Jesse Tyler Ferguson, one of the stars of the long-running mockumentary sitcom Modern Family, has addressed the criticism he went through while filiming the hit series. The ABC show wrapped in 2020, after 11 impressive seasons following a diverse (and occasionally dysfunctional) Los Angeles family. Ferguson played Mitch, Cam’s husband and one of Lily’s fathers. Even though they were one of the most loving couples on television, Ferguson has admitted that he faced some backlash from fans because of his portrayal of a gay man.
Ferguson looked back on this during one of the episodes of his podcast Dinner’s On Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Speaking with his colleague Russell Tovey, he remembered being criticized for the way he played Mitch Pritchett, a performance that some thought was based on “stereotypes.” Unexpectedly, the criticism came from the queer community – a community that Ferguson is part of, along with his husband Justin Mikita and the family they’ve formed together.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson on the Pressure of Playing… Himself
Cast of Modern FamilyABC
During the conversation, Ferguson admitted that he always expected criticism from some viewers that weren’t used to seeing a gay man on television. “One of the pressures I’ve always felt, specifically after being on a show like Modern Family, where I’m portraying a gay man on a television show, on a network that is as popular as it is, is you receive criticism, as you do, with anything you do.” However, what hurt him the most was being criticized by a community that he’s part of in real life:
“But 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, which I always took with such a grain of salt.
“I’m representing one person. I’m in charge of this one character. It also was a shade of who I was, so, you’re kind of like, ‘If it’s stereotypical, I’m basically playing myself, so I guess, guilty, guilty as charged.'”
Modern Family’s depiction of a gay marriage is undeniably important, especially because the comedic element was never based on Cam and Mitch’s sexuality. It was a marriage just like any other, with two very rich characters with opposing personalities. It wasn’t about two men living together in wedlock, just two very funny men whose love was unconditional and transcended stereotypes.
While it feels like there have been gay characters on television for decades, the large majority were kept in the background, and weren’t open about their sexuality. Ellen Morgan, played by Ellen DeGeneres in Ellen, was one of the first characters to come out; one year before that groundbreaking episode, Susan and Carol got married on Friends, marking the first time a lesbian wedding took place on American television. Cam and Mitch are landmark characters, and hopefully, actors who take on similar roles in the future won’t be judged against perceived stereotypes.
Release Date
2009 – 2020
Network
ABC
Directors
Gail Mancuso, Steven Levitan, Beth McCarthy-Miller, Jason Winer, Michael Spiller, James Alan Hensz, Fred Savage, Chris Koch, Jeffrey Walker, Ryan Case, Randall Einhorn, Eric Dean Seaton, Scott Ellis, Bryan Cranston, John Riggi, Julie Bowen, Ken Whittingham, Reginald Hudlin, Iwona Sapienza, Elaine Ko, Helena Lamb, Adam Shankman, Claire Scanlon, Dean Parisot
Writers
Becky Mann, Audra Sielaff, Bill Wrubel, Stephen Lloyd, Jon Pollack, Vali Chandrasekaran, Ben Karlin, Jack Burditt, Chuck Tatham, Andy Gordon, Christy Stratton, Cindy Chupack, Ilana Wernick, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, Joe Lawson, Jessica Poter, Carol Leifer, Emily Spivey, Jerry Collins, Dave Weasel