What Happened to Julie Bowen? Where the Actress Is Today After ‘Modern Family’ Fame
In April 2020, Modern Family fans were sad to say goodbye to the sitcom after 11 incredible seasons, with Julie Bowen as one of the stars at the forefront of the award-winning show. Years later, many have wondered what happened to the actress and where she is now.
Inside Julie Bowen’s Acting Career
Julie’s acting career got off to a hot start in the early ‘90s, with roles in Loving, Extreme and Happy Gilmore. From 1998 to 1999, she played Roxanne Please on ER. The Maryland native also starred in Three from 1998 to 2000.
In 2000, Julie began portraying the character Carol Vessey in the comedy drama Ed. In the years that followed, other acting roles she snagged included portraying characters in Lost, Boston Legal and Weeds.
Modern Family premiered in 2009 with Julie portraying Claire Dunphy alongside Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons.
She earned two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on the show. After 11 years, Julie admitted it was strange to say goodbye to her Modern Family castmates who have become like her family.
“There was something weird about the timing of that day,” she told People of their last day filming on set. “It was really considered a half day, and so we took this extra-long lunch hour and there were people popping champagne. These two crew members had lost a fantasy football bet and because they lost, they had to stand in front of the whole cast and everybody and sing a song. Well, the first thing they sang was a Beatles song. And then all of a sudden it turned into this really incredibly touching rendition of [Green Day’s] ‘Time of Your Life.'”
“And there was just general sobbing and Sofia had never even heard the song and was like, ‘I don’t know what it is, but it’s making me so sad,’” she added. “And it was really ridiculously on the nose and perfect. I was like, ‘This is sort of cheesy. Exactly right, and I love these people very much.’ And it was all started by two grips who lost a bet and ended up delivering us this incredibly lovely moment. Started with comedy and ended with tears. That’s all you need to know.”
Julie Bowen Got Divorced
During her time on Modern Family, Julie went through a split from husband Scott Phillips. The pair wed in 2004 and filed for divorce in 2018. They share three kids together, son Oliver and twin boys John and Gustav.
“The beauty of having three children is they don’t give you much time for thinking,” she told Us Weekly in November 2018 after news of her divorce broke. “They’re like a crash course in being in the now.”
What Happened to Julie Bowen?
Following the conclusion of Modern Family, Julie continued acting and voiceover work in Hubie Halloween, DuckTales, Curb Your Enthusiasm and American Dad! Most recently, she voiced the character Patricia Banks in the animated TV series Hailey's on It!
In August 2024, an insider told Closer that after Modern Family ended, Julie has been searching for “her own post-Modern moment” after witnessing Sofía’s career skyrocket with Griselda.
“It’s definitely been frustrating for Julie to see Sofía put her keen instincts to work in the years since Modern Family ended,” the source said, adding, “Julie has never been able to generate that same kind of heat for herself, because it’s hard for her to think years and years in advance the way Sofía can.”
