The Pritchett clan in Modern Family is an impressively shameless bunch - over the years we’ve loved watching them prank each other, tell a whole lot of little white lies, guilt trip each other, and generally do whatever it takes to get what they want… although they never really do anything too mean. It’s all just part of their big dysfunctional family dynamic.
Patriarch Jay is no exception, either. The head of the family and the head of a company (at least at the start), Jay has no problem doing whatever he pleases - from tiny shameless moments to much bigger things.
Snitched On Manny
Jay’s relationship with Manny is a complicated one. Although Manny isn’t technically Jay’s son, it’s obvious that Jay loves him and would do anything to protect him… however, he also constantly teases him, puts him down… and even ratted him out to Gloria one Halloween! Jay wanted Manny’s help with a series of pranks, and when Manny tapped out of the ridiculousness, jay snitched on him to Gloria about not going to Luke’s party. Shameless and petty.
‘Accidentally’ Hurt Phil
From the start of their relationship, Jay has never thought that Phil was good enough for his daughter. Even after years, he is constantly undermining Phil and putting him down (although he’s been able to admit once or twice that he’s actually quite proud of his son in law now).
However, it’s also come to light recently that when Jay and Phil went out to fly model airplanes, Jay’s “accidentally” crashing the plane into Phil’s face wasn’t that accidental at all - and he was upset about Phil and Claire being together.
Treating Stella Like A Human
Ok, most dog owners have been guilty of this from time to time, but the extent to which Jay loves Stella gets truly shameless - and hard to watch. Not only does he spoil Stella rotten, but he often treats her more affectionately than he treats Gloria - buying Stella diamond jewelry and allowing her to get away with anything. Loving a pet is one thing, but the total lack of boundaries here is shameless!
Brought A Trashy Girl Home For Manny
Jay is usually well-intentioned, but occasionally he takes things a little too far - like in this incident from one of the most recent seasons. When Manny is upset because his girlfriend dumped him, Jay decides that the way to deal with it is to bring home a young woman who gives off quite an… open… vibe. When Gloria gets upset, Jay admits that he doesn’t think Manny would have a relationship with the girl, he just thought it would be a good thing for him. This is shameless on every level, but especially as he legitimately thought there was no problem with Manny potentially using a girl for a rebound.
His Ridiculous Fued With Closets, Closets, Closets
If there is one area where even Jay will admit that he has no shame, it’s his feud with Closets, Closets, Closets. This fight started way back when Jay was and Earl Chambers (the owner of Closets, Closets, Closets) were best friends and business partners… until Earl betrayed him, badmouthed him to their clients, and struck out on his own. A terrible thing to do, for sure, but this rivalry has now lasted through decades of fueding and pranks that really just has to stop.
Lies To His Sister When She Is In Hospital
Admittedly, Jay and Becky don’t exactly get along… they barely speak, and she’s not part of his family life, because she’s not a particularly nice person. However, when Jay finds out that she has had a stroke and is recovering in a nursing home, you might think that Jay would try and be a little kinder to her.
However, in reality, he tries to use her memory loss to convince her that their Dad’s cabin was left to him, not her. Turns out, though, she was actually fine, and just messing with him - so they are both utterly shameless on this occasion!
Lied To Gloria
Jay and Gloria actually have a very loving, if interesting, marriage - but Jay does have a terrible habit of lying to her all the time. From when they were first dating, and he lied about liking her cooking (and all kinds of other things, according to him), to lying about having her car keys to try and prove a point, to lying about all kinds of things he thinks he may want to hide from her, Jay is definitely not one who cares about honesty in a marriage.
Tries To Avoid His Family On Vacation
You would think that Jay would go on vacation with his family in order to spend time with them, but as it happens, he seems to atually want to avoid them as much as possible! It’s not as though this only happens on vacation, either… not only does he try and avoid them on a family trip to Hawaii, but even when they are at home, half the time he is trying to avoid them there, too! Everyone needs some alone time, and to be fair, this is a family that sees a lot of each other, but still. Hawaii could have been handled a whole lot better.
Raises Claire ‘Like A Son’
There’s a whole lot to unpack here, and Jay’s issues with gender roles and how he raised both Claire and Mitch could be an article in and of itself. However, in most things - especially when it comes to Jay’s occasional discomfort with Mitch’s sexuality - he does have some shame, and he does try and show Mitch his love (even if he fails, a lot). However, when it comes to Claire, he really has no shame over treating her like a ‘son’, encouraging her competitive nature, and generally favoring her over her brother without even trying to hide it.
Co-Opts Mitch’s Alone Time
This recent even deserves a mention because it’s so different to Jay’s usual attempts to get away from his family! He learns that Mitch likes to go away to a specific resort for some alone time on a regular basis, where he eats delicious food, reads a book, and generally relaxes. Mitch makes it sound like so much fun, though, that Jay decides to go to the same place, at the same time, to have the same vacation! They end up spending time together, and it’s actually quite sweet, but the decision to essentially invite himself along to a solo vacation is impressively shameless.
