Ed O’Neill’s two daughters, Sophia and Claire, remain the center of the critically acclaimed actor’s life despite his choice to keep them out of the spotlight.
The “Modern Family” actor and his wife, Catherine Rusoff, welcomed their eldest daughter, Sophia, around 2000 and their youngest, Claire, around 2007, People reported.
The two young women rarely make their way to industry events — but when they have, they’ve left fans of their dad with unforgettable memories to look back on.
Ed O’Neill Embarrasses Daughter Sophia
During an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2019, Sophia was in the audience when the “Married with Children” star shared a hilarious story about kissing Sophia’s celebrity crush.
“I was working with Dylan O’Brien, who’s a young, handsome actor, who my daughter has a slight crush on,” Ed recalled of working with O’Brien on Jordan Peele’s “Weird City.”
“And in the story, we kiss,” he continued. “And she had to witness this and was very upset that it was me and not her.”
GettyEd, who turned 80 years old this April, recalled another humorous story about Sophia during “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” the following year, sharing how she refused to go to Rao’s Italian restaurant in Hollywood, claiming it was too far from their home in Santa Monica. Fortunately, he was able to convince her because while there, she ran into Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio.
“I saw her look up and all of a sudden it was like she was stricken,” the actor told Ellen. “My daughter has had a crush on Leo since Romeo + Juliet, so she freaked out. And on the way out, [DiCaprio] said, ‘Sophia, it was really nice meeting you, sweetheart.’ She was, like, comatose. Then we got in the car and I said, ‘Rao’s really isn’t all that far to go.’”
Ed O’Neill Regrets Bringing Daughter Claire to ‘Modern Family’ Party
Ed and Catherine’s youngest daughter, Claire, has appeared more frequently at events and red carpet premieres with her famous dad. She even included him in a trendy TikTok video in 2025.
Although the “Wreck-It Ralph” voice actor has cautiously tried to keep Claire and Sophia away from the entertainment industry, he went against his better judgment in 2023 when he allowed Claire to attend a “Modern Family” reunion party with him.
GettyHe recalled the experience on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s “Dinner’s on Me” podcast, saying that he quickly regretted his choice after someone at the party caught wind that Claire was with him.
“I brought my 17-year-old daughter, just ’cause she knows Sofía [Vergara], and someone somehow found out who she was and … it just blew up,” Ed told his former co-star. “‘Didn’t know you’re Ed’s daughter,’ ‘Wow, how old are you?’ and all this stuff. She loved it, of course, but I didn’t. I wasn’t crazy about that, [but] we had fun.”
It’s lovely to see these pictures. I always admired Ed O’Neill’s portrayal of a loving dad.