As the pater familias in Modern Family , by all accounts one of the most successful and influential sitcoms currently on air, Ty Burrell has spent the last nine years guilelessly but undeniably stepping into the role of national dad. Depending on your politics, you might argue that he shared the gig with Barack Obama for a while. And, yes, Dunphy is a sitcom archetype, but he works because Burrell owns it.
He gets that. However, and this warrants attention, Burrell is actually very cool. He is, among other things, a movie star. He also owns two bars and a restaurant in Utah, where he and his family live. And Burrell has side hustles on the side of his side hustles. Inspired by his own father, a social worker who worked with foster children, Burrell is carrying on his legacy with KITS , a non-profit program which empowers foster children through film making.
Are they named after anyone in particular? It is a Danish name and my wife has Danish heritage. Do you have any cute nicknames for your children? It was an accident but we still pat ourselves on the back. What do they call you? They call me Daddy. They occasionally call me Ty, which cracks me up. I will never tell them how obvious they are being. How often do you see them? I get to see them everyday. We have dinner together every night.
My wife and I were both raised in households where you sat down at dinner every night. It is a wonderful rhythm of the day thing. Describe your father in three words. Well intended dope. Kind, sensitive, and hilarious. What are your weaknesses as a father? Relatedly, what is your biggest regret as a father? Oh my gosh. My biggest weakness as a father is allowing my daughters to have tantrums. On the other hand, I have a lot of German in me.
No shouting. I expected I would be selling my daughters on it but, my God, they flip out over it. To be honest, we usually catch and release but the girls are excited about eating the fish too. What has been the moment you have been most proud of as a parent and why? Our youngest daughter, in particular, participates. It does take a little bit of effort and does feel incredibly satisfying to sit around the table and talk about the day over food that we all made. What heirloom did your father give to you, if any?
