Ed O’Neill | Entertainment News, Photos, and Videos

Craig T. Nelson, who starred in NBC’s Parenthood, almost played the role of Jay Pritchett in Modern Family. The role eventually went to Ed O’Neill.

The news was revealed in the new book “Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television’s Groundbreaking Sitcoms.”

Casting director Jeff Greenberg said in the book, “He wanted star money, and it wasn’t a star show. It’s an ensemble show. I understand from his agent that he regretted his decision. I’m not surprised.”

The show’s creators also heard he was “a bit difficult on set.” “That scared us, frankly,” creator Steve Levitan said. “There was a lack of self-awareness there and compassion that worried us. Meanwhile, all we kept hearing is that Ed O’Neill is the nicest person on the planet. We decided to pull the offer and go to Ed.”

Co-creator Christopher Lloyd said that Ed said, “Chris, this is the best 
job I’ve ever had. I would have done it for free. Don’t tell my agent, but I
 would have taken this job for free.”

Find out the possibility of a Modern Family spinoff after the show aired its series finale.

Ed O’Neill makes an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, airing Monday (March 9), and shares a super sweet story about introducing his daughters to Leonardo DiCaprio on Father’s Day!

The 73-year-old Modern Family star tells Ellen about his run-in with Leonardo this past Father’s Day at the Hollywood restaurant Rao’s with his daughters Claire, 24, and Sophia, 21.

“I like Rao’s, so we went and we had a little booth and we sat down and we had just ordered and she was on her phone, and I saw her look up, and all of a sudden she was stricken, I really thought there was something wrong with her,” Ed recalls. “I turned around and it was Leo DiCaprio … my daughter has had a crush on Leo since Romeo and Juliet.”

Ed says he offered to introduce his daughters to the A-lister, but they refused: “I said, ‘Alright, forget about it … so all of a sudden, I heard, ‘Hey Ed, Happy Father’s Day,’ I said, ‘Oh thanks Leo!’”

Ed O’Neill also shares which Modern Family cast members were the most emotional after they taped the series finale of the long-running hit comedy, and reveals how he found out about the mid-season cancellation of his hit series Married… with Children.

Click inside to watch more of Ed O’Neill’s appearance on The Ellen Show…More Here! »

The cast of Modern Family is currently filming the series finale and we have photos from the final location shoot ever!

Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill and their on-screen son Jeremy Maguire filmed a soccer game scene on Thursday morning (February 20) in Los Angeles.

“Filming in our last location ever!!!😖😖😖😖🎬🎬 #modernfamily❤️❤️,” Sofia wrote on Instagram along with a photo from the soccer field.

The series finale of Modern Family will air on ABC on April 8. The show has been on the air since 2009 and it has won 22 Emmy Awards, including five consecutive awards for Outstanding Comedy Series.

15+ pictures inside of Sofia Vergara and Ed O’Neill on the Modern Family set… More Here! »

The Modern Family cast gets in the Halloween spirit on set!

Sofia Vergara, Rico Rodriguez, and Ed O’Neill were all spotted filming on Wednesday (September 18) in Los Angeles.

Sofia Vergara dressed up as Elsa from Frozen in her blue and white dress and braided blonde wig, showing off some moves as she reportedly ended up on stage dancing with a group of drag queens.

Rico Rodriguez channeled Sigmund Freud in his suit, round glasses, and white hair as he chatted with Ed O’Neill, who was not in costume.

Over the summer, the cast of Modern Family reunited for their last table read ahead of the 11th and final season, set to premiere on September 25 on ABC.

READ MORE: Ty Burrell Does Some Juggling on ‘Modern Family’ Set with Sofia Vergara!

The cast of Modern Family is all grown up – and getting emotional!

Sofia Vergara shared a picture of the cast after their first table read of the first season and a picture of the cast after their first table read of the final season on her Instagram on Wednesday (July 31).

“10 years later!!😍😍😍😍 Modern Family!!!❤️❤️❤️ #ourlastseason 🎬,” she captioned the post.

Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Julie Bowen, Nolan Gould, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, Ariel Winter and Rico Rodriguez all pose for the photos, which were both taken by the show’s co-creator, Steve Levitan.

“First table read of the last season. Also Rico‘s 21st birthday! #ModernFamily,” Steve added in a post on his Instagram.

The show was renewed for an 11th and final season back in February.

The cast of Modern Family teams up for the 2019 ABC Disney Television Upfront Presentation!

The co-stars stepped out for the event held at Lincoln Center on Tuesday (May 14) in New York City.

Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Sarah Hyland, Jesse Tyler Fergussion, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Eric Stonestreet, Jeremy Maguire, and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons posed for photos and took the stage together.

This week, Disney is presenting the new 2019-2020 lineups for ABC, ABC News, Freeform, ESPN, FX, and National Geographic to the advertising and media communities.

The 11th and final season of Modern Family will premiere later this year!

FYI: Sofia is wearing a Johanna Ortiz dress. Ariel is wearing a The 2nd Skin Co. blazer Bianca and Bridgett pants.

10+ pictures inside of the Modern Family cast at the event… More Here! »

Sarah Hyland rocks a big “pregnant” belly while filming Modern Family!

The 28-year-old actress was spotted shooting on Wednesday (March 6) in Los Angeles.

She was joined by her co-stars Ariel Winter, Sofia Vergara, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Ed O’Neill.

Sarah got her hair and makeup touched up, and Sofia, Eric, and Ed were all smiles as they walked and chatted together.

The group was filming one of the last episodes of season 10.

Sarah, whose character Haley Dunphy is expecting twins, covered up the prosthetic baby bump with an orange high-slit dress, a black jacket, black booties, and sunglasses.

The cast had their last table read of the season that day as well, as Sarah announced in her Instagram Stories.

“This is how I lay in my trailer,” she said in another video while wearing the belly. “Don’t look at the snacks, they are mine.”