‘Modern Family’ Star Sarah Hyland Reveals She Knew About Pregnancy Surprise

Fans may have been shocked by the revelation that Modern Family‘s Haley Dunphy is pregnant, but actress Sarah Hyland reportedly knew of the big reveal months in advance.

Following Wednesday night’s episode of the ABC family sitcom, Hyland took to her Instagram Story to chat with fans and calm them after the major twist, informing her followers that she learned of her character’s pregnancy “before the season started,” though she had “zero information on details!”

Haley’s pregnancy was revealed in Wednesday night’s episode, titled “Did the Chicken Cross the Road,” after Haley had to go to the emergency room to get lipstick removed from her nose after it became stuck during a round of bumper cars with boyfriend Dylan (Reid Ewing).

While in the emergency room, a nurse explained to the young couple that all ER visits begin with a blood test before revealing to them that Haley is expecting.

“You’re pregnant,” the nurse said, leaving both Haley and Dylan, as well as fans, in a state of shock.

Prior to the episode, Hyland had hinted at the news in an Instagram post, writing “Buckle up for tonight’s brand new episode of @abcmodernfam guys. It’s gonna be a BUMPY ride!” On Thursday morning, she took to the social media platform again to reveal a first-look at her character’s growing baby bump.

“Well I guess the cat’s outta the bag!!! Or more like the bump’s outta the shirt!….. that was a horrible joke. I apologize,” she captioned the image showing herself rying on a prosthetic baby bump.

Haley’s pregnancy reveal followed in the wake of the death of DeDe, Claire (Julie Bowen) and Mitchell ‘s(Jesse Tyler Ferguson) mother, during the Halloween episode titled “Good Grief.” DeDe’s death had been teased by co-creator Steven Levitan months earlier and was said to being an overarching storyline in future episodes. While the death rocked fans, it also served as a subtle clue to Haley’s pregnancy reveal.

After learning of the death in her family, Haley reacted by eating everything she could find. Although some simply considered it a coping mechanism, many fans believed it to be a sign of her pregnancy, especially considering that she had recently rekindled her relationship with Dylan following a love triangle with him and her previous boyfriend Arvin.

Although Haley only just learned of her pregnancy, it remains to be seen how it will play out over the remainder of the season, which may be Modern Family‘s last.

Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.