Modern Family star Rico Rodriguez almost exited the show after the eighth season. Here's why

Manny Delgado wasn’t just another sitcom kid, he was Modern Family’s old-soul oddball in a blazer, the espresso-sipping poet in a sea of chaos. Played by Rico Rodriguez, Manny marched to the beat of his own bongo drums, wooing girls with Pablo Neruda quotes and pondering the meaning of life before his voice even cracked. Over time, viewers watched him evolve from the pint-sized philosopher to a dashing, if still slightly awkward, young man with a taste for drama and good tailoring.

However, the actor nearly stepped away from the role after season eight, as he revealed in Jesse Tyler Ferguson's podcast, Dinner's on Me. Rodriguez's father passed away, who had handled his work and his contacts on the show, and as the actor was presented with his season nine agreement, he considered quitting the show altogether.

Speaking on the podcast, he said,

"There was a point where I actually thought, you know, I don't know if I wanna come back. Because, I don't know, I mean, the patriarch of our family is gone and he was the biggest motivator. He was all of our ideas. So there was a point where I was like, you know what? Maybe I don't wanna come back and I wanna hold off because I don't know if I can."

He then added how his co-stars and the show helped him cope and also decide to continue with his character, as he continued,

"I stood up there and I looked at everybody and I couldn't help but cry and get emotional because my dad passed in March and then in July, we're starting right up again. And it was like, man, being here, it helps me. It's helping me just because I know how much love you guys have given me over the years. Knowing that I had you guys to be there with, to uplift me, and just have a good time, it really made my decision a lot easier to for sure come back."

How Manny Delgado was the heart of Modern Family

Manny Delgado, the pint-sized poet with a latte in hand and heartbreak in his eyes, was Modern Family’s resident romantic. Played with charm by Rodriguez, Manny felt like a tiny adult trapped in middle school, obsessed with old movies, grand gestures, and dramatic monologues.

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The later seasons especially saw his growth as he transitioned to a college kid and became, ironically, more of a teenager than he was in his childhood. His character saw development and was the heart of quite a few plotlines, and all of this would not have been possible if Rodriguez had exited the show.

Modern Family is available to stream on Disney+.

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