For eleven seasons, television audiences watched Alex and Luke Dunphy bicker, bond, and navigate the chaotic waters of adolescence under the roof of America’s favorite suburban household. Now, life is imitating art in the most unexpected way.
Ariel Winter and Nolan Gould, who grew up before our eyes on ABC’s mega-hit sitcom Modern Family, have officially moved back in together. Only this time, it’s not for a studio script—it’s real life.
Winter, now 28, revealed that she and her former on-screen younger brother, 27-year-old Gould, are currently sharing a rental home in Los Angeles. The living arrangement marks a new chapter for Winter, who has recently been splitting her time between Southern California and Nashville, where she previously resided with her ex-boyfriend Luke Benward and their four rescue dogs.
Whenever the cast of a legendary sitcom reunites, whispers of a network reboot inevitably follow. But according to Winter, she and Gould are already giving the public exactly what they want, just without the camera crew.
“People ask me about a Modern Family reboot, but Nolan and I are real roommates now,” Winter said, reflecting on their daily routine. “So it’s like we’re having our own little Modern Family reboot, but it’s just the two of us living together. So I see him every day.”
That daily routine includes the kind of mundane, late-night camaraderie that made the Dunphy household so relatable to millions of viewers worldwide. Winter admitted that their off-screen chemistry remains just as comedic as it was on television, particularly when they wind down at the end of the day.
“I’m not gonna lie, when we sit there at night and we watch, like, Temptation Island together, it’s pretty hilarious,” she shared. The dynamic has even had the duo questioning whether they should share their roommate antics with the world. “We have thought about it… We’re just like, people would find this really funny.”
The unique living situation is a testament to a bond forged in the unique pressure cooker of child stardom. When Modern Family premiered in 2009, Winter was just 11 years old; Gould was 10. Looking back, Winter admits she had no inkling that she was stepping onto the set of what would become one of the most critically acclaimed comedies in television history.
“I don’t think I had any idea of if it was going to be successful or not,” Winter recalled of her pre-teen mindset. “I was just like, ‘Oh, awesome, I got a job.’ What I was so excited for was to get the chance to work with Al Bundy.”
That “Al Bundy” was, of course, TV veteran Ed O’Neill, who played the Dunphy family patriarch, Jay Pritchett.
But the show quickly transitioned from a steady gig into a cultural phenomenon, anchoring ABC’s comedy lineup for over a decade—a longevity that feels increasingly rare in today’s fragmented streaming landscape. “Being on the same show for so long? I feel like that doesn’t really happen anymore,” Winter noted.
Growing up on a soundstage naturally cemented a deep friendship between the young actors. “I’m extremely close to Nolan,” Winter emphasized. “He plays my little brother, and he and I are still best friends.”
That closeness extended to the entire ensemble, making the series finale in 2020 a bittersweet milestone. Breaking up a surrogate family after 11 years of milestone birthdays, graduations, and daily work schedules proved to be an emotional hurdle for the cast.
“It was hard,” Winter said, describing the bittersweet transition of the show wrapping up. While she acknowledged it was time for the cast to explore new professional horizons, the sudden shift in routine was jarring. “We really were like a real family. It was weird knowing it would just be over, and I wouldn’t get to see everybody all the time anymore. It was like, ‘Wait, yeah, wait, we’re not going to be together on Monday?'”
For Winter, the end of the series was a paradox of nostalgia and ambition. “On the one hand, I didn’t want it to end, but at the same time I was ready to start something new as an adult.”
Today, both actors continue to carve out their paths in the industry. Fans of Winter’s voice work can catch her reprising her celebrated role in the upcoming animated reboot, Sofia The First: Royal Magic, premiering May 25 on Disney Jr. and Disney+.
But when the workday ends, she’ll be heading back to a house in Los Angeles, where she and her permanent “little brother” are keeping the spirit of the Dunphy family alive, one reality TV episode at a time.