Why Sarah Hyland Hated Her Character Ended With Modern Family

After 11 seasons of "Modern Family," actress Sarah Hyland feels her character, Haley Dunphy, deserved a better ending than she got.

After 11 seasons as Hayley Dunphy on Modern Family, Sarah Hyland hated the way her character's story ended. Hayley, the eldest of the Dunphys, is more concerned with her social life than her academics. This perspective is very different from that of her brother and sister, which only adds more humor to the Dunphys and their wild family life with their funny uncle and feisty grandfather.

While Modern Family season 11 focused on character growth, such as Alex's new job opportunity and Gloria's attempts to become a real estate agent, Hayley's story centers on her relationships. Hayley's work on Modern Family is as interesting as anyone else's, but the writers made an interesting choice for a character Hyland didn't like.

Why Sarah Hyland Hated Haley's Ending

In Modern Family season 10, episode 10, "Stuck in a Moment", Haley gives her parents the ultimate Christmas gift: she's pregnant. Considering that Hayley just landed a dream job and is working things out with her on-and-off boyfriend Dylan (Reed Ewing) after breaking up with Alex's professor Alvin (Chris Gil), the The news is shocking. No one expected to be pregnant as Hailey seems to be just starting her life Together. One of the few people who knew the news was Alex (Ariel Winter).

Hayley's focus on her boyfriend ruined her role on Modern Family. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Sarah Hyland expressed her disappointment with the character's ending. Hyland wants viewers to see Hailey "owning her badass in fashion — being a badass stylist or a brand mogul or something like that, rather than the character settling down and getting pregnant". That's not to say Hyland doesn't support motherhood. She just wants Hailey to have it all. “There are so many amazing mothers out there who are also hardworking, who are amazing at their jobs, and do a great job of both on a daily basis,” Hyland explained. “It’s a really cool thing to see.”

Haley Could Have Done So Much More

While it's unknown what happens to the show's characters after the series finale, a Modern Family spinoff that continues Hayley's story and shows her life as a mother and wife could be interesting. It would be especially inspiring to see her work as a celebrity stylist while raising kids and dealing with marriage, as Hyland envisions. Hailey has always been interested in photography and fashion, although she got kicked After leaving school, she attended community college in order to get her degree and get her life back on track.

While working for renowned designer Gavin Sinclair and lifestyle website NERP, Haley created the perfect life for herself. She's outgoing and finally focused enough on her goals. There's no reason Hailey couldn't do all of this. Even though Modern Family is over, viewers continue to enjoy the show via streaming, haunted by Hyland's regrets about the character's ending and a conviction that Hayley deserves so much more than get bogged down in sitcom clichés.