Ariel Winter's real family was no comedy. From abuse allegations to relationship controversy
to everyone talking about her breasts, this is what she's been through.
Ariel Winter was 12 when she revealed to KW that watching "Dora the Explorer"
and wanting to be a part of that world inspired her to become
an actor. At age 4, she was booking roles in commercials. She said at the time,
"When I was seven years old, my parents asked me if this was what I really wanted to do
and I just remember pledging my dedication to being an actress,
so my parents relented and I moved on to do television and movies."
However, Winter later changed her characterization of her parents, telling "Nightline" in 2016,
"I think that when I was born, it was kind of already decided what I was expected to be,
and so I was kind of pushed into the industry."
Facing constant criticism was difficult for Winter, as was the focus on her appearance. Winter
claimed to the Hollywood Reporter in 2017 that her mother made her wear age-inappropriate clothing
when she was 12 years old. The actor said that such attire made her look twice her age, adding,
"If there was going to be a nude scene when I was that age,
my mother would have a thousand percent said yes."
Winter's mom, Chrisoula "Chrystal" Workman, contended on "Inside Edition" that her estranged
daughter's allegations about her childhood attire were untrue. When Workman was shown a photo of
Winter wearing a short gold dress as a child, she said she saw nothing wrong with the garment.
"She's wearing her dress that's adorable. You don't see
any other part of her body except her cute little legs."
Some "Modern Family" viewers criticized Winter for her new, curvier figure as the show went
on. It made the actor feel so bad about herself that she tried to lose weight. She told The Cut,
"I got the worst comments. I was called fat and ugly and a slut and all the worst possible things.
It was really, really hard for me."
In addition to her own experimentation with extreme dieting,
Winter claimed to The Hollywood Reporter that her mother limited what she ate as a child.
The alleged diet was so extreme that one of Winter's tutors,
Sharon Sacks, noticed how famished the actor was on the "Modern Family" set. Sacks recalled,
"I would order a couple lunches in my name so Ariel could eat one of them.
Boiled chicken and cucumbers isn't going to do it for a growing kid."
Winter's openness about her struggles, along with her perseverance and unshakeable self-confidence,
made Winter a body-positive icon. She told Teen Vogue in 2013,
"Every girl has insecurities — mine were heightened at the time
because my mother wasn't supportive."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Winter was removed from her home in 2012 after her
on-set tutor, Sharon Sacks, reported her mother, Chrisoula Workman, to authorities. Court documents
showed that Winter's older sister, Shanelle Gray, claimed that her mom had physically and verbally
abused the young star. Court documents further stated that her dad, Glenn Workman, was estranged
from the family and was "incapable" of caring for his daughter. Both parents denied the allegations.
In November 2012, E! News reported Gray was granted temporary guardianship of her sister
after evidence was discovered backing one of her claims. In 2015, at age 17,
Winter was officially emancipated from her parents. Winter tweeted,
"I want to thank @shanelle_gray and my father for their special support regarding this matter,
I really couldn't have done it without them."
In 2014, Chrisoula Workman addressed her daughter's abuse allegations on "Dr. Phil."
She accused Winter of fabricating her claims and said,
"I have never abused Ariel in any way. I love Ariel with all my heart. She's my baby."
"It was really painful for me to watch my mom go on news outlets,
and go on Dr. Phil and kind of spread things."
Winter and Gray's brother, actor Jimmy Workman, chose the opposing side in the family feud.
In November 2012, Jimmy alleged to ET that both Winter and Gray had lied about being abused.
The following year, Jimmy got involved in the legal battle, unsuccessfully seeking to
replace Gray as Winter's temporary guardian. According to TMZ, he viciously attacked Gray,
accusing her of drug use, public nudity, and squandering Winter's money.
As for Winter's father, Glenn Workman, TMZ reported that he was awarded temporary
oversight of Winter's finances in 2012. Although he and his daughter were estranged for a time,
Winter appeared to defend her father's absence, telling The Hollywood Reporter,
"He just opted out a little bit."
They eventually repaired their relationship, as evidenced by Winter
describing Glenn as "The best dad there is" in a now-deleted 2017 Instagram post.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse,
please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
When Ariel Winter was 14 years old and dating 18-year-old actor Cameron Palatas,
Fox news reported that her mother reported her daughter's boyfriend to authorities,
alleging statutory rape. That wouldn't be the only time the age
difference between Winter and one of her boyfriends made headlines.
At 19, the young star had to defend her decision
to move in with her romantic partner at the time, Levi Meaden. He was 10 years her senior,
which prompted some criticism. Winter told Refinery29 in 2017,
"I don't understand why someone would even comment on our situation at all.
There are tons of people of all ages that live with their boyfriend. [...] I'm super
happy in the arrangement that we have. We love living together."
The actor was so smitten with her boyfriend that she told Us Weekly that she wanted to marry him.
The relationship became tabloid fodder,
with Star claiming that Winter was paying Meaden to basically be her housekeeper
and personal assistant. Winter blasted the claims on Twitter, writing,
"I would NEVER pay my boyfriend any sort of allowance,
nor would he EVER accept if offered [...] he more than pulls his weight for our life."
After three years together, the couple split in 2019.
An insider suggested to Hollywood Life that their age disparity contributed to the breakup, saying,
"As time passed she realized that she and her boyfriend had less and less in common."
In 2015, Ariel Winter underwent breast reduction surgery.
She suggested to Glamour that the procedure had been so appealing because she was tired of being
sexualized. Speaking about the tabloids' obsession with her chest, she griped,
"Every article that has to do with me on a red carpet always had to do with 'Ariel
Winter's Crazy Cleavage!' Or 'Ariel Winter Shows Huge Boobs at an Event!'"
Winter added that the weight of her breasts had caused neck and back pain, as well as
spinal issues. Ultimately, the physical discomfort and psychological pain her breasts were causing
her were what really spurred her desire to make a change. She wrote in a piece for Time magazine,
"I was uncomfortable and unhappy. I chose surgery because of how I felt,
not because of what anyone else thought."
"I couldn't sit up straight. It was always super uncomfortable for me to sleep.
It was uncomfortable to sit, it was uncomfortable to walk."
Unfortunately, the procedure didn't halt headlines about her body, and the media zeroed in on her
visible surgery scars when she walked the red carpet at the 2016 SAG Awards. Her own mother,
Chrisoula Workman, also criticized Winter showing her scars. Workman said on "Inside Edition,"
"She should never be embarrassed about her scars,
but what she shouldn't do is be flaunting them and showing them to everybody."
Winter disagreed, tweeting:
"Guys there is a reason I didn't make an effort to cover up my scars!
They are part of me and I'm not ashamed of them at all."
In 2019, one of Ariel Winter's cousins, actor Tino Tsutras, had to be placed on life support
after a frightening health scare involving a potentially deadly bacterial infection.
Winter tweeted a link to a GoFundMe page to raise money for his recovery. Winter wrote,
"This is my cousin Tino. If you can,
please consider donating to his recovery fund. Anything helps. I love him so much."
A number of her followers responded by slamming her for asking others to donate
instead of dipping into her own savings. Some pointed to her high net worth as proof
that she could have easily provided Tsutras with all the financial support he needed.
Celebrity Net Worth estimates the value of Winter's total assets as $12 million,
though she disputed this number in response to a critical tweet. Another tweet to her read,
"Pathetic and disgusting asking for money when you have the means to pay for it yourself."
Winter responded to the backlash by writing, in part,
"I'm shocked at how many people have sent me hate tweets about my cousin
instead of a simple, kind message showing him some love and support."
Tsutras received over $25,000 in donations, and six months after Winter reached out to her fans,
he was back at work on the set of the BET series "American Soul," according to his Instagram.
Ariel Winter has been open about her mental health struggles,
telling "Good Morning America" that she's experienced both anxiety and depression.
The actor has also worked hard to remove the stigma surrounding going to therapy.
She told ET that she loves her twice-a-week sessions. She also told Teen Vogue in 2020,
"I never want to quit therapy. I feel like people are never 'cured' [with] therapy.
It's not a 'cured' thing, because you're not going in sick. [...] What's negative
and wrong and embarrassing about bettering your life?"
"I think more people should be open to going to therapy and have an open mind."
While Winter might be her therapist's biggest cheerleader,
finding an antidepressant that was right for her was a major struggle. Some of them
had unwanted side effects, including weight gain. Winter wrote in a 2019 Instagram story,
"It was always frustrating for me because I wanted to be able to get fit
and feel like the work I was doing was paying off, but it never felt that way."
Some of her followers accused her of switching depression medications
just to slim back down. While changing meds did help her lose 30 pounds,
she insisted to Teen Vogue that the weight loss was just a happy coincidence. She also told ET,
"I think it's important to fully normalize mental health and the use of mental health medications."
In 2021, she even shared a selfie on Instagram with her meds clearly
and proudly on display in the background.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text
Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline
at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.