Hookin’ up on Twitter. Secret singing skills. And snoozin’ her way through episodes?
"Modern Family" fans know Sarah Hyland as oldest Dunphy daughter Haley,
but there are things about the actor the world has no clue about.
Growing up, Sarah Hyland and her family lived in a 300-square-foot New York City apartment,
complete with a bathtub in the kitchen, according to Cosmopolitan. Because Hyland's father is a
working actor, she told the magazine he had to travel for regional theater to put food on the
table. Luckily, the years of struggle paid off — not just for Sarah, but also for her father,
who was cast as Dumbledore in Broadway's "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."
However, since he knew the business,
Hyland's father didn't want her to follow in his footsteps. Hyland told Teen Vogue,
"They were totally against it. My dad is an actor,
so they know how tough the entertainment industry can be."
Despite her father's resistance to Hyland's chosen career path, she demonstrated her trademark
determination, moving to Los Angeles from New York City when she was only 18 years old. She said,
"I gave myself two months to book a job. One month later I was cast on 'Modern Family.'"
Sarah Hyland has been acting from a tender age. When she was 4 years old,
she landed an acting role as Howard Stern's daughter in the 1997 movie "Private Parts."
Looking back on the role, Hyland told Yahoo! Entertainment,
"There was a PA, and he was like, 'I'll get you anything you need.'
I was like, 'PA — oh, like personal assistant!'
I was like, 'Blimpie and chocolate-covered strawberries!' And somehow he found it."
Over the years, before landing her breakout role as Haley Dunphy in "Modern Family,"
Hyland also nabbed roles in movies and TV shows. Her list of credits include "Another
World," "Lipstick Jungle," and the 1999 "The Wonderful World of Disney" version of "Annie."
Hyland also had a bit part in the movie "Spanglish" as "Sleepover Friend."
"It's me literally running from a car into
the house, and then just sitting on a couch smiling like a doofus."
In 1998, young Sarah Hyland starred as Molly, the child of Jennifer Aniston's character,
in the movie "The Object of My Affection." Hyland told Yahoo! Entertainment that she
had a big crush on co-star Paul Rudd while filming the romantic comedy.
"I ran into Paul a couple years ago and he was like, 'Hey!
You're so big!' I was like, 'Yeah, I have boobs now.'"
Hyland has kept up with Jennifer Aniston. When the "Friends" actor joined Instagram in 2019,
Hyland posted a throwback photo from the movie,
showing her being held by Rudd and Aniston. Her caption read,
"In honor of @jenniferaniston getting an Instagram I'm reposting this picture from
almost 24 years ago. Neither she, Paul Rudd, nor myself have aged since 1996. I love ya fake mama!"
Born with kidney dysplasia, Sarah Hyland has struggled with health issues her entire life.
Not only has she had two kidney transplants, but she's also endured laparoscopic surgery for
endometriosis and surgery to correct an abdominal hernia, as she told Self in 2018. She said,
"Laparoscopic [surgery is] one of the most painful things I've ever been through in my life.
That's why I'm so independent. In some areas of my life,
I literally have no choice but to be dependent. I've been going through this for 28 years,
and I still am learning how to let go of control and how to be patient."
Hyland's health has continually brushed up against her personal and professional life.
The actor began dialysis in February 2017, choosing a center near the set of "Modern
Family." Through it all, she's been candid about her health. She told Cosmopolitan,
"I think a lot of people hide their struggles because they don't want to be seen as weak."
Clearly, Hyland knows that it's not weak to be open and honest.
Sarah Hyland and her partner, Wells Adams, often post adorable, loved-up photos on Instagram,
which is fitting considering they connected via social media.
A contestant on JoJo Fletcher's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2016,
Adams publicly came on Hyland's radar when she called him "hot" on Twitter. She wrote in a post,
"Ugh! @WellsAdams making a 'Lord
of the Flies' reference on men tell all??? #knewhewasthebestfromthestart #menwhoreadarehot"
Hyland and Adams' first back and forth exchange in 2017 was similarly adorable. Hyland tweeted,
"OH MY GOD @WellsAdams IS THE FRIKKIN BARTENDER?! Best. Season. Ever."
Adams cheekily replied,
"Taking applications for #BIP5 bar backs now. Please send references. Preferably
from Phil Dunphy. I'm kidding the job is yours @Sarah_Hyland."
Of their connection online leading to love, Hyland told Cosmopolitan,
"We were talking about what kinds of weddings we wanted four days after we made things official.
I hate that typical cliché of 'when you know,
you know,' but it's so f---ing true. At least it was for me."
In February 2020, Sarah Hyland and her "Modern Family" co-star Ariel Winter
attended the show's final season wrap party at the Sunset Room Hollywood in Los Angeles.
Hyland posted photos to her Instagram account, as well as photos of them
with the actor behind their on-screen brother, Nolan Gould. In the caption, Hyland wrote,
"I love these people with all my heart. [...] We'll always
be Dunphys and we'll always have each other."
"You are the only one who really cares about me."
However, the photos were met with a smattering of nasty comments from trolls tearing down Winter
for an outfit deemed too revealing by some, as reported by the Independent. In response
to these Instagram comments shaming Winter, Hyland swiftly clapped back,
"She's a sexy and confident woman. Everyone that is making a negative
comment about my sister can back the f--- up because I WILL NOT tolerate it."
For more than 10 years, Sarah Hyland played the role of Haley Dunphy to perfection on "Modern
Family," evolving the character from a shallow and somewhat bratty teen to a mature young mother of
twins. However, despite Hyland's integral role on the show, her appearances were cut back in
the final season. Hyland spoke to Cosmopolitan about her reduced screen time, confessing she was
disappointed and wished Haley had been given a chance to become a stylist or brand mogul.
Hyland's limited screen time focused solely on her new status as a mom of twins,
something Hyland wished had been pushed further to round out the character. Hyland told the magazine,
"There are so many amazing mothers who are also hard workers and excel at their jobs
and kill it every day in both aspects. That would have been a really cool thing to see,
especially from someone like Haley."
Sarah Hyland is known for her acting chops,
so it might be surprising to discover that she's also a phenomenal singer, too.
The star's musical abilities make sense considering her background. When Hyland was young,
she co-starred in a TV version of the musical "Annie," and she has also appeared on Broadway.
In 2016, Hyland and the band Boyce Avenue teamed up for a lovely cover of The Chainsmokers' song
"Closer," with Hyland effortlessly tackling singer Halsey's vocals. And over the years,
Hyland has continued posting videos of herself singing flawlessly. In 2019,
Hyland's Instagram video singing "Seasons of Love" from "Rent" racked up more than 600,000 views.
Hyland also delighted fans when she and musician Jordan McGraw performed
their single "Met at a Party" at the 2019 Teen Choice Awards.
In March 2022, Deadline reported that Sarah Hyland was now attached to a pretty perfect project:
a television spin-off of the "Pitch Perfect" film franchise.
As fans anxiously await for it to hit their small screens,
Hyland can still hardly believe she's a part of it. She wrote on Instagram,
"Aca-scuse me?! Reuniting with @adamdevine???? Sounds like Treble!"
The series, which will follow Adam Devine's character from the films,
begins in Berlin, where Bumper Allen is making his mark on the music industry.
Hyland is set to play his quirky American assistant Heidi,
who secretly has aspirations to make it big in the business herself.
Fans had gushed over Sarah Hyland and Matthew Prokop after seeing the real-life
couple star alongside each other in "Geek Charming." However, just behind the scenes,
the two were reportedly in an intense, and sometimes abusive, relationship.
In 2014, after dating for five years, TMZ reported that Hyland had issued a restraining order against
her ex-boyfriend. Court documents detailed that Prokop had physically and emotionally abused
her throughout their relationship. It was only when Hyland's "Modern Family" mom Julie Bowen
reportedly got involved that the couple split up. Ever since, Hyland has been heavily involved in
an organization called SHE RECOVERS. Hyland said during an interview with Refinery29,
"The fact that [SHE RECOVERS] works with women who come from abusive situations is really
important to me. A lot of people like to think that once you're out of an abusive situation,
it ends there, but it doesn't. The emotional trauma and scars on the soul stay there."
Though Sarah Hyland spent more than a decade starring on "Modern Family," she's admitted
that some days she spent on set were a blur. The actor admitted on the podcast "Quitters,"
"There are some episodes of 'Modern Family' where I do not remember filming because I was asleep."
The star was in the midst of filming Season 3 when she was dealing with major pain due to
kidney dysplasia. While working each day as she waited for her first kidney transplant,
Hyland often had trouble staying awake due to exhaustion from the condition. Between takes,
she would even rest her head on a table and awaken when she was called onto set. She said,
"When you have grown up your entire life having health issues and always essentially
being in pain, you have to learn how to have thick skin, put on a show, put on a smile in front of
everybody. […] I don't like to victimize myself. I don't like other people to victimize me."
Over the course of her life, Sarah Hyland has dealt privately with
endometriosis and kidney dysplasia. As a result of the procedures she's had,
the star has had to endure unpleasant symptoms like hair loss and swelling
on her face — and they both happened while starring on "Modern Family."
Many fans of the show never knew what Hyland was going through. To keep her diagnosis private,
she opted to wear hair extensions when she was playing Haley. The actor said during
an interview with Self that in order to keep up with her filming schedule,
she even chose a medical center to go through dialysis each week very close to the set.
"I love working. I love acting. And I love this and I love that
and I love all of this. Oh and also, I have endometriosis."