Overview

• On a new Dinner’s On Me episode with Riz Ahmed, Ferguson reflects on the pressures he faced portraying Mitchell Pritchett.
• Ferguson says he felt put on a pedestal as one half of a prominent gay couple on network TV and had to tune out calls to present a flawless figure.
• He recalls gay viewers being angry about Mitchell’s reluctance to kiss Cam in public, a campaign that prompted the writers to create the episode The Kiss.
• He argues the hesitation with public affection was rooted in Mitchell’s childhood experiences and trauma, which he saw as essential character nuance.
• He acknowledges Modern Family’s 11-season run helped shift public attitudes, noting the couple’s marriage storyline and their adoption of Lily as part of its cultural impact.