What Modern Family Fans Were Shocked To Learn About Ed O'Neill's Real-Life Daughter

When an actor plays a character for so long, it's easy to forget they're not actually that person and instead have their own life separate from their TV alter ego. Veteran actor Ed O'Neill rose to fame on "Married... with Children" — after nearly blowing his chance at a big Hollywood break — before starring as patriarch Jay Pritchett on 11 seasons of "Modern Family." Many fans know him for his role as a father in "Modern Family," but may not know that Ed has two daughters in real life: Sophia and Claire O'Neill. Yes, you read that correctly. Ed has a daughter named Claire, just like he did on "Modern Family" (played by Julie Bowen).

Fans apparently didn't realize what Claire's name was until Ed filmed a TikTok with her. Posting under her handle @clair3on3ill, Claire and her dad lip sync to Tupac Shakur's NSFW song, "Hit 'Em Up."

"This was his idea," Claire hilariously captioned the video. Sarah Hyland, Ed's former "Modern Family" costar (and TV granddaughter), couldn't contain her feelings after seeing the video, commenting in all caps, "I am screaming," followed by three laughing face emojis. Hyland's on-screen sister, and also Ed's TV granddaughter, Ariel Winter, posted five laughing face emojis, followed by, "This is amazing." The Dunphy sisters approve!

Many comments on TikTok couldn't handle how life was imitating art. "Stop the way her name is Claire too," wrote one person. Another fan posted, in all caps, "You're telling me he really has a child named Claire?!!!!!" As reported by TooFab, Ed O'Neill's daughter, Claire O'Neill, commented on her own TikTok. She clarified that she is 18 years old and is a surrogate baby, which means she and her mother, Catherine Rusoff, do not share DNA. "I am 25% black because the egg donor is 50%, my dad's only been married once." Claire being 18 in 2025 means that she was born before her father became a TV dad to another Claire, which must have been funny for Ed.

Ed's famous character is an older dad to sons Manny (played by Rico Rodriguez, who is totally unrecognizable from his "Modern Family" days) and Joe. His role as an older father is a running joke in the series, making it interesting that the actor is an older dad to his own children as well. Clearly, Ed and his character share some big similarities. While many fans have wondered what happened to the cast of "Modern Family," Ed is out here making hilarious TikToks with his daughter, so maybe we'll see more of the pair soon.