke Spanish, and she was disappointed when she met him as this was not the case.

8 Ty Burrell Lived in a Van

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ABC

Ty Burrell plays Phil, and he has revealed that his life was difficult before he made it big as an actor. He told interviewers that before he hit the big time, there was a period during which he, per USA Today, lived in a van while he attended grad school. He reflected fondly on the period as providing some of the best memories of his life. Clearly, his new life is a long way away from his old one.

7 Jesse Tyler Ferguson Had to Come Out to His Dad 3 Times

Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett in Modern Family.
ABC

Mitchell Pritchett is the uptight and sensitive husband to Cam and son of Jay. Though Mitchell and Jay's relationship can, at times, be turbulent, it improves as the series goes on, with Jay coming to accept his son's lifestyle more and more with each passing season. Jesse Tyler Ferguson had his own issues when it came to approaching the subject of his sexuality with his own father. In fact. Tyler Ferguson recalls that he had to come out on three separate occasions, until his dad finally accepted that his son was gay. No doubt, the actor channeled this experience into his performance.

Related: Here are the Best American TV Shows, Ranked

6 Aubrey Anderson-Emmons Has a YouTube Channel With Her Mother

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as Lily Tucker-Pritchett on Modern Family.
ABC

On the show, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons plays the character of Lily, the daughter of Cam and Mitch. In real-life, Anderson-Emmons is the daughter of stand-up comedian, Amy Anderson, who has appeared in a number of small roles in film and TV, including a cameo as a waitress in an episode of Modern Family. Together, the mother/daughter duo have their own YouTube channel called "FoodMania Review", in which the pair try out different foods and give their opinions. The channel currently has over 43,000 subscribers and almost 5 million combined views.

5 Eric Stonestreet Owns a Baseball Team

Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker on Modern Family.
ABC

Much like his character, Cam, Eric Stonestreet is a big sports fan. However, whereas Cam prefers football, Stonestreet is more of a baseball man, with his favourite team being the Kansas City Royals. He is such a big supporter that, in 2019, he joined the team's ownership group, meaning he can now proudly say he owns a sports team, which is something Cam would be extremely jealous of.

4 Nolan Gould is Also a Musical Genius

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ABC

Not only does Nolan Gould have an impossibly high IQ, but he also possesses a mastery of instruments, and he can play several instruments well, including double bass, banjo, sitar, mandolin and even the theremin. He clearly possesses a lot of talents, and has revealed he would perhaps release an album in the future.

3 Ty Burrell Owns a Restaurant

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ABC

Throughout the series, Phil Dunphy is a shown to be a relatively successful realtor who is always coming up with whacky ideas. It turns out Phil's actor, Ty Burrell, shares some of his character's entrepreneurial spirit. In 2016, he bought the Eating Establishment, a restaurant in Park City, Utah. Furthermore, he also owns two bars - Beer Bar and Bar X - which are both located in Salt Lake City. So, if you're ever in the area, you know where to go.

2 Ed O'Neill Is Trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

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Lloyd-Levitan Productions

Ed O'Neill's character, Jay, is the grumpy grandfather of the family who gets picked on for being old. You probably wouldn't want to pick on O'Neill himself though, because the man knows Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In fact, with over thirty years experience in the martial art, he obtained his black belt in 2007, after being trained by grand master Rorian Gracie. O'Neill may be in his seventies now, but you still wouldn't want to mess with him.

Related: The Funniest Episodes of Modern Family, Ranked

1 Julie Bowen Was Pregnant in the Pilot Episode

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ABC

Julie Bowen plays Claire Dunphy and during her audition for the role she was pregnant with twins. She revealed that she thought this would certainly mean she wouldn’t get the role, however, they ended up casting her anyway. What's more, she was still pregnant when they shot the pilot. Her stomach was strategically hidden behind cereal boxes and other objects throughout filming.