Modern Family is one of the most beloved sitcoms from the 2000s era. It starred Ed O Neill, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen and many more! The show following the extended Pritchett family isn’t just an award-winning series, but also a defining cultural phenomenon. It wasn’t a surprise for fans when the show won the Emmy five years in a row for the Outstanding Series in Comedy category. It aired for 11 seasons from 2009 to 2020 and still has a massive fan following, even today, five years after its finale.
Modern Family still has people debating whether Claire and Phil were right for each other. Another one is about Haley’s career and who she should’ve end up with. But there were also a few off-screen controversies that had left people chatting. One such controversy was the alleged feud between Julie Bowen (Claire) and Sofia Vergara(Gloria). Meanwhile, Bowen won two Emmys for supporting actress in a comedy series thanks to her performance as Claire Dunphy.
Sofia Vergara And Julie Bowen Alleged Feud
Over the years, there were reports among certain tabloids that there was a cold war between Julie Bowen and Sofia. Many publications often sensationalize their alleged rivalry. They kept on claiming that things weren’t good between them as Bowen was jealous of Sofia’s fame. Reports went on to claim how Bowen was cold and rude to Sofia on set and vice-versa.
On screen, their characters experience some friction early on in the series. Gloria is seen playing Claire’s stepmother, and the second wife to Claire’s father, Jay Pritchett. However, over the later seasons they became each other’s biggest supporters and the same was seen off-screen as well. The feud was only rumoured as Juile Bowen went on air and cleared the air.
How Did Julie Bowen Clear The Air
The actress, when on the I Choose Me podcast, revealed that the rumours had turned bad during season 8. She said it was gotten so out of hand that she had to appear on the Ellen Show to clear the air about the same. Recalling the same in 2024, Julie told the podcast host how she got in touch with Sofia for advice on how to deal with it.
She was quoted by Variety saying, “Every night I got a call or email that said, ‘So-and-so trash mag will be running a story that you are icy to Sofa Vergara because you are jealous of her fame.'”
“So I emailed her, and then we spoke, and I was like, ‘What should I say?’ because we’re friends.” Vergara said, “Just borrow my blouse!”. Bowen revealed that she then turned up wearing Sofia’s top for the Ellen DeGeneres show.
Julie Bowen Recalling The Feud In 2024
When on 90210MG podcast, Bowen also called out the press. She blamed them for pitting her and Sofía Vergara against one another during their tenure on Modern Family. She said, “I felt it on Modern Family. The press kept trying to make me and Sofía sort of Betty and Veronica. I don’t understand why society doesn’t have room. It goes back to the witches, like we’re too scary if we’re all together.”
Explaining it further on the I Choose Me podcast, Bowen added, “They (the media) were just determined to pit us against each other, like we hated each other. It’s this scarcity mindset that there’s only one woman who can be happy at a time.” Calling the media perception ‘ridiculous’, she said.
Julie Bowen Talked About Learning A lot From Sofia
Bowen stated that the entire feud was false and that she and Vergara had no bad blood between them, “I love Sofa, and I love how different we are, and I love that she is funny and self-effacing and bawdy, and she loves life and she loves dancing and eating cake, and all of these things she didn’t give into the dynamic made by the media and added she loved Sofia and learned alot from her.
“I learnt so much from being around her about what it is to be a really powerful, completely in herself woman. No one would mistake her for like a fourteen-year-old boy from behind like they do me all the time.”
Sofia Vergara On Her Relationship With Julie Bowen
During a Variety cover story, Vergara opened up about her relationship with Bowen. She revealed how Bowen had sent her a video of herself voting for the Colombian actress on this year’s Emmys ballot, as Vergara is nominated for her role in “Griselda.” Sofia revealed that she and Bowen often joke about how she didn’t win an Emmy for playing Gloria on Modern Family.
“That’s what I tell Julie Bowen,” Vergara added. “I was nominated four times. Julie was also, and I always rub it in her face, ‘One of those is mine, but I’m just letting you have it in your house.’”
In real life, the Modern Family cast has remained close over the years. Bowen and Vergara often posted pictures together, even during a recent reunion between them and Mitch actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Meanwhile, Bowen, along with a few other cast members, also recently appeared together in an advertisement for the messaging platform WhatsApp.
The frequent Modern Family get-togethers have sparked discussion of a potential reboot. Bowen and Vergara talked about it during interviews and the latter was also keen to join if a reboot is announced. Her on-screen husband, Ed O’Neill, has mentioned that he would return to play Jay, but no such plans have been confirmed just yet.
