‘Modern Family’: Haley Breaks the News of Her Pregnancy to Parents

Haley finally broke the news of her pregnancy to her parents on this week’s Modern Family and while things didn’t go according to her plan, the results were as hilarious as expected.

The Dunphy family got quite a shock on this week’s Christmas Eve-themed episode, as Haley (Sarah Hyland) finally told her parents that she was pregnant. The eldest sibling knew it would not be easy telling Claire (Julie Bown) that she was expecting, yet the alternative was becoming increasingly untenable.

Haley had pressure coming from her sister, Alex (Ariel Winter) to break the news so that she would not have to keep the secret anymore. In an opening scene full of urgency, Alex begged her to put an end to the secrecy, revealing what the stress was doing to her.

“We want to be careful and do it right,” Haley said.

“Now you’re being careful?” Alex said incredulously. “I can’t keep this secret anymore! Look at me!” she pulled off her hat, revealing greying hair underneath.

Haley was not left with a lot of chances to spill the beans, however. Each time she approached her mother, she found her in a bad mood over one thing or another. Between the stress of the holidays and her upcoming trip to Bermuda, Claire was livid for her first appearance on screen.

The plot thickened as Claire yelled at Alex for an unrelated offense.

“You knew about this, didn’t you?” she said. “I could tell you were hiding something.”

This left Alex thinking that Claire knew about the pregnancy and was blaming her, while in actuality Haley and Dylan (Reid Ewing) were out looking for a way to cheer Claire up.

It did not go well. The box of cupcakes the young couple picked up could do little to offset the sour mood after Claire set the Christmas tree on fire, and Phil doused the gifts in fire extinguisher fluid.

Finally, things reached their breaking point after dinner, with Dylan trapped in the chimney and all of the adults gathered in the living room. Sarah blurted the news out and, of course, her father was immediately delighted. However, Claire took a moment before hugging her eldest daughter. However, while she put on a brave face for Haley, she betrayed a glimmer of disappointment in a later close-up.

Haley’s pregnancy proves that Modern Family still has plenty of stories to tell. The show is going strong in its 10th season, which many originally thought would be its last. ABC has still not made a final decision on whether or not to renew the series, and many speculate they will wait on the mid-season ratings results to come to a conclusion.

Either way, the show is preparing to wind down, and Haley’s pregnancy is a perfect send-off for a series so focused on imperfect family bonds.

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