Modern Family was the hit “mockumentary” that followed the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of three families living in California. The award-winning sitcom ran for 11 seasons, coming to an end in 2020 with a touching finale that left fans grief-stricken. Its authentic and “unedited” style, coupled with the show’s loveable characters, made Modern Family what it is – one of ABC’s funniest comedies.
Modern Family has given its audience some hilarious and highly memorable moments over the years, from watching Phil and Claire Dunphy stumble down the hill to Alex’s graduation in “See You Next Fall” to their fun Halloween-themed episodes, such as “The Last Halloween”. There is no debate when it comes to deciding whether Modern Family is a hilarious show, but here’s a tough question to answer – which Modern Family episode is the funniest?
20
“The Incident”
Season 1, Episode 4 (2009)
The fourth episode of Modern Family’s first season sees Claire (Julie Bowen) and Mitchell’s (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) mother, DeDe (Shelley Long) arriving unannounced and wanting forgiveness for her horrid (yet hilarious) behavior at Jay (Ed O’Neill) and Gloria’s (Sofía Vergara) wedding. Jay is Claire and Mitchell’s father and Gloria is his much younger wife, whom Dede appears to be incredibly jealous of. Seeing the less-than-perfect relationships between the characters makes for a great watch, but what steals the episode is Dylan (Reid Ewing) saying something so heartfelt that it unites the fractured and dysfunctional family for a moment – just one of many snapshots of Modern Family showing what the family sitcom is all about. But following this sweet moment with a song for his girlfriend Hayley (Sarah Hyland) that makes the rest of the family extremely uncomfortable.
Dylan comments on how much love there is in Hayley’s family, showing his sweeter side, then proceeds to sing a song for Hayley in front of her whole family, including her parents, Claire and Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) – a song that has the lyrics “I just wanna do you, do you, do you wanna do me, do me” and “I wish that I could steal you just so I can feel you.” Super awkward – but hilarious.
19
“Not In My House”
Season 1, Episode 12 (2009)
Image via ABC
Luke’s caught red-handed! When Claire discovers that her youngest son has been looking at a photo of a naked woman’s chest, she’s furious. But that photo isn’t his in the first place — it’s Phil’s. Over at Jay’s, Gloria’s upset with his half-dog, half-man figurine. As for Cam and Mitch, they’re literally lost in translation when their Mexican gardener starts sobbing out of the blue.
“Not In My House” is a hilarious slippery slope of miscommunication. Phil attempts to cover up the photo by “reprimanding” Luke by himself instead of Claire. But little do they realize that Alex’s real actions, which had nothing to do with pornography, have caused a serious rift between Hayley and Alex. Plus, the too-nice Cam may have accidentally held an impromptu wedding for his gardener behind Mitch’s back. —Dyah Ayu Larasati
18
“Treehouse”
Season 3, Episode 7 (2012)
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In an attempt to bond with Luke, Phil proposes they bond over the old-fashioned way: building a treehouse. Clearly, Phil has no idea what he’s doing, but it’s the thought that counts. Inside the house, Hayley’s having a hard time with her college essay. Cam pretends to be straight to prove to Mitchell that he’s attractive enough to women, while Gloria and Jay kick it up with salsa dancing.
Cam’s unusual schtick is the comedic driving form of “Treehouse.” Fans know how competitive Cam likes to be, but pretending to change his sexual orientation is bold. Although Cam might’ve lost the bet with Mitch, it’s fun to see Cam working up the charisma to impress a woman. Back at the Dunphys, it seems rare that Claire genuinely wants to help Hayley in her studies. But as the plot twists show, Claire can just be as sneaky as her eldest daughter. —Dyah Ayu Larasati
17
“Disneyland”
Season 3, Episode 22 (2012)
The whole gang goes on a trip to the happiest place on Earth: Disneyland. Everyone knows how intimidating theme parks can be, especially when it’s a family affair. The aging Phil and Luke take on the wildest rides, while Hayley gets to know Ethan, the son of one of Claire’s acquaintances. Jay is annoyed with Gloria, who is obviously struggling with all the walking on her heels. Cam and Mitch’s parenting skills are put to the test when they put Lily on a leash (like a dog).
A Disneyland trip wouldn’t be complete without its minor inconveniences. In a place where children are running in every direction, mascots fill the streets, and there’s some sort of mini parade nearby, it’s easy for adults to feel overstimulated. Even if someone has never been to Disneyland, they can relate to the universal stress of exploring a tourist-filled crowd, where looking away for just one second could mean losing sight of your child. —Dyah Ayu Larasati
16
“Party Crasher”
Season 4, Episode 12 (2013)
Image via ABC
There’s no party like a Modern Family party. Gloria and Jay insist on throwing a surprise 14th birthday bash for Manny since it’ll be his last birthday before his mother gives birth. Haley starts dating her co-worker Kenny (Jason Mantzoukas), who appears to be as old as her own dad. Meanwhile, Mitchell tries to convince Cam that Lily hasn’t been ignoring him out of spite.
It’s twist after twist in “Party Crasher.” In the first act, the episode seems like a perfect party gone wrong. Gloria and Jay are late on the cake; they forgot their parking ticket, and apparently, Manny has a surprise of his own. But the second act kicks a notch when Gloria suddenly breaks her water in the middle of singing Happy Birthday. But “Party Crasher” is also one of the show’s most emotional episodes, with Haley realizing how much her dad loves her despite her flaws. —Dyah Ayu Larasati
15
“Phil’s Sexy, Sexy House”
Season 7, Episode 7 (2016)
Image via ABC
Phil scores a huge real estate deal with a property that makes the Playboy Mansion look like a retirement home. Of course, Hayley takes the opportunity to sneak into the house, but returns when she accidentally leaves her watch behind. Looks like she’s not the only one who has her eyes set on the house. Meanwhile, Phil and Claire have been having some personal issues ever since Claire’s been busy with her new job.
It’s one of those Modern Family episodes that shows each family member at their most unhinged and playful. Hayley, being the troublemaker of Modern Family, comes as no surprise. But it’s a different story when everyone in the family also sneaks into the house (including the good two-shoes Alex). It’s all thanks to a house that boasts a jacuzzi with 12 water jets and a remote-controlled sofa. —Dyah Ayu Larasati
14
“Our Children, Ourselves”
Season 2, Episode 12 (2011)
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While Claire and Phil question their intelligence after a comment made by their highly clever and sarcastic daughter Alex (Ariel Winter), Mitchell and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) bump into one of Mitchell’s old flames from eight years ago. It appears the ex-girlfriend of Mitchell’s has a son, who has red hair just like Mitchell. Mitchell doesn’t see the person’s face, just the back of his head, and can see that he is small. Mitchell believes that the person he saw with his ex-girlfriend could be his son, and in an attempt to do the right thing, Mitchell meets with his old flame to give a gift to his “son” Bobby (Mark Povinelli). But it turns out Bobby is an adult with dwarfism and the current boyfriend of Mitchell’s ex-girlfriend.
When the boyfriend opens his gift and finds a child’s baseball glove, he is understandably offended and seeing Mitchell make such a huge blunder is hilarious. But while seeing Mitchell’s embarrassment is funny, one of the most awkward situations in a sitcom ever has to be when Bobby opens his gift to find a baseball glove that says “little slugger.” It really is a shame that fans are unlikely to get more hilarious and embarrassing moments from the Pritchett-Tuckers since Modern Family will never get its planned spin-off starring Stonestreet and Ferguson.
13
“The One That Got Away”
Season 2, Episode 4 (2011)
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Phil tries to one-up an old rival by pretending the stunning Gloria is his wife. But when the old rival remarks on how he always thought Phil would get with Claire, the jealousy of Phil’s old enemy makes the former appreciate his wife more. Meanwhile, Claire and her brother Mitchell try to recreate an old childhood photo as a gift for their father on his birthday, but they get stuck in a tree house after sneaking into the back garden of their old house.
The second season’s fourth episode is another example of how Modern Family creates humor through embarrassing blunders and contrasting characters that work well together on screen. The episode also reveals that Cam and Mitchell may adopt another child.
12
“My Funky Valentine”
Season 1, Episode 15 (2010)
ABC
What makes this episode such a great episode is seeing the usually cynical Mitchell have a more passionate and emotional side as he shows off his skills as a lawyer. At first, Mitch is stressed by a case that’s going to court, but before he can deliver his epic closing speech, his client gives in – but Mitchell randomly finds another chance to have his big moment when he forces a boy called Durkas to admit that he didn’t write the poem Manny wrote for his crush Fiona. Unfortunately, Fiona still picks Durkas over Manny, but it was still great watching Mitchell yell “Shame!” repeatedly in the Great Shakes ice cream parlor.
“My Funky Valentine” also introduces fans to Clive Bixby and Julianna, “sexy” personas created by Claire and Phil Dunphy as part of their romantic role-playing on Valentine’s Day – but of course, their plans go horribly wrong when Claire gets her coat stuck in an escalator and is unfortunately wearing nothing underneath.
11
“Fizbo”
Season 1, Episode 9 (2009)
Image via ABC
As well as being a hilarious episode, “Fizbo” is one of the most rewatchable Modern Family episodes, and presents us with one of the show’s best Cam and Mitchell moments too. Mitchell and Cameron Tucker are happily married and live with their daughter Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons). Cam and Mitchell often get into fights about seemingly petty things, but it’s this constant bickering between the two that makes Cam and Mitchell both hilarious and relatable to Modern Family fans. This dynamic creates the perfect build-up to the Pritchett-Tucker’s more tender and loving moments, such as when Cam defends Mitchell at a gas station dressed as the persona that irritates Mitchell most – Fizbo the clown.
The persona of Fizbo means a lot to Cam, but Mitchell could live the rest of his life never seeing or hearing a mention of the clown ever again. In the episode “Fizbo”, Cameron dresses up as the clown for Luke Dunphy’s (Nolan Gould) birthday party, but in typical Modern Family fashion, nothing goes according to plan and chaos leads to Luke injuring his arm. It is a day of chaos that’s hilarious to watch, but what seals this as one of the funniest and sweetest moments of the episode is Mitchell’s “smitten” expression after he gets back into the car with Cam dressed as Fizbo, after the clown defends Mitch at a gas station after another customer is rude to him. Despite the bickering and how much they seem to irritate each other, there is a lot of love between Mitchell and Cam.
