Actor Eric Stonestreet shares details about his unforgettable role on Modern Family, exciting changes on the home front and a new show in the works
EXCLUSIVE: Actor Eric Stonestreet on Life After Modern Family: “I Want to Find a Great Way to Be Meaningful in People’s Lives Again”
Updated on Jan. 27, 2025
You may know Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker, the unforgettable and hilarious character who lit up our screens for 11 seasons of Modern Family—widely regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time. Stonestreet’s vibrant, larger-than-life portrayal of Cam brought heartfelt humor to the Emmy-winning series.
But what has he been up to since the sitcom wrapped in 2020? In an exclusive interview with Reader’s Digest, the two-time Emmy winner shares his post-Modern Family journey. Stonestreet is busier than ever, and things aren’t slowing for him any time soon—he’s hard at work on an exciting new show, Home Team, that promises to introduce us to another character bound to steal our hearts.
So dive in for an inspiring glimpse into Stonestreet’s life, projects and thoughts on chasing dreams. As Cam Tucker wisely said, “The realists—well, without the dreamers, they might not ever get off the ground.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Reader’s Digest: Home Team seems like a very fun show. What drew you to the role, and how does it challenge you as an actor compared with your work on Modern Family?
Eric Stonestreet: It’s a project that we have set up at Amazon right now with [NFL Hall of Famer] Peyton Manning and Omaha Productions. We’re just now in the script-writing phase, so this isn’t a show that’s on TV yet. This is a show that Amazon has committed to developing with us—myself, the writers and the producers.
It was exciting to get to have this project brought to me and see a different part that I can play, which is all I’ve ever wanted to do as an actor—create new, fun, lasting, meaningful characters. So just like everything else, it seems like a fun opportunity to play a great character.
Reader’s Digest: What would you say is one hilarious behind-the-scenes memory from Modern Family that still makes you laugh today?
Eric Stonestreet: There’s no way we were such a successful show without us being funny off camera. There was always stuff going on behind the scenes. There were times in the beginning when we were enamored with ourselves and enamored with the show. It was new to us, [so much] that we would laugh and laugh and laugh.
I think about craft service, where everybody gathers to get meals, and [there] are so many memories in there of just laughing with the crew. The one that comes to mind always is the Halloween episode, where my head was in a table, and they kept taking the thing off my head. Sophia was the witch. And add in the gargoyle costume. That’s an immediate one that comes to my mind that I’ll never forget—looking around and thinking we have the best job ever with the most funny, talented people ever.
Reader’s Digest: People still adore Cam—I definitely do. How do you feel about the character’s lasting impact? Have you ever been surprised by some of the fans’ reactions to him over the years?
Eric Stonestreet: I’ve always been so proud to play that character. I always thought that because of who I am and my diverse background—meaning a farmer and a drummer and a football player and a clown—all those things would bring dynamic to the character.
We knew he was gay, but the creators were so smart in that way. They never wanted that to define either of those two characters. They wanted them to be just like everyone else in dealing with what parents deal with. They wanted them to be parents. They wanted them to be partners. They wanted them to be uncles, brothers and sons. I was always proud to bring my life’s perspective to the character.
More than anything, I never knew, as an actor, that I would have an impact on people’s lives. I always hoped I would. I remember very distinctly 9/11, when that tragedy happened, me sitting in my apartment in Burbank, California, and watching people risk their lives to save people. I always thought, “What am I doing in this world? What am I going to do?”
It wasn’t really until the success of Modern Family that I felt validated in that I made people laugh on a big stage—having cancer patients come up to me and say how our show gets them through their chemo, having mothers and fathers come up to me and say that [their children] are now deceased and how their child’s last laughs on this Earth were watching Modern Family, and Cam was their favorite character. It always makes me proud and thankful that I got the role that I got and that I was able to make an impact in those people’s lives.
Reader’s Digest: It’s a great reminder of the power that comedy has in our lives—putting a smile on someone’s face matters. Speaking of things worth smiling about, I hear you and your fiancee, Lindsay Schweitzer, are building your dream home in Kansas. What’s that been like?
Eric Stonestreet: We’re not done with it. We’ve got three more months to go, but it’s been a phenomenal experience with Lindsay. Everybody said it’s so stressful, but it’s a testament to how great she is and how we are together. We really haven’t had many arguments or fights. It’s been my creative outlet for the last couple years after Modern Family ended. I moved home to be with my dad and to be with Lindsay, and then getting this opportunity to buy this property and build this house has been sort of my stimulus for creativity.
Now that it’s wrapping up, I’m starting to get hungry again. I want to get back out there and act and find a find a great, great role and a great way to be meaningful in people’s lives again, but I’ve loved the process. I always dreamed of it. My parents did it about the same age that I did it. They built their dream home, and my mom still lives there now. We’re building a house that sees us through the rest of our lives, and it’s just been a great experience.
Reader’s Digest: One of your partnerships is with Kidde, the largest manufacturer of fire-safety products. What inspired you to get involved, and how has the collaboration impacted your perspective on fire safety? [Note: Reader’s Digest spoke to Stonestreet prior to the Los Angeles wildfires.]
Eric Stonestreet: Well, Kidde is a great company, and now that they’ve partnered with the powerhouse Ring, Kidde and Ring together is like dual forces unite. It’s a crazy partnership that’s just so great for people because now Kidde works with Ring to let you know that the smoke levels have gotten to a level, or the CO, carbon monoxide, has gotten to an unsafe level. It lets you know wherever you are in the world, which is crazy.
More than anything, it’s impacted me because I don’t want a tragedy to happen at the house. And interestingly enough, when I first met with Kidde, my mom calls me and tells me that her carbon monoxide detectors were beeping, and they were out of order.
People don’t realize it’s important to know that fires happen faster now than they ever have with a lot of the products we have in our homes. Around the holidays, especially with Christmas trees and things like that, there’s a lot of material in our home. Fires happen quicker than they used to. With Kidde and Ring, now you have a head start to get out of the house faster than others might.
Rapid response with Eric Stonestreet
Before we hit Stonestreet with some rapid-response questions, we learned he has a personal connection to Reader’s Digest—his dad was an avid reader too. “I have many fond memories of him telling me fables and stories that he would have read in Reader’s Digest,” he says. “I always remember the little book right next to his bed.”
Want more fun tidbits about Stonestreet? Check out his answers below.
Reader’s Digest: Aisle seat or window?
Eric Stonestreet: Specifically, [the] right side window so I can lean on my right shoulder.
Reader’s Digest: Dogs or cats?
Eric Stonestreet: You can’t do that. I grew up with all kinds of animals. We have a dog and two cats. Equally, the same.
Reader’s Digest: Mornings or nights?
Eric Stonestreet: I like mornings—not 5 o’clock mornings, but 7:30 to 9 a.m. mornings.
Reader’s Digest: Would you rather time travel to the past or future?
Eric Stonestreet: Oh, I think the past.
Reader’s Digest: If you weren’t an actor, what would you be doing?
Eric Stonestreet: I think I would be in some sort of restaurant, hospitality business—something making people happy with food.
Reader’s Digest: What advice would you give to your younger self if you could?
Eric Stonestreet: I would say that it’s not that big of a deal. Most things that we get hung up on really turn out to be not that big of a deal. And you’ll know when they are [a big deal] as you move through life.
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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this interview with actor Eric Stonestreet, Reader’s Digest Associate Editor Mariah Thomas tapped her experiences as a celebrity interviewer, lifestyle writer and editor of more than five years, to ask engaging and exclusive questions to share with readers. This video interview took place on Dec. 17, 2024. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
