As fans of Modern Family are well-aware, the long-running ABC comedy is in the midst of its final season. The series is set to say goodbye after eleven seasons later this year. News of the series ending came early last year and led to the cast reflecting on Modern Family ending. Does the show's end mean Julie Bowen also retiring from acting?
Before getting cast on Modern Family, Julie Bowen was known for her roles on the ABC series Boston Legal and Lost. Fast forward over a decade and Bowen became a well-known comedy fixture as Claire Dunphy, a role she almost passed on. Is she ready to retire, though? Bowen weighed in on her post-Modern Family career at the TCA’s winter press tour, saying (via US Weekly):
Do you know what divorce in the state of California is? I love working and I joke about that and I’m actually very good friends with my ex-husband and he knows very well. Like, I would work, no matter what, I would work.
There you have it! Julie Bowen is not going anywhere. After Modern Family wraps up its run, all eyes will be on the cast to see where they land next. Bowen clearly likes to work! When you consider how well-received her performance on the ABC show has been over the years, finding a new role should not be a problem for her.
For now, it does not sound like you can expect to see Julie Bowen’s next TV role involving a Modern Family spinoff. While somewhat expected with Claire’s daughter Haley having twins last season, one has yet to materialize. Fans are therefore experiencing the next leg of Season 11 without a spinoff in place.
In an interesting bit of side trivia, Julie Bowen is the mother of twins in real life, which is now something she and her TV character’s daughter have in common. Even though Bowen has been doing Modern Family for eleven seasons, she evidently still loves to work. That should mean she will be motivated to find her next role.
Julie Bowen’s career could take her any number of places after she finishes Modern Family. Will it be another TV show? Perhaps a movie? Sometimes ending a run on a show after over a decade can cause some actors not to want to jump right into another long-term deal. Bowen still has plenty of time to figure out what is next.
Modern Family is far from over yet. Fans are currently awaiting that high-pressure series finale. It is arguably the toughest part of a television show’s journey, and Julie Bowen should be a part of it, barring some last-minute shocker. The good news is that Bowen’s co-star Eric Stonestreet definitely wants to work with on-screen husband Jesse Tyler Ferguson again after the show wraps.
So, a Modern Family reunion may be on its way at some point after the show ends. Given how close the cast seems to be, Julie Bowen may be up for reuniting with her co-stars too!
New episodes of Modern Family air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. The series’ final season is one of this winter’s premieres.
