Jesse Tyler Ferguson, known for his role as Mitchell Pritchett on the beloved sitcom Modern Family, has revealed the surprising backlash he received from members of the gay community over his character.
Speaking on his podcast Dinner’s On Me this week, alongside fellow gay actor Russell Tovey, Ferguson shared how certain reactions from gay fans impacted him emotionally during the show’s run.
Ferguson played the tightly wound lawyer Mitchell, who lived with his larger-than-life partner-turned-husband Cameron Tucker (played by Eric Stonestreet) and their adopted daughter Lily. Together, they formed one of television’s most iconic rainbow families.
While Modern Family—which premiered in 2009—was praised for its groundbreaking representation of same-sex parenting on prime-time TV, not all feedback was positive. Ferguson admitted the most vocal criticism often came from within the LGBTQ+ community itself.
“The criticism that I think I heard the loudest was always from the gay community, feeling as if, maybe, I didn’t represent their idea of what a gay relationship was, or a gay man was,” he said.
Unlike Stonestreet, who is heterosexual, Ferguson is openly gay and was out throughout the show’s entire run. As a result, he said he took the criticism “with such a grain of salt,” adding:
“I’m representing one person. I’m in charge of this one character.”
He acknowledged the challenges of meeting everyone’s expectations, especially when portraying a marginalised group:
“So, you’re kind of like, if it’s stereotypical, I’m basically playing myself, so I guess, guilty as charged.”
Ferguson also addressed concerns from some viewers that Mitchell and Cam’s relationship, especially in early seasons, lacked physical affection—something critics saw as a form of sanitising queer relationships for mainstream audiences. Yet, Ferguson maintains that the character of Mitchell was an honest extension of himself.
Despite the criticism, both Ferguson and Stonestreet were widely recognised for their performances. Ferguson earned five consecutive nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, while Stonestreet was nominated three times.
Although a spin-off centred on Mitch and Cam was teased following the show’s conclusion, it was ultimately rejected in 2023.
In a sweet nod to the legacy of the show, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons—who played their daughter Lily—recently came out as bisexual in a viral video, using one of her most memorable scenes from the series.
