‘Modern Family’ Star Julie Bowen Reveals She Was in Love With a Woman: “She Did Not Like Me in That Way”

Modern Family star Julie Bowen is opening up about the time she was in love with a woman, despite identifying as straight. The actress made the revelation on her podcast Quitters while talking to former The Bachelor contestant Becca Tilley.

Tilley, who starred in Season 19 and Season 20 of the hit dating show, revealed earlier this year that she has been in a relationship with singer Hayley Kiyoko since 2018. While speaking with Bowen, she dished on her thoughts about labels, saying they made her feel “more stressed.”

“I’m just attracted to people. I’m attracted to men, I’m attracted to women, and specifically, Hayley, I fell in love with,” she said. “I don’t have an issue with coming out, I just hope that one day people don’t have to come out.”

Bowen, who played Claire Dunphy on Modern Family from 2009 to 2020, went on to open up about her own sexuality. While she said she’s “straight” and has “always been straight,” she revealed she was in love with a woman for a while who did not love her back.

“She liked women, but she did not like me in that way,” she said. “But it never really took off, so I never really had to challenge my concept of my sexuality.”

Regarding labels, the Emmy award-winning actress joked, “If I started suddenly getting really into putting turtles in my ass in the bedroom and this was my jam, that is not something I’d go out and be like, ‘Guys, I’m a turtle ass-loving lady.'”

Bowen doubled down on the notion that she hopes “people don’t always have to come out” and that “what you do with your body should not be the first thing we know about people or care about.” She added, “That’s your business.”