Modern Family cast accidentally spark Ty Burrell health fears after sharing reunion photo

The cast of Modern Family shared a reunion photo that has accidentally caused huge worry among the show’s fanbase.

US sitcom Modern Family ended in 2020 after 11 seasons, but the show’s stars have remained friends since cameras stopped rolling.

On Wednesday (15 November), Sofia Vergara and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who played Gloria Delgado and Mitchell Pritchett, shared a selection of images on Instagram showing off what they described as a “nearly perfect” reunion.

The cast members that could be seen in the photos included Julie Bowen (Claire Dunphy), Eric Stonestreet (Cameron Tucker), Ed O’Neil (Jay Pritchett), Sarah Hyland (Haley Dunphy), Ariel Winter (Alex Dunphy), Nolan Gould (Luke Dunphy), Rico Rodriguez (Manny Delgado), and the now grown up Aubrey Anderson-Emmons (Lily Tucker-Pritchett).

However, Ty Burrell, who played Phil Dunphy, was not there and his absence was marked with a framed photo of the actor held by his on-screen children.

Ferguson wrote on Instagram: “Nearly perfect reunion. We were only missing you, Ty! So we brought a cute pic in your place,” with Vergara sharing a video of Burrell’s photo on her mantelpiece alongside the caption: “We miss u Ty!!”

Those who saw the photos, though, were left momentarily shocked and saddened after assuming that Burrell was no longer with us. After several messages of concern appeared in the comments section on both Vergara’s and Fergusons’ feeds, others were forced to step in to point out that Burrell is very much alive.

“THIS MADE ME THINK HE WAS DEAD I PANICKED,” one concerned fan wrote, with another writing: “Please never ever do this again. Thought he’s gone!!”

Another commented: “I had to check Google to make sure he didn’t die.”

Ahead of filming the final season in 2019, the sitcom’s co-creator Steven Levitan shared a photo of the cast recreating a photo they took during filming of the first season. He wrote: “Ten years ago we took the first cast photo outside our first #modernfamily table read. Today, the ending begins.”

While Modern Family’s audience declined in the later seasons, it still consistently ranked among ABC’s top five scripted series.

Its depiction of blended families and same-sex partners was considered a fresh approach to the domestic comedy format.