What happens when childhood stars step back into the limelight? Well, if you’re Rico Rodriguez, you’ve gone from a charming pre-teen on Modern Family to a dapper 28-year-old rocking a goatee at a horror movie premiere. It’s amazing to consider how the stars align not just in the universe but in our lives, shaping who we become over the years. Speaking of alignments, could this appearance signify a new chapter in Rico’s life, perhaps driven by today’s astrological vibes? Get ready, because this transformation has captivated fans and sparked curiosity. From his days as Manny Delgado, the adorable son of Sofia Vergara’s character, to his fresh red-carpet looks, Rico’s evolution is one for the cosmic books! Curious about where this journey is headed? LEARN MORE.
An actor who starred in Modern Family as a child has re-emerged at a movie premiere, and has changed a lot since his time on the hit show.
Rico Rodriguez became a big name for his role in the show, where he played Manny Delgado, who is the son of Gloria, played by Sofia Vergara.
At the time Rodriguez was just 11 years old, being thrust into the spotlight in the TV show which ran for some 11 seasons before the finale in 2020.
The show also starred Ed O’Neill as Jay Pritchett, Gloria’s husband and Manny’s stepdad.
Following the end of the show Rodriguez has gone on to have roles in several shows on Nickelodeon, including Sneaks, an animated comedy about basketball, which he featured in with Chloe Bailey and Anthony Mackie.
Rodriguez is now 28 years old, and was spotted at a movie premiere just this week, the Daily Mail reports.
Now, the actor has appeared at the premiere for the horror movie It Ends, and certainly looks very different now.

He looks so different! (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
His boyish looks are gone, and the actor now sports a goatee, looking very different from when he starred in Modern Family.
He’s not the only member of the Modern Family cast to have changed a lot either, with Jeremy Maguire also stunning fans with how much he has changed.
Rodriguez did not act in the movie It Ends, but appeared at the premiere with Raini Rodriguez, his sister .
Raini had starred in Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally, as well as playing the daughter of Paul Blart in Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
Rodriguez was born in Texas and moved to Los Angeles where be started acting when he was just six years old.
He would get a part on Cory in the House, a spin-off of the Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven, and would later go on to feature in the spoof Epic Movie, which starred Kal Pen and Jennifer Coolidge.
Rodriguez had roles on a number of shows, including iCarly, My Name is Earl, and ER. In an interview in 2025, he said that when he was younger he was sometimes confused by the lines he was given.

Rodriguez back in 2015 (Maury Phillips/WireImage)
Speaking on the Dinner’s On Me podcast, he said that Manny often had ‘these big paragraphs and words that I had no idea what I was saying.’
“I would look up online or I would ask my studio teacher Sharon, Miss Sharon, I would ask her: ‘Hey, what does this mean? Why are they laughing? Are they laughing because a kid’s saying this or because the line’s funny? What’s the context behind this?’
“And so she would explain to me, I’d go: ‘Oh, okay, I understand now’.”
In 2019 as Modern Family was coming to a close, when Rodriguez was 21 years old, he reflected on what the future may hold with Hollywood Life.
“I’ve been on this show for 11 amazing years and this is my family,” he said. “They’re my second family, so I know that once we’ve finished in March, I am going to think we’re going to come back and start up in July.
“It’s going to be weird when that time of the year comes around again and we know we’re not going to get together to start filming again.”
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