Ariel Winter is getting real about how it was growing up in front of the cameras, starring in Modern Family. The young star landed the role of Alex Dunphy at just 11 years old, and as she got older, she faced scrutiny over her body with mean comments on social media and in the press. “That was a major part of my teenage years,” she told People. “It was just everywhere. It was every headline I read about myself, like, grown people writing articles about me saying how I looked terrible or pregnant or like a fat slut. I mean, I was 14. It totally damaged my self-esteem.”
Winter played the daughter of Julie Bowen’s Claire and Ty Burrell’s Phil in the ABC comedy that ran for 11 seasons and ended in 2020. Facing the body shaming on social media was not easy for Winter as comments about her weight gain grew. “I was on an antidepressant in high school that caused me to gain 30 lbs. I couldn’t lose that weight, but I prioritized my mental health over that weight. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my well-being,” she said. “So what could I do? When I got older, I tried a different medication to see if something was a better fit for me, and I happened to lose all that weight, and then people were like, ‘Oh, she’s on drugs’ or ‘Ew, now she’s way too skinny.’ I was just a growing, changing person. It was really, really hard to be torn down constantly.”
In a candid interview with People magazine, Winter shared her reasoning for leaving Los Angeles. The actress talked about how she was affected by the constant scrutiny of her looks, which started when she was fairly young. “It was just everywhere. It was every headline I read about myself, like, grown people writing articles about me saying how I looked terrible or pregnant or like a fat slut. I mean, I was 14. It totally damaged my self-esteem,” Winter, now 27, told the outlet. “I understood what it was like to be hated,” she continued, adding, “No matter what I was going through, I was a target. It made it very difficult to look at myself in the mirror and go, ‘I love this version of me.’”
After her Modern Family obligations came to a close in 2020, Winter decided to move out of the hustle and bustle of Hollywood. Winter made it clear that she “didn’t leave the industry” but that she instead traded her life in the spotlight for one that's more private. After Winter shared her People cover on Instagram, dozens of fans reacted. “You look soo gorgeous!! This cover is very pretty,” one person wrote. “Love to see you speaking up and sharing your lived experiences with such vulnerability – it's nice to see you healing and your story will help so many others in their own journey. Big love to you, Ariel!!” someone else said. “You’re beautiful, inside and out - always have been, always will be,” a third comment read.
As far as any upcoming projects go, Winter told People that she's enjoying doing work behind the camera. She's also planning to come out with her very own podcast. According to her IMDb page, Winter has a handful of other projects in the works as well. Ariel Winter is opening up about the downsides of fame during her time on the iconic ABC sitcom Modern Family. In a conversation with People, Winter said that while playing Alex Dunphy on 11 seasons of the 22-time Emmy-winner, the media brutally critiqued her physical appearance.
In the early seasons of the show, Winter was only 14 years old, which made the negative attention all the more difficult to deal with. “It was every headline I read about myself, like, grown people writing articles about me saying how I looked terrible or pregnant or like a fat slut. I mean, I was 14,” Winter said. “It totally damaged my self-esteem.” Popular on Variety “No matter what I was going through, I was a target,” she added. “It made it very difficult to look at myself in the mirror and go, ‘I love this version of me.’”
After Modern Family came to an end in 2020, Winter said that she and her boyfriend left L.A., but maintains that she “didn’t leave the industry.” Outside of acting, Winter works with the advocacy group SOSA (Safe From Online Sex Abuse), which helps protect young people from predators online. “Technically, yes, I’m a survivor. I’ve gone through some shit,” Winter said. “But a lot of people have gone through some shit. Calling me a survivor takes away from what I’m here for, which is to help others and shine a spotlight on those that need it.”
Ariel Winter discussed the negative public perception she endured as a growing minor and how it affected her self-worth. Winter reflected to People on the scrutiny she faced while playing Alex Dunphy, starting when she was 11 years old. Winter said headlines calling her 'terrible or pregnant or like a fat slut' damaged her self-esteem when she was 14 years old. At 21, when the show ended, she and her boyfriend Luke Benward moved out of Hollywood to Virginia after the 11 seasons of Modern Family wrapped.
Winter also showed off an F-bomb tattoo, symbolizing her journey of self-acceptance and healing. In a rare interview, she admitted that the relentless scrutiny over her body had a profound effect on her mental health. “I went on a journey of self-healing,” Winter said. “A big part of it was just realizing you don’t get to redo your childhood. It’s gone. And that hit me so hard.”
She continued, “I really had to focus all my time on healing that past because now I want my future to be great. I want to have a family of my own, and I have to be healed to the best version of me to be able to pour into being a mom myself someday.” Winter’s candid reflections on her experiences resonate deeply with many, as they shed light on the often-hidden struggles faced by child stars in the entertainment industry.
