For 11 seasons, Modern Family touched base on all of the ups and downs a close-knit family goes through. As a mockumentary, Modern Family is a comedy above everything else but there are emotional moments that pull on viewers' heartstrings.
As is the case with millions of households, kids grow up and move out of the house, divorces happen, and moves are made. As funny and chaotic as the little moments are in life, there's a whole lot of love in this family that shouldn't be diminished. By the finale, each character had growth but there were a lot of emotional moments in between.
Updated on November 18th, 2021, by Lynn Gibbs: As hilarious and upbeat as mockumentaries are, Modern Family's emotional moments prove that it touches base on all areas of family life. The Dunphys, Delgado-Pritchetts, and Tucker-Pritchetts have had so many highs and lows that fans flocked to the show due to its relatability.
Even some of the saddest Modern Family episodes had an inspiring message by the end to bring the whole thing together. Whether it was Manny coping without his biological father or Phil adapting to life without his parents, there sure were some sad Modern Family episodes sprinkled throughout the comedy.
In 'The Storm,' Jay finds out a close friend of his from the Army passed away. It was a tradition in his friend group to go to the nearest Irish pub for a beer to toast the fallen whenever something like that happened. But on this night, the storm made it impossible to leave the house.
Phil saw how much it meant to Jay, so he gave him a drink and a Saint Patrick's Day decoration to make it feel like he was at a pub. The two drank in silence. Dare2Firmino wrote, "That for me is the greatest Phil-Jay moment in the show. I've watched it multiple times but it still gets me emotional every single time."
Alex Dunphy had a few love interests throughout Modern Family but none hit her harder than Sanjay. Sanjay was her first love and in 'The Closet Case,' her heart's broken when he breaks up with her for someone else.
It was bad timing but Luke and Manny came to visit Alex solely for the sake of flirting with college students. Alex was in despair and in no shape to host her brother and cousin. She instead lied on her bed and cried. Luke couldn't ignore his sister and tried consoling her. NoahProblem said, "[Luke's] words were somewhat awkward but his willingness to abandon his date to stay with Alex showed his heart was in the right place."
It's said early on that Mitch and Claire never had a good relationship with their mom, DeDe. Claire had some toxic tendencies with her mom and the two were always bickering. But that bickering stopped in 'Good Grief' when the entire family found out that DeDe had passed away.
The entire family shared their good and bad stories of DeDe to grieve her memory but it came apparent to Claire that she didn't need to sugarcoat her hard feelings with her mom just because she died. According to Username6702, the end of the episode is when the waterworks came. They told Reddit the saddest moment was "When Claire and Mitch listen to the last voicemail from DeDe." It was the last viewers would hear her voice.
Phil has always been close with his dad Frank. He looked up to Frank and wanted to be like him in every way. In season 11, however, Phil realized how old his dad was getting and that their remaining years together could be limited.
When Frank eventually passed, ThereWasToBePollen told Reddit, "Even thinking about how Phil said 'I had one of the best days with my dad… I just didn’t know it would be the last' gets me all teary-eyed. Ty’s delivery and the truth of that line is so heartbreaking." It was one of Phil's best quotes.
There were plenty of things that didn't always make sense about Haley, but she had these rare moments on camera that shined a light on her true self. 'Don't Push' isn't supposed to be a sad episode as the Dunphys are touring Caltech with Alex, but Haley had a moment of reflection.
After Haley, Phil, and Luke thought they were in some kind of scientific test of intelligence, Haley let her true feelings out. HappyWalshx said when "Haley says 'Even someone as dumb as me can see that I’m a giant failure.' it stung because you could tell how much that was bubbling up for years." They continued saying, "Everyone was constantly belittling and taking shots at her intelligence, and it clearly hurt her a lot more than her family realized."
In 'Schooled,' Claire and Phil have an emotional day ahead of them as they drop Haley off at college. As the firstborn, it's a big deal for the family as Haley's transformation is close to being completed. The day doesn’t go exactly as Phil and Claire had planned because Haley is anxious to get them out of her hair. But as soon as her parents left, emotions set in.
One of the saddest moments is when Phil and Claire are on their way home in a quiet car and Haley calls to thank them for everything they've done for her. It finally kicks in for her that she was out of the nest. PeppasSecret told Reddit, "I don’t know exactly why I cried but I felt something. She obviously was used to being with her parents and for the first time ever, I related to Haley."
After Alex has a nervous breakdown from studying too much, she goes to therapy to sort out her emotions. In a raw and honest scene, viewers see an inside look at Alex’s brain. Life has not been easy for Alex and she felt alone. Among her family members, Alex was the only one who felt this overwhelming pressure to succeed. At this moment, Alex felt like the show's main character due to the pressure she felt like the "smart one" in the family.
By the end of the episode, Claire apologizes for not recognizing how hard it’s been for her daughter. The two hug as Alex bawls her eyes out on her mother’s chest. 95Lemo agreed it was one of the most emotional moments in the series, writing, "Definitely Alex telling the therapist that her own family does not get her. That went really deep, honestly."
No one was ready for Modern Family to end after 11 seasons. The characters were all going off in different directions. The Tucker-Pritchetts were moving to Missouri, Haley and Dylan were moving out of the Dunphys home, Luke was heading off to college... things were changing. The cast changed a lot from the pilot to the finale.
Before Cam, Mitch, and Lily leave for the airport, the entire family has a group hug and finds it hard to let go. Viewers cried as the characters cried. E_bee_bee explained that the show had been a part of their life for a long time and in a lot of ways the characters felt familiar to them. They told Reddit, "Modern Family felt comfortable, it felt like home and I’m going to miss it so much."
When the entire family winds up at the same restaurant for dinner, they end up sitting together and reminiscing about the constant life changes. Jay has a minor back injury and is on pain medication that makes him “too emotional.” He then gives a speech that unintentionally makes everyone tear up. Jay wasn't always the most likable character but his soft side grew throughout the series.
He talks about how quickly kids grow up and that parents never have a chance to relish in their growth because they’re too busy catching up with who their kids are in the present. When he said, “You never know the last time you pick up your kid,” everyone bawled. DorkyFoxx926 agreed and wrote, "I only cry whenever Jay [cries]. I don't know why. He's a tough old man, but when he showed his soft spot it's just got the feel."
In 'Clean Out Your Junk Drawer,' the adults undergo group therapy to overcome past traumatic events. Jay is annoyed from the start but he has no choice but to participate.
By the end of the day, Jay has had enough of therapy. He gives a long speech about imagining what his dad would think of him right now if he was still alive. Talking about your feelings was not a "manly" thing to do. Jay claims he didn't even cry at his dad's funeral, which upset other guests because they assumed Jay didn't love his dad. Jay's admission helped viewers understand him better. QueenJellyRoll told Reddit that they cried when Jay said, “Everybody looking at me like I didn’t love him... but he knew!— He had to know, right?” It was one of his best, softer moments.
It was a sad day when the entire family travels to Florida to say goodbye to Phil's mom, Gracie. The Dunphys are especially emotional, and Phil has a task to complete before leaving town. Although viewers never saw Gracie, she was one of the saddest character deaths because of how upset Phil was.
Before his mom died, she left a letter for Phil to set his dad up with a neighbor nearby named Annie. Gracie thought she was the only suitable woman for Frank and didn't want anyone to take advantage of him. It's hard for Phil, but he approaches Annie to relay the message. With tears in his eyes, he tells her what an amazing woman Gracie was and how she used to give him soup when he was sick and knit him sweaters. ModernSchitt wrote, "Phil talking about his mother before her funeral, it’s absolutely beautiful and so unexpected, such great acting."
Mitch and Cam didn't always make sense in their relationship but they did love and trust one another. Their devotion was shown when they planned their wedding and encountered speedbump after speedbump. And sadly, Jay isn't helpful in the slightest. Mitchell has enough of his dad being unsupportive and tells him off.
Mitchell compares his wedding to Claire's and assumes his dad is embarrassed because he doesn't support gay marriage and told him not to come to their wedding. Reflectiveruse wrote the saddest part was after this scene when Mitch was in the car. "Especially when [Mich] holds tears back in the car and his voicemail to Phil from years ago plays over the scene," they told Reddit.
When Lily gets a little older, Mitch and Cam want to adopt another child. And when the adoption agency calls them and says a baby was up for adoption that day, they drive to the hospital as fast they can to welcome the newest addition to their family.
Sadly, too many family members get involved and Mitch and Cam never end up getting their baby. Another shot at parenthood was taken away. They both cry on the way home and talk about how tired they are. Melvin8 appreciated the show's raw storyline and told Reddit, "I loved that they did address the emotions that come from thinking they were going to come home with a baby, then having that dream ripped away. It was really heartbreaking."
Jay tries to be a macho man who doesn't let his true emotions out. But the older he gets, the more he opens up. Throughout the series, Jay and Phil aren't always friends because Jay finds Phil irritating, but in 'Mother's Day,' they team up to make a recipe from Jay's mom's cookbook. He makes sure to only add the things that his mother wrote down.
However, while Phil is reading the recipe, an old note from Jay to his mother falls out — an adorable recipe for "the perfect mom." As Phil reads the note, Jay begins to cry. It was one of the first sensitive moments fans saw of Jay. ThePluralOfMooses wrote, "There’s a scene where he’s crying about his mom while telling a story about her sticking up for him" that really made them sad.
Javier is a caring man but he's not a great dad to Manny. He didn't help Gloria as a single mom and he rarely sees Manny as he grows. However, when Jay and Gloria are newlyweds, Manny misses his absent dad more than ever. In 'Bicycle Thief,' Javier is supposed to take Manny to Disneyland for the weekend and Manny sits on the curb all day waiting for his dad to come.
Sadly, he never does. For some, it didn't make sense that Manny cared so much for the man who was rarely around. Utopia27 recognized how emotional this scene was and wrote, "When Manny was waiting outside for his dad and Jay pretends his dad has sent a car to take him somewhere special when really he'd just bailed. Makes me emotional every time!"
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