Jesse Tyler Ferguson has revealed that the set of Modern Family could be an awkward place after a feud between the show's two creators made things difficult. The long-running ABC sitcom, which ended in 2020 after 11 years, was created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, but the pair reportedly did not get on at all following a huge fall-out.
Creators' fall-out split the writers' room
Things became so strained that the writers' room was divided in two, with duties alternating on an episode-by-episode basis between the two brains behind the comedy. Ferguson, who played Mitchell Pritchett for more than a decade, says the stars learned to deal with the new direction.
“Basically, we had divorced parents leading the show,” the actor said in an interview with the Independent. “Our creators just decided to go separate ways. I thought it was a big secret that no one really knew about.
“It was like we had a week with this parent, and then a week with that parent. And we all just learnt that that’s how it works.”
An 'interesting balance' for the show
Ferguson added: “It gave the show a really interesting balance that I think a lot of people didn’t even notice was happening - I still can’t believe after 11 seasons that the show was as successful as it was, with that sort of division of power, really.”
The comedy ran for 250 episodes and starred the likes of Ed O'Neill, Sofia Vergara, Eric Stonestreet, Ariel Winter and Nolan Gould. The much-loved programme featured three different but interconnected branches of the same large family living in suburban Los Angeles.
Cast careers after the show
Ferguson enjoyed a successful theatre career before joining the cast of Modern Family, where he earned several Emmy nominations alongside his on-screen husband Cameron Tucker. Aside from the ABC show, he has appeared as a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance from 2011 to 2013 and hosted Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in 2020. He has also landed roles in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and 2023 disaster film Cocaine Bear. The star also won his first Tony for his performance in the Broadway revival of Take Me Out in 2022.
His on-screen love Cameron Tucker, played by Eric Stonestreet, tied the knot with fiancée Lindsay Schweitzer on his birthday last year. Before the show, Stonestreet was known for his role as Ronnie Litre on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He has also appeared in films like 2011's Bad Teacher and 2013's Identity Thief. Since the show, Stonestreet has portrayed Magnus Antas on Disney+'s The Santa Clauses and also took up a hosting role on the Fox competition series Domino Masters.
