10 Most hilarious Luke Dunphy moments from Modern Family

Luke Dunphy is one of those characters whose quirks and whims make him all the more irresistible to love in the popular American sitcom, Modern Family. From being an absolutely adorable weirdo who is often up to no good, to being clueless about how he got himself in trouble in the first place, Luke has a way of stealing the spotlight. Every time he comes on screen, we know we are in for a treat.

With his idiosyncrasies and silly antics, Luke, as a kid and as an adult, has delivered some of the most hilarious and memorable moments in the show that will have you laughing uncontrollably.

All of his crazy schemes and boyish chaos make us nostalgic about our own childhoods. Even though he can be seriously unpredictable and reckless at times, he never fails to bring a smile to our faces. Here are top 10 Luke Dunphy moments that will not only tease out laughs but also warm your hearts.

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1. Luke the “Einstein” (Season 1, Episode 5)

Phil and Claire have often wondered if Luke is the crankiest of all their kids. While Haley is the social butterfly, giving off “it girl” vibes and Alex is the nerdy brainiac of the Dunphy household, Luke, the youngest, seems to be living in his own fantasy world.

There was this moment where he had zipped his shirt with his pants in an absolutely hilarious yet adorable way. Phil and Claire discuss how, "There's book smarts, there's street smarts... and then there's Luke!"

Phil defends his beloved son by calling his bizarre actions a result of curiosity like “Einstein,” adding: “he’s got this almost scientific mind with the thirst for knowledge.”

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2. Frozen assets (Season 3, Episode 5)

One of the most unforgettable Luke Dunphy moments in Modern Family has to be when Haley, in desperate need of money asks Luke if she could borrow some. To this, little Luke replies, “I’d love to help you out but I'm not very liquid right now.”

We get a glimpse of how he saved such a huge amount by borrowing his lunch expense from both his parents, and also collecting whatever trifle he would find lying about the house. The best part is when he explains his literal version of “frozen assets,” that is, he had stored all the cash in a big chunk of ice.

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3. Hawaii with Manny (Season 1, Episode 23)

Luke and Manny were definitely one of the most chaotic nephew-uncle duos in the history of television, with both being around 10 or 11 years old. They were polar opposites, with Manny always acting like the introspective, super responsible adult trapped in a child’s body and Luke being his silly, goofy self in the most foolish way possible.

When the extended family takes a trip to Hawaii on Jay’s birthday, Manny and Luke end up in the same room. In an iconic moment, Luke, with a plastic bag on his head and a hair dryer in his hand, claims to be the “bathroom martian” from “the nebula of the great toilet.” It has us rolling on the floor with laughter.

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4. Birthday song for Mitch (Season 7, Episode 10)

Luke’s “Omelet dance” is an absolute gold moment in the series. The Dunphy siblings had completely forgotten that they had promised their uncle Mitchell a perfect birthday surprise the previous year. Thus, Haley and Alex, as always, use Luke as the scapegoat to divert Mitch and in the meantime the two sisters try to come up with a plan to make his birthday special.

Luke presents his special performance before Mitch, singing “It’s your birthday, I'm an omelet” and also dances along with it, throwing his iconic spiderman moves. This scene is a perfect example of how Luke’s unpredictable capers never fail to keep us laughing.

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5. Tribute to The Godfather scene (Season 4, Episode 13)

This scene in Modern Family is, hands down, one of the funniest. While Phil and Claire accompany Jay and Gloria to their son Fulgencio's baptism at the church, Luke is out there (with Dylan) carrying out a series of tasks to make sure their enemies learn a good lesson.

At first, he releases the parking brake of the neighbour's car, making it crash into the lemon tree. Then he shoots the balloons that were blocking Phil’s billboard. Next, he infests the party Alex wasn't invited to with rats.

Finally, he plants a severed zebra head in the bed of his classmate who had been bullying him. The 12-year-old genius nailed the “business” that was designated to him by Phil, reminding us of the iconic Godfather montage.

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6. The doggy prank (Season 11, Episode 18)

What starts off as a hilarious scene with Haley and Alex trying to pull off one final prank on Luke in the last episode of Modern Family, soon takes an emotional turn.

The two sisters persuade Luke to dress up as a dog by telling him that the three need to make a video where they convince their parents to let them adopt a pet. Whether it's putting him on a leash, hitting him with rolled newspapers, or spraying water on him, the scene is filled with so much fun you can't stop laughing.

However, by the end of it when the Dunphy siblings are sitting on the couch, they get all mushy over the fact that they are about to go their separate ways and will miss each other. It is a heartwarming moment as the two sisters rest their heads on Luke's shoulder and share a tight hug.

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7. Mispronunciation of gold digger (Season 1, Episode 5)

It is one of those classic Luke cases where his childlike innocence creates chaos that is both ridiculous and humorous at the same time. When Manny and Luke get into a fight at school, the family gather at Jay and Gloria’s house to resolve the issue.

Amidst the fuss, Manny claims that Luke kept saying that his mother was a “coal digger.” But what he actually meant was gold-digger, he had simply mispronounced it. When Gloria asks where he heard it, Luke confesses that he had overheard Claire say the word in their car. It becomes one of the purely funny moments, even though Gloria seemed furious over it.

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8. Phil teaches magic to Luke (Season 4, Episode 4)

In this episode Phil enthusiastically tried to pass on his magical genius to Luke but Luke seemed pretty reluctant. Phil told Luke that he would let him go if he could pull off the ultimate magic trick called “The Butler’s Escape.” While Phil tries to bind Luke in an upside down position, Luke frees himself from the ropes and his butler’s costume even before Phil is finished.

Phil is astonished at how brilliant his son is, although he feels a little distraught at the fact that Luke doesn't share the same interests as him. Nonetheless, it is one of the most hilarious moments in the show where their endearing father-son dynamic is also on display.

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9. Alex messes with him (Season 1, Episode 17)

It is an extremely amusing episode where Alex decides to mess with her younger brother after Luke had mockingly called her “a dork-to-dork salesman.” One of Phil’s old girlfriends was coming over to the Dunphy house, and Alex seized this opportunity to tell Luke that he was adopted. She further added that the woman who was visiting them was his real mother, and that if she liked Luke, he would take him with her.

To this, Luke reacts hysterically and is thoroughly scared that he would have to leave with the woman. The way Luke panics is hilarious but also pretty sweet as we get a glimpse of his naive, childish nature yet again.

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10. Luke dating Jenny (Season 10, Episode 19)

One of the most awkward moments for Luke occurs when he gets into a relationship with a woman much older than him, named Jenny. They met at the golf club and things quickly take a haphazard turn when Luke brings Jenny to Jay and Gloria’s house to introduce her as his girlfriend before everyone.

Chaos brews as Claire thinks Jenny is Manny’s girlfriend and Jay thinks she's there for him. However, Luke retains his goofball charm throughout and also shocks us with his responsible, grown up attitude as Jenny’s boyfriend. We can't help but keep rooting for him, no matter how weird the things he does are.