Why the Modern Family Cast All Competed in Supporting Categories
November 2, 2026
From its very first season, the cast of Modern Family reportedly agreed to submit themselves for awards in the supporting categories rather than competing for lead acting honors.
An Ensemble Show
The decision reflected how the show worked. Instead of revolving around…
In season 3’s “The Tape,” George Costanza sees a CNN report about a Chinese doctor’s miracle cure for baldness and immediately places a collect call to Beijing to order it.
Desperate Measures
With help from Ping, the delivery guy from the local…
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Elizabeth Banks were friends for years before she appeared on Modern Family as Sal, Mitchell and Cameron’s wild, hard-partying friend.
A Party Idea
The idea for the role came up at a party shortly after the pilot was filmed. Ferguson and…
In 2024, Michael Richards returned to television to promote his memoir, Entrances and Exits, and spoke openly about the years since his 2006 outburst at the Laugh Factory.
“I Canceled Myself Out”
On the Today show, he told Hoda Kotb, “I canceled…
Rob Riggle was reportedly offered the role of Phil Dunphy on Modern Family but turned it down, a decision he later admitted he regretted.
The Role That Got Away
The part went to Ty Burrell instead, and his take on the lovable, goofy dad became one of the show’s…
In season 6’s “The Jimmy,” which aired on March 16, 1995, Kramer ends up on stage next to jazz legend Mel Tormé at a charity benefit, still slurring his words thanks to a Novocaine mishap.
The Setup
The episode piles misunderstanding on…
Modern Family's First Emmy Ended a 22-Year Drought for ABC
November 2, 2026
When Modern Family won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2010, it was a huge milestone for ABC.
Ending a Long Drought
The show became the network’s first series in 22 years to take home the award. The last ABC comedy to win had been The Wonder Years, back…
Jerry Seinfeld Remembers the First Time He Saw Larry David
November 2, 2026
Before they created one of TV’s greatest sitcoms, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David were strangers on a New York sidewalk.
A Chance Sighting
In a 2014 Reddit AMA, Seinfeld said he first saw David outside the Improv on Ninth Avenue and 44th Street around 1975. He…
Ed O’Neill was already a sitcom veteran when he joined Modern Family. He had spent 11 seasons as Al Bundy on Married… with Children, one of the longest-running comedies of its time.
Experience Pays Off
With that much experience behind him, O’Neill…