Julie Bowen is officially off the market, but she’s not sharing names. The Modern Family star, 56, told People that she has a new man in her life, describing him simply as a“lovely friend.”She’s keeping his identity under wraps, though she did admit he’s smart, funny, and easy on the eyes.
If you’re wondering what she’s looking for at this stage of life, she spelled it out: brains come first.“I need smart and funny. Those are the two,”she said. Bowen was married to real estate entrepreneur Scott Phillips from 2004 to 2018, and together they share three sons: Oliver, 19, and twins John and Gustav, 17.
The news came out during Step Up’s 2026 Annual Inspiration Awards on September 25, where Bowen also got candid about parenting teenagers. She joked that raising her real kids is way harder than wrangling her TV children on Modern Family, a show she starred on for eleven seasons.
So what’s your take: would you keep a new relationship private if the whole world was watching, or would you shout it from the rooftops?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.