Claire Dunphy is one of the best sitcom moms of our decade. She’s not just a homemaker, she’s also a wife, mother, sister, and boss. It may take her a little while to find her footing but there is nothing that Claire can’t do. However, it has been noted multiple times throughout Modern Family’s 11 seasons that Claire can come off as a bully.
Due to her controlling nature and her massive meltdowns, Claire (hilariously) turns into a tyrant. She makes crude remarks to her “stepmother” Gloria, she cares so much about her children that she becomes aggressive, and her embarrassment over her husband can turn her judgemental. Through and through, Claire’s competitive nature can turn her into a bit of bully and we have 10 pieces of evidence that prove it. Despite her ruthless moments, though, we know there’s a good heart in there somewhere.
SHE MOCKS PHIL ALL THE TIME
Many Modern Family fans can agree that Phil Dunphy should get an award for being the best dad and husband year after year. He’s compassionate, thoughtful, silly, and would do anything for his family — no matter how poorly they treat him sometimes.
Although Claire loves Phil dearly, she bullies him far too often. The only reason it seems like she’s not bullying him is that they’re married. But she’s mocked his tight suit in “The Late Show,” she disapproved of his satin Valentine’s Day pajamas, she hid the fact that he could have had a magic shop in his name because she was embarrassed… The list goes on and on.
AND SHE ALMOST RUINED HIS SCARB PRESENTATION
If you think back to every bully on TV or in the movies, they tend to pick on the weak by hiding their things or making them feel inferior. In this instance, Phil was super excited to be hosting the SCARBs — an awards ceremony for realtors in Southern California. He planned his set for weeks, arranging each joke meticulously.
And while his family members thought he’d do great, Claire had zero faith in her husband. She thought she was “protecting” Phil by hiding his note cards for his hosting gig but all she did was embarrass and trip Phil up. Thankfully, Phil remembered his set like the back of his hand and he did a great job. But shame on Claire for trying to throw him off.
MAKES DEROGATORY COMMENTS TOWARDS MITCHELL FOR BEING A ‘GIRL’
It’s no secret that Claire is the tomboy that Jay has always wanted. She’s competitive, dedicated, and keeps her eye on the prize. She’s also very athletic, an attribute Jay wishes his son Mitchell had (but does not).
Time and time again throughout the series, we’ve seen Claire call Mitchell a “girl” for being afraid to do things. Mitchell is brave in his own right and does things on his own terms. He doesn’t need to be ridiculed for not doing something as abrasive as Claire would.
AND PUSHES HIM INTO SITUATIONS HE’S NOT COMFORTABLE WITH
Phil praises Claire all the time for being fearless. She loves scary things, rollercoasters, and pushing the limits. When Phil is scared to do something, Claire is pretty sensitive to the fact (in her own Claire-kind-of way). But when Mitchell is afraid to do something, she pushes him to a point of explosion.
In “Lake Life,” Mitchell runs into an old camp friend where he brings up Mitchell’s bully from camp – a girl named Claire… She also pushes Mitchell into paying Jay back for the downpayment for his house (with money that wasn’t even his).
SHE DESTROYED AWESOMELAND TO HAVE HER WAY
It’s no secret that Halloween is Claire’s favorite holiday but when Claire had to work on Halloween, she left Phil in charge of decorating their house. Adorably, Phil turns Halloween from a scary holiday to a fun holiday. He turns his home into Awesomeland; a place for everything Phil finds awesome.
Phil was so excited about the opportunity and had a pep in his step while decorating. But when Claire’s competitive side comes out, she gets rid of Awesomeland entirely and goes back to a haunted house. This destroyed Phil’s night and his confidence.
SHE CAME OFF TOO STRONG AS A NEW BOSS
When Claire begins working for her dad, her biggest fear is being looked at as the boss’s daughter. She wanted to make a name for herself without people thinking she got where she’s at because of her relation to the CEO.
However, when Jay gives her managerial tasks to do (like telling someone to bathe more and to tell a woman about dressing more modestly), she comes off as a bully. She doesn’t come off as a team player who should be respected, she comes off as someone who’s judgemental and awkward.
ADULTS WEREN’T THE ONLY PEOPLE SHE BULLIED
Considering Claire is a married mother of three young-adult children, one would assume she would stick to people her own age when it comes to bullying. But Claire’s competitive nature is so strong that she picks on the weak, no matter their age.
When Luke wasn’t chosen for an award at the end of the school year, Claire sabotaged the rightful winner of the award so that Luke would come in first place. She even called him a narc…
SHE BULLIES GLORIA FOR BEING BEAUTIFUL
Claire’s stepmom Gloria (and we use the term stepmom loosely here) is stunning. She’s young, Columbian, and is charming beyond belief. Claire is jealous of Gloria in many ways but her jealousy comes out in the form of bullying.
When Gloria and Jay first started dating, Claire called officials to check on Gloria to make sure she was legally allowed to be in the US. She also gets excited by the prospect of her gaining weight when she gets pregnant with baby Joe. Their relationship has grown closer over the years but Claire doesn’t always respect Gloria for the great woman that she is.
BULLYING HER KIDS INTO DOING WHAT SHE WOULD DO
Funny enough, Haley is the spitting image of Claire when she was her age. She snuck out of her house when her parents were sleeping, she drank underaged, she dated people her parents would disapprove of on purpose…
Seeing that Haley is making every mistake that Claire did, she is particularly hard on her. The harder she tries to control Haley’s life, the more aggressive (and sneaky) she becomes, and the more Haley resents her for it. She does the same thing when Alex is looking at colleges and when she starts dating Ben.
SHE MADE FUN OF HER NEIGHBORS JUST TO GET WHAT SHE WANTED
Claire and Phil live in a family-friendly neighborhood that they love, but when new disruptive neighbors move in next door, Claire pushes them to the edge to get them to move out. The family is unphased by Claire’s bullying tactics and fight fire with fire but they’re not the only ones she attacks.
She destroys a statue on her other neighbor’s front yard for being lude and she picks on another family during a town hall meeting when she was being denied her she-shed. Claire means well but she comes off far too strongly in all the wrong ways.
