In one image from the reunion shared on social media, the cast posed with wide smiles, as Winter, 27, held an image of her TV dad Burrell, marking his absence. According to Burrell, he and his Modern Family collaborators still keep in touch through other ways as well, and he tells PEOPLE they "absolutely" have a group chat.

After fans thought Ty Burrell, 57, who played the beloved Dunphy family patriarch, Phil, on “Modern Family” had died, he reflected on where that rumor started. On Monday’s episode of his former co-star’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s “ Dinner’s on Me ” podcast, Burrell recalled how missing a reunion special a few years back caused the speculation to spin.

It was a beloved brothers-in-law reunion on Monday's episode of Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Dinner's On Me podcast, where the actor sat down with his Modern Family co-star-and real-life friend-Ty Burrell.

It's hard to imagine anyone other than Ty Burrell as Modern Family's goofy dad, Phil Dunphy — but that didn't stop the executives at ABC from trying. While Burrell went on to win two Emmys (and earned another six nominations) for his hilarious role in the long-running sitcom,

Though you won’t find it on the 2025 TV schedule, there’s no question that Modern Family's place in peak TV history still has fans regularly revisiting its finest moments. While we still don’t know if that hypothetical Dunphy/Pritchett revival series is happening,

Despite becoming synonymous with Phil Dunphy and winning 2 Emmys for the role, Ty Burrell struggled to convince decision-makers that he was the right fit.