ABC's hit sitcom Modern Family has become
a staple of the modern sitcom realm, enjoying the rare distinction of both critical acclaim
and impressive viewership. While the cast list has grown over the years,
all of the originals have remained firmly in place and have enjoyed significant career
upticks as a result of their roles. Despite the fact that the show presents a
happy home for all the members of the Pritchett-Dunphy tribes, though, there have been a number of
behind-the-scenes moments of real-life drama surrounding the stars of Modern Family. "You have got to be kidding me." Here's what you might not know about the stars
of long-lived series. Family dysfunction When Ariel Winter first assumed the role of
brainiac middle child Alex Dunphy on the show, she was barely into double digits in age,
so she's grown up right before the public's eyes just like a lot of her co-stars. However, Winter has suffered a particularly
grim off-screen life that's been buried beneath her character's quips, as she had to be emancipated
from her mother at the age of 17 after an intense court custody battle over her guardianship. "It wasn't a supportive, loving home. I had a really tough time." The young actress claimed that she was physically
and emotionally abused by her mother and was placed in her sister's care during proceedings. Winter, whose familial secrets were the subject
of many an expose during the course of the dramatic hearings, was ultimately granted
independence from her mother as a result of the allegations. "It has been very sad for me, but at the same
time it's been much better for me emotionally and physically to be on my own and have a
better, safer household." Unwanted offspring Actress Sofia Vergara became an overnight
sensation thanks to her work in Modern Family, and while her current marriage to fellow TV
star Joe Manganiello has remained relatively scandal-free, her former relationship with
ex Nick Loeb has been a bit of a thorn in her side … and other parts of her body for
that matter. Loeb, to whom she was engaged until the two
ended their relationship in 2014, reportedly sued Vergara to prevent her from destroying
the embryos the two had created during the course of their relationship. Loeb wanted to create children of the frozen
embryos and even went so far as to pen an op-ed in The New York Times supporting his
purported right to do so. "I always assumed with our agreement that
we were going to take these to term." "It has nothing to do with her baby or our
baby, lives were already created" However, Vergara's camp asserted she had no
intentions of destroying the embryos, but to keep them frozen in perpetuity, and countersued
to ensure he'd be unable to produce the resulting children without her permission in turn. The situation was sticky, icky, and exceedingly
personal for the actress to watch play out on the public forum as it did. "This shouldn't be out there for people to
give their opinion. There's nothing to talk about." The kid switch Although Aubrey Anderson-Emmons has portrayed
the pint-sized sassmonster Lily Pritchett-Tucker since Modern Family's third season, Baby Lily
was originally portrayed by twins Ella and Jaden Hiller. But the Hiller twins' parents took them out
of the spotlight almost as quickly as they were thrust into it because the two hated
the gig. Their mother Michelle told Woman's Day, "Halfway
through Season 2 their personalities had started to develop, and it was really clear to us
that they weren't enjoying their time on set. So we told the producers the girls wouldn't
be coming back. They tried to get us to change our mind and
they offered us better and better terms." Those better terms, they revealed, included
a massive $34,000 an episode raise, but the Hiller parents would not be deterred from
putting their little ones into retirement early. "That was only a matter of time." Surviving an assault In 2014, actress Sarah Hyland, who portrays
the oft-ditzy eldest child Haley Dunphy, had to file for a restraining order against her
real-life ex-boyfriend Matthew Prokop after allegedly suffering verbal and physical abuse
that made her fearful for her life—and the life of her dog, whom he threatened. Hyland reportedly sought help from her on-screen
mother, actress Julie Bowen, although Bowen would later downplay her role in ending the
toxic relationship by telling The Huffington Post, "I didn't do anything special at all. Nothing that you wouldn't do for anybody who's
going through a breakup … it wasn't anything you wouldn't do if somebody called you up
and said, 'Hey man, I'm going through a tough time.' You'd jump in." Hyland was ultimately granted a permanent
restraining order against her ex-boyfriend. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time Hyland
would be left shaken up by an assault; earlier in 2014, she was indecently grabbed by a man
who said he wanted to take a picture with her during production of the show in Sydney,
Australia—an incident which led to her attacker's arrest and the left the star visibly shaken,
according to reports. "People have to go through things in order
to become the person that they are today, and that's that." Serious health scares In addition to the familial and relationship
issues that have plagued some members of the cast, they've also had to grapple with some
legitimate health scares that can and may affect them for the rest of their lives. Bowen, for example, has worn a pacemaker for
decades as a result of a lifelong heart condition. She revealed to More magazine that she was
diagnosed with a condition that causes her heart to beat a bit too slowly, so her doctors
installed a pacemaker to keep her ticker functioning properly. The actress admitted to having "a big crying
fit" over being fitted with a device that's "for old people," but she's since come to
terms with her reality, which includes going back under the knife every seven years to
have the device replaced. Additionally, Sarah Hyland has grappled with
a serious kidney condition called kidney dysplasia for most of her youth and experienced severe
pain on the set during the early seasons. She told ABC News, "I would be in a lot of
pain a lot of the time. If I didn't get, like, 12 hours of sleep,
It felt, like – It felt, like, none at all … You know, if you're sick, you still go
to work. And in between takes, you sit down, or you
lay your head down or something." "When Haley walks up the stairs that's like
my workout for the week." To avoid being stuck on dialysis for the rest
of her life, Hyland sought out a donor for a kidney transplant in 2012, and the donor
of her life-saving organ was none other than her own father. She has since revealed that public comments
about her thin frame are especially difficult for the actress to remain silent about, given
the gravity of her health concerns and how it continues to impact her body. Last but not least, Jesse Tyler Ferguson,
whose on-screen alter ego Mitchell Pritchett has arrived as a voice of both reason and
snark, overcame a skin cancer scare in 2015 that required facial surgery. He told ABC News, "I had to have a piece of
skin taken out of my cheek. It was nothing serious. There was no life-threatening thing that happened,
but it was a little scary. [...] Having to do something on my face was
very scary. My face is my livelihood in this business. It was overwhelming." Ferguson shared a post-surgical image of his
treatment and teased that the makeup team for Modern Family would have their hands full
with his visible incision, so clearly his spirit never wavered and he has since made
a full recovery. Thanks for watching! Click the Nicki Swift icon to subscribe to
our YouTube channel. Plus check out all this cool stuff we know
you'll love, too!
