Rico Rodriguez Is Totally Unrecognizable From His Modern Family Days As Manny

For all 11 seasons of ABC's "Modern Family," actor Rico Rodriguez starred as Manny Delgado — the artsy, hopeless romantic son of Javier Delgado (Benjamin Bratt) and Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofía Vergara) and stepson of Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill). Manny was known for being wise beyond his years, but Rico himself actually grew up quite a bit over the course of the show's run. After all, "Modern Family" premiered in 2009, when he would have been about 11 years old, and wrapped up in 2020, the year he turned 22. Through it all, though, he was still recognizably Manny. Since the show ended, however, Rico has not only gotten even older but also changed up his image — so much so that even diehard fans may not recognize him at first glance.

In the early days of "Modern Family," Rico was clean-cut and baby-faced. And even as he got older, he (or, perhaps more accurately, the hair and makeup department) decided to keep his hair short and his face clean-shaven. That said, a quick look at Rico's Instagram profile shows that he's doing things a little differently these days. He's started wearing his curly hair a bit longer and even grew out a beard. In one particular post from mid-2024, Rico celebrated his 26th birthday by rocking a couple of different outfits and hairstyles. The actor's Instagram posts also just generally show him enjoying his post-"Modern Family" life — whether it's going to Houston Texans games or pro-wrestling shows.

If you were a fan of "Modern Family" during its initial run, you may be wondering what exactly became of the show's cast after it ended. Well, on Rico Rodriguez's end, it's actually been relatively quiet as far as the glitz and glamour of Hollywood are concerned. Around the time the "Modern Family" was on the air, Rico was getting plenty of other acting jobs, including a 2009 episode of "NCIS" you may have forgotten about. But since saying goodbye to Manny Delgado in 2020, Rico's on-screen roles have been fewer and further between.

As of writing, his only small-screen appearance since then (not counting reality shows) has been on an episode of the Disney Channel sitcom "Bunk'd" in 2024. That show notably featured Rico's older sister, Raini Rodriguez, in a recurring capacity. That said, Rico also landed a supporting voice role in the 2025 animated feature "Sneaks," which stars "Captain America" actor Anthony Mackie opposite the likes of Martin Lawrence, Chloe Bailey, and Laurence Fishburne.

To that end, while he may look different than he did on "Modern Family," Rico is still very much part of the industry. It was also in 2025 that he and sister Raini were spotted attending the premiere of Disney Plus' "Wizards of Waverly Place" sequel series "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place." That show is headlined by original "Waverly Place" co-star David Henrie, who himself has changed considerably since his days as a child star.

Acting isn't the only medium on Rico Rodriguez's resumé. The young star is dawning his production work with his sister Raini Rodriguez by his side. While appearing on ABC's "On The Red Carpet," Rico said, "Me and my sister, we have our own production company, so we have a couple of projects ... that's in development right now that we're really, really excited about." The actor is eager to prove he can make a mark on the industry even after his "Modern Family" days. In this new career chapter, Rico and Raini seem most thrilled about "showing new sides of us and, you know, kind of ready to take over the world."

Rico also alluded to his skills as a writer, though he didn't specify if he was working on any screenplays for his production company. Still, Rico has already proven his strengths with the pen, becoming an author at just 14 years old. The SAG Award winner published a memoir in 2012 called "Reel Life Lessons... So Far," chronicling what he's learned in the industry since beginning his career — he only launched to success a few years before. Of course, the "So Far" part of the title may indicate that part two is in the works!