‘Modern Family’ Star Jesse Tyler Ferguson Gushes Over Son Beckett While Joking About Having a ‘Dad Bod’ (Exclusive)

As one chapter ends, a new one begins. Jesse Tyler Ferguson went from dedicating 11 years of his life to the hit ABC sitcom Modern Family, a role he cherishes today, to being a full-time dad with husband Justin Mikita. The sweet pair welcomed their son, Beckett Mercer Ferguson-Mikita in July, just two months after Modern Family’s final episode aired.

In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com for our PopCulture @ Home series, Ferguson discussed what dad-life has been like so far. “It’s been great,” he said. “I mean, every day is a new adventure. It’s like all the clichés that people told me, I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’ No, they’re all true! And it’s like, everyday this person is changing a little bit and you sort of have to adapt. It’s certainly like, he’s the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning. I can’t wait to see him. So that’s been, it’s been lovely. It’s been great.”

Ferguson, who just celebrated his birthday, took to Instagram to share a sweet photo of his first one with his son. The actor received a lot of praise and birthday wishes from fans and friends. While 2020 has been a rough year for everyone, Ferguson says that his family life has been great at least. While acknowledging how difficult this has been for so many, he’s super grateful to have had some extra time with his family — something he doesn’t get often. Something he did joke about is his new “dad bod.”

“You know, my dad bod is something, that’s okay now,” he teased. “We’re well into the era of the dad bod. I was a maniac those first few weeks, eating everything.” Being a dad in real life now, he has an even bigger appreciation for the role he played in Modern Family and gushed over his favorite part of being Mitchell Pritchett on the award-winning series.

“Oh my gosh, I mean, I think just the honor of playing Mitchell,” he said when asked what was his favorite part about being on the show. “I was really proud to be playing a gay character who was also a new dad on prime time television with Eric Stonestreet. I’m really proud of that couple and the representation that they had on television, and yeah, they were sort of like a pop culture touchstone, I hope.”

Now that he’s a dad, focusing on nutritious foods is of the utmost importance to him these days, which is why he recently partnered with OZO, a new plant-based product that provides nutrition and great taste. “You know, when I’m looking for food to feed my family, whether it be vegan or plant-based or whatever, I’m looking for cleaner ingredients that are really nutritious, but also they have to taste great, and OZO hits all those important things for me.” Noting how great it is for the environment, he also pointed out that the Colorado-based company is also donating $1 million in product to food banks, which is something that’s become a focal point since the strike of COVID-19.

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