Julie Bowen says she was ‘pit against’ Sofia Vergara during ‘Modern Family’: ‘Really dis…see more

Julie Bowen says she was ‘pit against’ Sofia Vergara during ‘Modern Family’: ‘Really disappointing’

Julie Bowen is opening up about her bond with Sofia Vergara.

The “Horrible Bosses” star shared she felt pressured to be in conflict with her “Modern Family” co-star, who played her stepmother on the hit sitcom.

“They were just determined to pit us against each other, like we hated each other,” Bowen shared on Wednesday’s episode of Jennie Garth’s “I Choose Me” podcast. “It’s this scarcity mindset that there’s only one woman who can be happy at a time.”

She added, “And I was like, ‘Oh, no. I love Sofía, and I love how different we are. And I love — she is funny and self-effacing and bawdy, and she loves life, and she loves dancing and eating cake and all these things.’”

Bowen also related the tabloid narratives to the dynamic between Garth and the late Shannen Doherty during “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

“I felt it on Modern Family,” the 54-year-old recalled. “The press kept trying to make me and Sofia, sort of, Betty and Veronica. And I know they did that with you and Shannen. I mean, I remember it.”

Meanwhile, Bowen couldn’t comprehend why two women on a television series or in a film weren’t able to share the spotlight.