Ed O’Neill is a TV icon if there ever was one. With his roles on Married… with Children and Modern Family, he’s not only helped mold some relatable sitcom families, but he’s also been part of some of the best sitcoms of all time. O’Neill also has a reputation for being fun and easy to work with. Still, the amiable actor is no stranger to behind-the-scenes shenanigans. In fact, one of his former co-stars just shared a funny anecdote about him leaving the job earlier than he should have
Julie Bowen, who played Ed O’Neill’s daughter on all 11 seasons of Modern Family, recounted the funny tale while on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. During the chat, Rosenbaum asked Bownen what it was like working with O’Neill, who she called “fucking delightful”. Eventually, Bowen discussed how her ex-castmate prematurely clocked out for the day due to a misunderstanding. According to Bowen:
He got in his car and drove home one day. He thought we were done. … They had to call him back. He was like — I think he thought we were doing a scene, and we were doing the rehearsal, and he’s like, ‘I think we got it.’ Which is another good way, ‘I think we got it,’ like positive reinforcement for the director to move on. And they were relighting something, and he got in his car and drove away.
That kind of slip-up oozes laid-back dad energy, and it’s honestly pretty hilarious. In his defense, O’Neill has been working in the entertainment industry for some time now, particularly in the comedy sphere. So he would know what works and what doesn’t work from that perspective. Despite that, it goes without saying that an actor still has to do the work accordingly.
Don’t get anything twisted, though, as Julie Bowen sang the praises of her on-screen dad. In her eyes, he’s a “font of information and wisdom.” Ed O’Neill was apparently also a mentor to younger Modern Family cast members, including Rico Rodriguez, who played his character’s stepson. Despite that, Bowen also said that his guidance played into something she learned about O’Neill, and it could explain why he ducked out of that rehearsal so quickly:
Over time, we realized every bit of advice that he was giving Rico [Rodriguez] or any of us was all about getting home early. [Mimics O’Neill] ‘Here’s what you want to do. When the director says, “How was that?” you say, “Good, good, good,” and you start to walk away.
Just when I thought I couldn’t love O’Neill more, Bowen shares these delightful comments. I don’t know what I love more — that everyone eventually realized his angle or the fact that he was so good at giving advice. Either way, I love knowing the cast had fun relationships akin to their on-screen counterparts. And, even viewers we can find plenty of familial offerings on the 2025 TV guide right now, Jay Pritchett and his family are still missed though, thankfully, all 11 seasons of Modern Family are available to watch with a Hulu subscription.
Even now, I remain curious as to whether a Modern Family revival might actually happen. The prospect of such a project is exciting, as it’d be great to see the entire cast back together again. If it does move forward, though, I just hope Ed O’Neill doesn’t have another snafu like his early exit.
