"Modern Family" Cast Bids Farewell to Series After 11 Seasons
The time has arrived. ABC's Modern Family aired its last episode, the second part of a two-part finale, on Wednesday night. As a wonderful kind of bonus for fans of Modern Family, the show's cast chose to share some emotional good-bye posts, because how else are we going to cope with this show ending? We're doing this together.
It's hard to believe Modern Family is really over. Debuting in 2009 and running for 11 seasons, the series had a simple premise: Viewers follow the lives of the extended Pritchett family through the highs and lows of life. It was simple, but effective, as it turned a group of actors into beloved household names.
Sure, the show has scooped up numerous Emmys and positive reviews from critics. But Modern Family has also garnered a loyal fanbase over the years. Viewers have watched the younger actors on the show grow up before their eyes. Big life events have happened to characters we spent precious time emotionally investing in. Wednesday night's series finale was a huge moment for everyone, from the cast to the crew to the fans.
Keep reading to see how many in the main Modern Family cast said farewell to the show they've called home for more than a decade.
Ariel Winter
Ariel Winter has been a part of the Modern Family crew since day one as Alex Dunphy, the middle child in the Dunphy family. She posted a ton of photos from both the final episode as well as pics from her time on the series, writing in part, "It’s been an amazing journey with my #ModernFamily. It’s hard to type this because it still doesn’t feel real [...] We are all so grateful for the love we’ve received over the course of this 11 year journey. To know our fans love our family just as much as we do is the most amazing gift."
Sarah Hyland
After 11 seasons, Sarah Hyland's time playing eldest Dunphy daughter (and now, new mom) Haley Dunphy has come to a close. Sarah posted a ton of photos to her Instagram on Wednesday night, captioning the set with, "Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. To put it in Bachelor terms, I’ve had an incredible journey with this show. Our cast and crew were always phenomenal and we very quickly grew to be a real life #modernfamily I will miss these people tremendously but am so grateful I was lucky enough to work with them."
Nolan Gould
Fans got to watch Nolan Gould grow up in a major way during his time on Modern Family playing Luke Dunphy, the younger brother of Haley and Alex. Nolan shared a really sweet photo of himself hugging Ariel and Sarah and wrote a beautiful goodbye to Modern Family to go with it.
"11 years of laughs, tears, and love. Can't believe it's over," he wrote, going on to express his gratitude to the rest of the cast, crew, and fans of the show. "So much love for the best damn cast and crew in Hollywood who've made me who I am today. I wouldn't be the same without you. What a journey it's been. Thank you to everyone who has believed in me and helped get me here. Thank you to my family and friends. I hope that our finale brought laughter and hope in these crazy times. I hope that you laughed, cried, and were able to escape for a bit. Remember that there's nothing more important than the love we share for our fellow humans. You'll always be part of our family."
Reid Ewing
You might recognize Reid Ewing as Dylan, Haley's boyfriend and father of their twins. Reid has been with Modern Family since Season 1, making folks laugh playing the very doofy Dylan. Reid opted to share a cute video good-bye to Modern Family on Instagram and quoted The Beatles (sort of) in the captions: "I say hello, you say goodbye."
Rico Rodriguez
Rico Rodriguez has spent the last 11 seasons of Modern Family playing the very precocious and precious Manny Pritchett, the step-cousin of Haley, Alex, and Luke Dunphy, and Lily Tucker-Pritchett. Rico shared a special photo on his Instagram on Wednesday, which shows a TV monitor filming Modern Family during a special finale scene. In a lengthy and loving caption, Rico began, "When I was 9 years old, I started work on a pilot called 'My American Family'," going on to say, "Filming the pilot, then all of season one of what we now know as “Modern Family”, I knew we were working on something special. I could feel it. Coming to work every day with my cast and crew never actually felt like work, it felt more like hanging out with my extended family. [...] Words cannot even begin to describe the life-changing experience I have had on this show."
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who played Lily Tucker-Pritchett, a.k.a. the daughter of Mitchell and Cameron, joined Modern Family in Season 3, when she was just four years old. Modern Family has been Aubrey's sole acting credit in her near-decade-long acting career (so far), so it's no surprise she shared a few photos to Instagram with heartfelt captions to try and summarize her feelings on the show coming to an end.
In one post, she shared posted a photo with her TV dads, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, in the Tucker-Pritchett house, writing a simple, "Farewell." In a follow-up photo, she revealed to her followers that the cast got together for a post-finale Zoom hangout.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson played Mitchell Pritchett, husband to Cameron Tucker and one-half of a groundbreaking gay TV couple, for more than a decade. To mark the end of the series, Jesse shared a few photos to Instagram, including one of himself in the middle of a big Modern Family group hug. To caption the photo, he wrote, "Just like that, it’s over. 11 years of my life spent with these beautiful souls. You all have played such a huge part in the forming of my being. I will never forget. I’m definitely gonna miss this. To the fans, thank you for standing with us through it all. We owe it all to you."
Eric Stonestreet
After 11 seasons playing Cameron Tucker, the scene-stealing other half to Mitchell Pritchett, Eric Stonestreet wrote a sweet and simple goodbye to the series: "To my TV family. In 11 years there has been so much we have all been through individually and uniquely together. @brothersosborne is right. We ain’t getting out of this love alive. [Love] you all."
Sofía Vergara
Sofía Vergara played Gloria Pritchett, mother of Manny and wife to Pritchett patriarch Jay, for over a decade. To properly say good-bye to her TV family, she shared the same group hug photo as many of her other cast members, writing, "I will love my American family forever," and adding a ton of heart emojis to show her love.
Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen played Claire Dunphy, Mitchell's sister and the mother of Haley, Alex, and Luke, for all 11 seasons of Modern Family. On Wednesday night, Julie shared a photo from the cast's group Zoom call, which they conducted after the series finale aired, and she shared her own goodbye to her fellow cast: "Thank you to my fake family. I love you."
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