Sarah Hyland spent 11 seasons as Haley Dunphy on Modern Family, and her bond with her on-screen parents, Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen, didn’t end when the cameras stopped rolling.
Asking for a Blessing
Before proposing to Hyland, her now-husband Wells Adams reportedly reached out to Burrell and Bowen to ask for their blessing.
It’s a sweet detail, especially given how close-knit the Modern Family cast was throughout the show’s run. Hyland was still a teenager when the series began in 2009, and she spent the next decade surrounded by the same TV family week after week.
Phil and Claire, Off Screen
Burrell and Bowen weren’t her real parents, of course. But Adams clearly understood how much the actors who played Phil and Claire Dunphy meant to her, and he made sure to include them in one of the most important moments of her life.
Bowen in particular has often spoken warmly about Hyland, and the two have remained close friends since the show ended.
A Love Story Fans Followed
Adams, best known to TV audiences as the bartender on Bachelor in Paradise, and Hyland were one of the most-followed celebrity couples online, sharing their relationship with fans for years before they finally married in 2022.
Their wedding was another Modern Family reunion, with several of Hyland’s former co-stars in attendance, a reminder that the show’s family feeling carried on long after the finale.
More Than Co-Workers
Fans have long said the Dunphys felt like a real family. It’s one reason the show resonated with so many viewers for so long: the chemistry between the actors never felt forced.
Moments like this suggest that, in some ways, they really were a family, and that Phil and Claire are still looking out for Haley.