Modern Family: 10 Things Fans Forgot About Claire Dunphy

Claire Dunphy is everyone’s favorite type-A on Modern Family. As a stay-at-home mother for over 16 years, Claire wears many hats as she’s constantly tracking down her children and her playful husband. As her children grew, Claire went back to work where she was finally able to put her drive towards something useful.

Over the years, Claire has separated herself from the other characters. She’s witty, focused, and a little bit scary. Phil said it best, “Sometimes I don’t know if I love how much I fear Claire, or fear how much I love her.” But over the course of 11 seasons, there are plenty of tidbits about her life that have been swept under the rug amidst the chaos.

10 The Real Reason She Was A Daddy’s Girl

Viewers learned early on that Jay is the patriarch of the family and that DeDe Pritchett (Claire and Mitchell’s mother) isn’t really connected to the Pritchetts anymore. Claire admits she didn’t have the closest relationship with her mom but she is quite close to her dad.

Claire is essentially Jay’s mini-me. In “Farm Strong,” Claire noted DeDe never went to any of her events growing up, which led her to lean on her dad. DeDe never made Claire feel good enough, so Claire tries to do the opposite for her own children.

9 Her Figure Skating Background

If there’s one thing Modern Family doesn’t mention enough it’s Claire and Mitchell’s background as a figure skating duo. Thanks to Mitchell’s red hair and Claire’s supposedly pleasant demeanor, they called themselves Fire and Nice.

However, the two abruptly ended their ace, which hurt Mitchell. Claire later admitted in “En Garde” that she quit figure skating for Mitchell’s sake. She wanted to protect him from being bullied. What was once seen as a mistake was later seen as a sweet gesture.

8 She’s Had Trouble With The Law

Phil has said time and time again that Claire is out of his league and that he sometimes can’t believe she’s with someone like him. And as much as Haley gives Phil and Claire a hard time, it’s evident that Claire was just like Haley at her age. In “The Kiss,” Jay said that Claire was “wild” growing up and that she was once brought home by the police with nothing but underwear on. She also snuck out of the house late at night to go on dates.

As much as Claire detests Haley’s wild behavior, it’s clear the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

7 Her List Of Lovers Before Phil

When Claire’s mother is first introduced in the series, she tells Haley all about Claire’s untamed teenagehood. She told the family that Claire used to date a man named Ricky that looked just like Charles Manson. She also dated an older man named Todd that worked at the Cheesecake Factory, just to annoy Jay.

But the one boyfriend DeDe really loved was Robbie Sullivan. She loved Robbie so much that she invited him over to Phil and Claire’s house for dinner! It wasn’t until Claire was in college that she started dating Phil — after a whirlwind romance with her professor.

6 She Was A Brunette

When Gloria finds out she’s pregnant, she confides in the family before coming clean to Jay. Because of Jay’s age, she wasn’t sure how he would take the news. Claire goes behind Gloria’s back and immediately tries to give Jay a heads up because he wasn’t the best with truth bombs. Claire’s example of this is when she dyed her hair brown. She asked her dad how she looked and he asked if her goal was to look older… Claire immediately turned around and looked upset. That’s the last the audience ever saw her as a brunette.

5 Mrs. Clutterworth

In the episode “Clean For A Day,” Claire is on a mission to get her house in order and throw out unwanted junk. She told the cameras that when the kids were younger, she created a fictional character called Mrs. Clutterworth to get the kids excited about cleaning. Mrs. Clutterworth was based on Mary Poppins, so Claire’s character came with a British accent and sang songs. Sadly, Mrs. Clutterworth never made another appearance on Modern Family. 

4 She’s Older Than Her Stepmother

Gloria Pritchett is seldom referred to as Claire’s stepmother but that’s exactly what she is. The family also rarely talks about is how Gloria is younger than Claire. It was clearly not easy for Claire to know that her dad was marrying someone her age but it’s easy for fans to forget since ages aren’t brought up regularly.

3 She Ran For Local Office

Claire is most known for her time as CEO of Pritchett’s Closets & Blinds (and later Organize ‘Em) but she also ran for city council while she was a stay-at-home mom. Being at home made her more aware of the neighborhood she lived in and how much it needed to change. Being a part of city council would allow Claire to have a say in the safety of her town. Sadly, she lost the election and an embarrassing YouTube video was posted of her and her family. It’s too bad because Claire would have made a great leader.

2 Claire Blew Her & Phil’s Savings On A Girls’ Trip In Vegas

In the episode “Las Vegas,” Claire is excited to spend the day at the casino tables because she has money she needs to win back. If fans can think back to the fifth season, Claire admits she blew through her and Phil’s savings for a special 20th-anniversary getaway while in Vegas for a girls’ trip. When she went back to Las Vegas with her family, she made it her mission to win the money back to break even. Luckily for her, she did.

1 Remember When She Hated Gloria?

It’s hard to believe that Gloria and Claire once didn’t like each other. The two get along quite well by the end of the series and know how to balance each other out. But it wasn’t all sunshine for the stepmother-stepdaughter duo.

With Gloria being younger than Claire, Claire assumed that Gloria was a gold digger after Jay’s money. In the episode “ClosetCon 13,” Jay asks Claire if she’s the one who called immigration to check on Gloria’s status when they first started dating. Claire’s look said it all. It’s shocking that these two women overcame their tumultuous introduction.

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Lynn Gibbs
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Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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