Julie Bowen reflects on media's attempt to pit her against Sofía Vergara during Modern Family run

Modern Family star Julie Bowen recently opened up about her experiences with the media’s attempts to create a rivalry between her and co-star Sofía Vergara. Speaking on the I Choose Me With Jennie Garth podcast, Bowen reflected on how the press often tried to depict the two actresses as adversaries during their time on the hit ABC series, despite their positive relationship in real life.

Bowen recalled how the media would portray them as competing figures, saying, "The press kept trying to make me and Sofía, sort of Betty and Veronica. They were just determined to pit us against each other, like we hated each other." She expressed her frustration with this narrative, noting that it stemmed from a "scarcity mindset" that suggests only one woman can succeed at a time.

Bowen, who won two Emmys for her role as Claire Dunphy on Modern Family, often found herself up against Vergara for the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category. Despite this, Bowen emphasized that she had a deep admiration for her co-star. "I love Sofía, and I love how different we are. She is funny and self-effacing and bawdy, and she loves life," Bowen said, adding that she learned a lot from Vergara about being a "really powerful, completely in-herself woman."

The narrative of competition between the two actresses was particularly disheartening for Bowen, who said, "I found that to be really disappointing on the part of the press, but I just never fed into that." She rejected the notion that one woman’s success must come at the expense of another’s.

While Vergara has fewer Emmys than Bowen, she recently made history as the first Latina to be nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her role in Griselda. Despite the media’s attempts to create tension, Bowen and Vergara maintained a positive relationship, reflecting the strong bond shared by the Modern Family cast.