Modern Family: 5 celebrity cameos in Modern Family that made us go gaga

Though they appear in only one episode, Modern Family has had a few unforgettable celebrity cameos throughout its 11 seasons run. From Grammy-winning Chris Martin to Oscar-winning Jordan Peele, Modern Family celebrates their brief encounters with famous Hollywood stars and pop stars.

We pick the top five screen-stealing celebrities who made cameos on Modern Family and left a lasting impression on the audience.

Disclaimer: This piece reflects the writer's opinions.

Top 5 celebrity cameos in Modern Family

5) David Beckham and Courteney Cox

The Prescott: Season 11, Episode 10

Alex Dunphy (played by Ariel Winter) invites her family to her new luxury apartment, The Prescott. The apartment is complete with luxury amenities, fine dining, fitness centers, and celebrities. Each member of the family, unknown to Alex, ventures out with their own agenda in the building. Cameron Tucker (played by Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell Pritchett (played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson) learn that the Beckhams are living there.

David Beckham appears with Courteney Cox, who are both participating in a bowling tournament. What follows is a series of mishaps and missed connections. In the end, Beckham and Cox instead of meeting their coach, end up spending quality time with Cameron and Mitchell in a hot tub. The episode also features the hilarious Stephen Merchant.

4) James Marsden

Slow Down Your Neighbors: Season 2, Episode 11

Mitchell and Cameron meet their handsome new neighbor Barry, played by James Marsden, who shares that he has moved to the apartment above theirs. While Mitchell is skeptical about their new acquaintance, Cameron is charmed by Barry’s appeal. After seeing Cameron so taken by Barry, even Mitchell starts to trust him.

All starts crumbling when Cameron learns nobody has moved into the apartment above and realizes that Barry has been living in the princess castle that they built for their daughter Lily. When Cameron confronts him about it and asks him to leave, Barry calmly says he won’t. They get into a physical altercation. Cameron asks Mitchell to call the police. Mitchell walks away saying that he was right about Barry.

3) Chris Martin

Brushes with celebrity – Season 9, Episode 8

In the episode, every family member shares their stories of celebrity encounters. While it is a heavy-weight episode with names such as Billy Crystal and Terry Bradshaw who make a remarkable impression, Chris Martin’s cameo adds an unexpected comical element to it. Phil Dunphy (played by Ty Burrell) is showing a house to his ‘musical hero’ Chris Martin from Coldplay. During the showing, Phil passes out due to severe groin pain.

He wakes up in a hospital next to Martin, who is being fawned upon by everyone around. This makes Phil uncomfortable. Even Phil’s wife, Claire (played by Julie Bowen) turns up with her book club friends. Chris feels bad that Phil is not getting attention because of him and tries to cheer him by singing a made-up song about Phil’s realtor business.

2) Catherine O'Hara

Clean Out Your Junk Drawer - Season 7 Episode 8

Gloria Pritchett (played by Sofia Vergara) wins a bid on a family seminar with a famous speaker and author Dr. Debra Radcliffe. Enter Emmy award-winning Catherine O'Hara. Jay Pritchett (played by Ed O'Neill), Gloria, Mitchell, Cameron, Phil, and Claire all assemble inthe Dunphy household reluctantly to be part of the seminar.

Despite resistance from the family O’ Hara as Radcliffe goes on to advise and make the family share their secrets. While it starts small, things begin to spiral as each member shares their true feelings and the atmosphere gets tense. Dr. Radcliffe suddenly departs to attend to a family emergency, leaving all of them reeling behind. However, at the end of the day, they all learn something about each other and about themselves.

1) Jordan Peele

A Fair to Remember – Season 5, Episode 7

The whole family heads to the school fair. Gloria signs Jay to be a pretend cop at the fair. Before arriving, Jay has a tiff about parking with a man called Derrick, portrayed by Jordan Peele. To Jay’s annoyance, he has to team up with Derrick for the task of the fair cop. They both engage in a war of words before they start their duty.

But as they keep talking, they realize that the other didn’t mean any harm and start bonding instead. At the end of their duties, they get closer and even have a dramatic scene where someone throws a slushie at Derrick, spoiling his silk shirt. He is seen screaming out upset as if he was really shot, while Jim is trying to console him. Jordan Peele and Ed O'Neill’s chemistry makes this one of the more remarkable scenes on the show.

Modern Family was a hit American sitcom created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for ABC, which ran for 11 seasons from 2009 to 2020.

Watch all 11 seasons of Modern Family on the streaming platform Peacock.

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