A Tony Award winner, lead on an ABC sitcom, and prolific stage performer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson has made his name in Hollywood. He was Emmy-nominated 5 times for his role in the ensemble comedy Modern Family, and won a Tony for his role in the revival of Richard Greenberg’s Take Me Out in 2022. In addition to all of this, Jesse is a loving father and husband to his spouse Justin Mikita and their two children together, noting that fatherhood has changed his life and moved the focus from his career to his family. Citing staycations as a way he and his husband stay connected in the busyness of family life, the actor speaks with Haute Living about his advice for new fathers, what he’s currently working on, and the possibility of a Modern Family reunion.
Haute Living: What are you currently working on? What’s coming up next?
Jesse Tyler Ferguson: I’m currently doing this podcast that launched a few weeks ago. It’s called Dinners On Me, and it’s me, taking friends and people I admire, out to lunch or dinner and having a really great conversation over a meal. It’s been a really fun way to get to know some people that I already knew really well, new people, and new friends, and the response has been really lovely. So that’s been keeping me very busy right now. The episodes that are available at the moment are: Julie Bowen, Jesse Williams, Kristen Bell, and Niecy Nash Betts. We also have Tracy Ellis Ross and Jim Parsons coming up.
HL: What about summer travel? Do you have any tips for people that are planning a trip and are you planning something fun this summer?
JTF: Yes! I’m actually celebrating my 10-year wedding anniversary this summer, so I’m going to New York and Greece. As far as tips, I love to book through the new Citi Travel with Booking.com site, using my Citi Premier card. It makes everything incredibly easy. Everything is in one place, hotels, flights, car rentals, attractions, and that’s really, really helpful. I’m super busy, so when I’m looking to book something, it’s nice to have everything in one spot.
Another tip I have, especially in the summer, is to try and carry on as much as possible. Now, there’s no excuse for winter jackets or heavy clothing, so if you can carry on it makes getting from your airport to the hotel so much easier. Also, always travel with a hand steamer to steam out the wrinkles, that’s great for summer travel.
HL: With Father’s Day coming up, do you have trips planned with the kids?
JTF: We [Justin and I] actually just had an early Father’s Day a few weeks ago, because we had a free weekend and we were like ‘Let’s grab this for an early Father’s Day, just the two of us.’ We had a staycation in Santa Monica using the Citi Travel site and that was great as we were only 30 minutes from home.
I think we’re probably going to go to New York with the kids at some point. Our older son, who is going to be three in July, is really fun to travel with. He’s very excited to get on an airplane and he’s not at that age where he just wants to run around in the aisle, he actually understands the rules of flying and it’s been really fun traveling with him. I love taking him to new places.
HL: That’s amazing. So, you mentioned that you had Julie Bowen on your podcast. Does the cast of Modern Family stay in touch at all? Is there any talk of a reunion episode?
JTF: No talks of a reunion episode, I don’t know if that would ever happen. I would love for it to happen though, for no other reason than just to see everyone in the same place. We have all reunited in smaller groups for weddings or birthdays or different events, but we haven’t all been together in one big group yet. We had such a tight relationship with the writers of that show, the crew, and the directors, so it is really quite an extended family. There is a group text that the cast all has together that reignites every once in a while, but no immediate plans for a reunion. Although I do think that would be really fun.
HL: How would you say that fatherhood changed your life and what advice would you have for new fathers?
JTF: Fatherhood has really reprioritized things. Being in this business can be very self-glorifying at times, and fatherhood has really forced me to put myself in the backseat and reprioritize and it’s been really lovely having other people to consider. Obviously, I love acting, it’s something so important to me and I want my kids to see me doing things that make me happy. But I love that I have these two people who need me, and they have definitely reprioritized and reconfigured my day.
As for advice, I’m still taking advice, so I feel like I’m not very good at giving it. I’m here to receive advice if anyone has any for me! But I would say that for any new parent, it’s really important to stay connected to your spouse. That’s something Justin and I have tried to do with staycations, and dates with one another, it’s very important for us to keep that alive.
HL: Absolutely, and you two have 10 years together, you guys have got it figured out.
JTF: Well, ten years [down] and ten more to go!
