These Modern Family Women Are Gorgeous With Their Natural Hair Colors

ABC's hit sitcom "Modern Family" ran for 11 seasons from 2009 to 2020. With a total of 85 Emmy nominations and 22 wins under their belts, the actors and their respective characters garnered very specific images. For example, Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (played by Sofía Vergara) was playful and constantly draped in animal prints and sky-high platforms. She was always done up with a smoky eye and a bold lip, and her thick, dark tresses were always blown out perfectly (but don't let the makeup fool you — Sofía Vergara is flawless makeup-free). 

Then, we have Claire Dunphy (played by Julie Bowen). She's the hands-on matriarch of the Dunphy family and is associated with more pedestrian ensembles and fine, shoulder-length blond hair. Claire's daughters, Haley and Alex (played by Sarah Hyland and Ariel Winter, respectively) became known for their darker hair, as viewers questioned how a blond mother could have three brunette children. The stylists made sure to strongly separate the difference between the two daughters, though, with Haley rocking highlights, clip-in extensions, and curls, while Alex's darker locks were worn straightened. Finally, Lily Tucker-Pritchett (played by Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) was only 4 years old when she joined the show, so viewers witnessed her real-life hair transformation. Now 18, Anderson-Emmons is exploring the ins and outs of makeup, hair, and fashion as a young adult.

Naturally, many of the "Modern Family" women had to alter their hair in some capacity for their characters. The man behind the transformations? Kelly Kline, a two-time Emmy-winning hairstylist who got these women camera-ready for eight years. He did such immaculate work on the leading ladies of "Modern Family," but they're just as gorgeous with their natural hair colors and styles.

Though Sofía Vergara had a handful of credits to her name before playing Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, "Modern Family" was truly what put her name on the map. Interestingly, she didn't alter her hair color because the role asked for it; it was likely part of the reason why she landed it. Vergara first moved to the United States from Colombia in 2005, and she quickly realized that Hollywood had a preconceived notion of what women like her should look like.

"The way that I looked was not the way that Hollywood really saw Latina women. They were expecting a more dark-haired woman. It was difficult because they were a little confused, like, 'This woman sounds like a Latin woman but she's blonde,'" the actor remarked to People in January 2024, adding, "It was like, 'I'm going to see if that works. I'm here, why not?' And it changed my life because I got hired to do 'Modern Family.'"

Gloria's hair was a stark mocha brown for the first three seasons, but Vergara slowly began adding golden highlights and lightening her hair. The "Griselda" star later revealed that the most difficult — but necessary — part was the upkeep. "I say that it's just hair, but in my situation, it's part of my job," she added to People. "I cannot just dry it or put a cap on and go to work, unfortunately. When you work in the field that I do, a lot can happen [to your hair]. So one of the most important things I can do is take care of it."

Sarah Hyland grew up in front of the camera, but her natural hair doesn't necessarily match her "Modern Family" character's look. Haley Dunphy's tresses went through a big evolution throughout the series, debuting a new style nearly every season. At first, Haley rocked dark-brown curls, much like Sofía Vergara's character. Around Seasons 4 and 5, we start seeing a few warm chestnut highlights peeking through and possibly some clip-in extensions. Then, around Season 7, she debuted an earlobe-length bob, later returning to her signature cocoa-brown shade for the later seasons.

In reality, Hyland typically rocks a dark-brown bob that would trick anyone into believing it's a perm. Her natural curls are tightly wound in perfect spirals, but the actor has made it clear that the way she achieved the sought-after texture wasn't glamorous. At 9 years old, Hyland was diagnosed with kidney dysplasia, and in her 20s, she was diagnosed with endometriosis. Her medications resulted in hair loss, as she disclosed to Refinery29 in April 2019. She revealed that this was the motivation behind the extensions, but by the time her hair grew back, it was a completely different texture. "My hair that's growing back now is much curlier than what it used to be. It's like I'm four years old now, I guess," she told the outlet. Though she's admitted to having some trouble managing her curls, Sarah Hyland's natural hair has always been absolutely gorgeous.

While Alex Dunphy rocked one signature hair color for all of "Modern Family," Ariel Winter is much more adventurous. Though she became known for her pin-straight dark-brown hair, the actor revealed to People in July 2019 that she's naturally dirty blond: "I've always had dark eyebrows, so I was that person. I have dirty blonde hair, and really dark eyebrows, and dark eyes."

While Winter didn't color her hair until she was called to "Modern Family," during the show's breaks, she took liberty in experimenting further. In 2019, she ditched the dark tresses and opted for a strawberry-blond hue just in time for her to team up with Ulta for the launch of its in-store blowout services. During an interview with Allure in July 2019, she was already itching for another hair switch-up, telling the outlet, "I've never dyed my hair platinum-white yet. Dyeing it this color was something I was really excited to do. At first, I was nervous. But the day after I dyed it, I felt like a different person."

By July 2020, Winter crossed that hair color off her bucket list. She debuted her new locks on Instagram and joked in the caption, "Winter Is Coming!!!!!!!!!!!" Her fans couldn't get enough of her new hair color (or the "Game of Thrones" reference), with one writing, "The second picture, you're there living embodiment of Marilyn." That was likely the closest the actor would go back to her natural hair color, as she debuted a black mane in July 2024.

While Sofía Vergara had to switch out her blond locks for brunette, Julie Bowen was doing the opposite. In a behind-the-scenes video, the "Happy Gilmore" star revealed all the secrets behind Claire's hair. The Dunphy matriarch rocked the same bob for the entire series, but it still needed a little zhuzh. "Kelly Kline gives me Claire hair, which some is fake," she said, demonstrating, "Right there, see this part — it clips in, clips out. It's fake," Bowen said in 2015 (via People).

Bowen had to dye her hair for the role as well, her natural hair being darker than Claire's signature blond. Since the show's wrap, she's gone back to her roots from time to time. In February 2021, she posted a selfie on Instagram with brunette hair, noting in the caption that it's "brown for a job."

There have been times when the actor wanted to call it quits on the whole "hair" thing entirely. "I would love to get some crazy-a** role that required me to dye and shave my head beforehand so that I could actually do it once; so that I would not be 'the blonde,'" she told People in November 2013, "... there's probably some awkward divot on the side of my skull, but honestly it's the ballsy [stuff] that I should have done in my twenties that I want to do now." Well, casting departments, you heard the actor!

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons joined the cast of "Modern Family" in Season 3 as Lily Tucker-Pritchett, the adopted daughter of Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker. Anderson-Emmons was 4 years old when she first stepped into the role but had grown into a full-fledged teenager by the series' conclusion.

Viewers got to witness Aubrey Anderson-Emmons' complete transformation before their eyes. While she started as a dark-pigtailed toddler, by Season 11, Anderson-Emmons' hair was nearly waist-length. She didn't dye her hair for the role, but it was still intricately curled and often styled into a sleek ponytail or bun, while the actor's natural hair is a bit more voluminous with more curls. 

Since the finale, the budding musician took a brave step with her first big chop. In 2022, she took to TikTok to debut a Cruella de Vil-like color-blocked lob with fringe bangs. Since then, she's gone back to her natural color, but the bangs have stayed. In May 2025, Anderson-Emmons attended the American Music Awards in a stunning floral gown and a regal updo, and let's just say, the bangs were bangin'.