Modern Family’s Julie Bowen Reveals the Truth About Rumored Feud With Sofía Vergara

Working on the set of ABC’s Modern Family feels like it should have been a loving and hilarious experience, and it largely was, except when the tabloid media perpetuated fake feuds between the show’s stars. Whilst Modern Family was airing on ABC, stories were being published about a rivalry between Julie Bowen and Sofía Vergara, the two leading actresses. A yarn was spun by the press that the stars resented each other and were constantly trying to outperform one another during shooting. But Bowen says these claims were completely untrue.

During a recent appearance on the 90210MG podcast, Julie Bowen reflected on her supposed rivalry with co-star and long-time friend Sofía Vergara. The actor likened their reported rivalry to that of the titular frenemies of the classic comic Betty and Veronica. The actress believes it came from a sexist perspective that only one woman in a group can be happy at a time, and that the pair battled for attention. Bowen said:

“I felt it on Modern Family. The press kept trying to make me and Sofía sort of Betty and Veronica. [They] were determined to pit us against each other, like we hated each other.

There’s this scarcity mindset that there’s only one woman that can be happy at a time. I was like, ‘Oh no, I love Sofía. I love how different we are. She is funny and self-effacing and bawdy, and she loves life, and she loves dancing and eating cake and all these things.’

[I] found it to be really disappointing on the part of the press to have that narrative perpetuated.”