“Modern Family” reunion
“We had to show that Ty Burrell isn’t dead”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (right) arranged for Ty Burrell to perform with him.
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Jesse Tyler Ferguson has revealed how the “Modern Family” reunion at the SAG Awards came about – despite other plans.
The “Modern Family” reunion at the SAG Awards 2024 didn’t just make for beautiful pictures. The coming together of the series stars was apparently also intended to prove that Ty Burrell (56) is doing well. At least that’s what his former co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson (48) explained.
The actor who played Mitchell Pritchett in the sitcom, According to US media reports, he revealed on the “Tonight Show” that he personally persuaded Ty Burrell to take part in the event, even though he had a busy schedule. The reason: The last time Burrell missed a reunion of the series stars, fans thought he had died…
“The internet thought he was dead”
“To be honest, we were all very busy that night,” Ferguson said of the reunion at the SAG Awards in late February. Sofía Vergara (51) should do press work, he himself should be in New York, Julie Bowen (54) should film a show, Ed O’Neill (77) “had a glass of wine to drink”. They all canceled these very important things, the actor said, “and we found a way to come together.” The last reunion of the former colleagues had gone less well a few months earlier…
Ty Burrell couldn’t be there at the time, remembers Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “so we posed with a photo of Ty… and then the internet thought he was dead.” The actors got together at that time and celebrated around a framed portrait of Burrell.
So this time, Ferguson wanted to make sure Burrell was in attendance with the rest of the Modern Family stars. He insisted on his appearance, said the 48-year-old: “I said: ‘Ty! You can’t miss this again! People will really think you’re dead!’ I said, ‘We have to present you to show you’re not dead!’ So he did it.”
At the awards ceremony, Ty Burrell, who played Phil Dunphy in “Modern Family”, met Ferguson, O’Neill, Vergara, Bowen and Eric Stonestreet (52). The cast of the popular comedy series, which ran from 2009 to 2020, jointly presented the award for “Best Acting Ensemble in a Comedy Series” to the cast of “The Bear”.