‘Modern Family’ Star Ariel Winter’s Next TV Role Revealed

Modern Family star Ariel Winter has her next TV show lined up, having saved the day for Hungry, an NBC sitcom pilot that Demi Lovato was supposed to star in. Lovato dropped out of the project last week, just days before it was supposed to start production. Lovato will remain an executive producer alongside their manager Scooter Braun.

Lovato left the project as an actor due to a scheduling conflict, sources told Deadline on March 3. Just three days later, Deadline reported that Winter quickly signed on to replace Lovato and that production will start this week. The first table read was set for Tuesday. NBC was excited about the project, which explains why it wasn’t completely scrapped after Lovato left their on-camera role.

Hungry is about a group of friends who belong to a food-issues group supporting each other’s search for love and success. It was written by Suzanne Martin and the legendary James Burrows is directing the pilot. Valerie Bertinelli, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Ryan McPartlin, Alex Brightman, and Ashley D. Kelley also star in the pilot. Martin is also executive producing with Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, Scott Manson, and James Shin. It is a Universal Television production.

Lovato’s decision to leave the project was a shock as they had been involved in it for over a year. NBC ordered a pilot back in January 2021. The project was announced shortly after they had a recurring role in the last season of Will & Grace. If they stayed on the show, it would have been their first leading role on TV since Disney’s Sonny with a Chance ended in 2011.

As for Winter, she became a household name as Alex Dunphy on all 11 seasons of Modern Family. Winter won four Screen Actors Guild awards as a member of the show’s ensemble. She is also the voice of Sofia in Disney’s Sofia the First. Her other voice acting credits include Phineas and Ferb and Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates. Winter recently starred in the movie Don’t Log Off.

Throughout her career, Winter has been open about the body-shaming she faced as she grew up on television. During a stop on Red Table Talk: The Estefans in December, Winter recalled facing horrific comments when she was only 13. She was only 11 when Modern Family began and 22 when the show ended.

“I got called a fat slut when I was 13. That was rough. Because I gained weight and my body changed, I had to wear different outfits and I wore a dress that had a cutout here,” she said as she pointed to her chest. “And the headlines were dark. ‘Fat slut’ was rough for me, and it continued.”

The insults continued getting worse, especially when she gained 30 lbs. after she began using antidepressants. She then spent years trying to fix what critics wrote about before eventually realizing they would never be pleased. “I’m definitely still on a journey,” she said, notes PEOPLE. “I’ve been in therapy twice a week for years. I love my therapist. I love my time in therapy.”