The Women of Modern Family Look Unrecognizable with Their Natural Hair Colors

Though Ariel Winter’s “Modern Family” character Alex Dunphy had dark brown tresses for the show’s entire run, the actor’s hair actually grows much lighter. “People never guess, but my natural hair color is dirty blond. I’ve always had dark eyebrows … I have dirty blond hair and really dark eyebrows and dark eyes,” she told People. Winter, who’s had a stunning transformation, gave us a peek at her real color in a 2021 Instagram upload. The beauty posed with very light, dyed blond locks, but her darker roots were clearly visible.

Julie Bowen has warm blond locks in many of her roles, including while playing Claire Dunphy on “Modern Family.” But, in real life, she was born with dirty blond locks a few shades lighter than her signature. We saw her glossy, natural shade in a throwback photo with a friend she posted on Instagram in 2018. 

But lighter locks wasn’t the only way she changed her hair on the ABC show. Speaking to People, Bowen confirmed she wore clip-in extensions while filming, likely for extra volume.

Sofia Vergara and her “Modern Family” character Gloria Pritchett are famous for being sassy, brown-haired beauties, but Vergara’s natural hair color isn’t brunette — it’s blond. She told People she darkened it to get more roles, but admitted to Self she didn’t mind the change. “I’d always felt a little ‘too much’ as a blond, like a big-mouth version of Pamela Anderson. Being brunette toned me down a bit,” she said. The “Hot Pursuit” star still had her lighter locks in 1995 during an appearance on “Viva el Lunes.”

Sarah Hyland rocked everything from long, brunette locks to shorter, bronde strands on “Modern Family,” but her natural color is much darker than the hues she tried on the show or has experimented with since (and Hyland has had quite the stunning hair transformation). In a childhood throwback photo posted to Instagram, the former “Love Island USA” host’s locks were so dark they looked almost black. Hyland was clearly rocking her stunning, natural hair, proudly showing her curly ringlets.

Elizabeth Banks made a handful of appearances on “Modern Family” as Sal, the bubbly friend of Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Mitch and Eric Stonestreet’s Cam who sports glossy, blond locks. However, Banks is a natural brunette. During an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” host Kelly Clarkson showed a throwback snap from the actor’s prom that showed her with brown hair in a perm. The star also revealed her mane is naturally curly, sharing, “It grows out of my head in a ringlet.”