Modern Family: Alex’s Love Interests, Ranked

Summary

• Alex Dunphy’s boyfriends in Modern Family showed her growth from focusing on school to exploring relationships.
• From cute intern to astrophysicist, Alex dated various men, but some were not the right fit for her.
• Arvin ended up being the perfect match for Alex, understanding and balancing her emotional and intellectual sides.

For 11 seasons, Modern Family fans saw the children of the Dunphy family grow into adults, and with their coming-of-age came some relationships, including Alex Dunphy’s boyfriends. Funnily enough, the series focused so much on Haley’s (Sarah Hyland) roller coaster of a love life that fans completely forgot about all the boys Alex (Ariel Winter) had her eyes on (and vice versa). Alex spent the first few seasons of the series focusing on school and judging Haley’s relationship mishaps, but she did have a few of her own.

Alex Dunphy was known for her smarts and sarcasm more than her relationships. She kept the Dunphys on track during their silly moments and focused on being the best student she could be, so she could move on from the nest. However, her love life shouldn’t be discounted. Alex dated plenty of men, but it wasn’t until later seasons that she set time aside from school and work to focus on her love life. From her mom’s intern to her brother’s friends to a brilliant astrophysicist, Alex’s boyfriends had promise.

11 James The Wallet Thief

Played By Dominic Sherwood

In the episode “Crazy Train,” the whole family takes a train to DeDe’s wedding. Throughout the episode, everyone makes comments about trains making them annoyed, which Alex finally understands after meeting James, with whom she completely let her guard down. That turned out to be a bad idea since James was Alex’s worst love interest.

James sat next to Alex in first class and tried to stay there with her but got ushered back to coach. Alex joined him, and the two had a great time. When James suddenly disappeared, Alex realized that he had stolen her wallet. He was cute, and Alex might have had a fun time with him, but Alex deserved someone who wouldn’t steal from her.

A lot of the Modern Family characters have had their share of embarrassing encounters with potential love interests. Alex falling for a guy and thinking they had a real connection wasn’t so wrong. However, the way she seemed to really like him only to learn it was all fake is somewhat heartbreaking, especially for a character who always battled her low self-esteem.

Dominic Sherwood was Sarah Hyland’s (who plays Haley Dunphy) real-life boyfriend when he appeared on
Modern Family
.

10 Michael The Friend

Played By Joe Metcalfe

The first meaningful boyfriend for Alex in the series was Michael. Alex was thrilled to finally have a boyfriend in season 3 because it meant she had a date to prom. Claire and Phil were excited that their little girl was not only going to the prom but that she had a date since, at that point in the series, Alex was more devoted to her school than she was to her social life. They wanted her to experience everything she could as a teenager.

When Michael appeared at the Dunphy residence, Phil and Claire got an instant feeling that she and Michael were strictly friends and nothing else. It is understandable that Alex wanted to appear to have a love interest at her young age, but she also didn’t approach her relationship with Michael in the best way. She seemed embarrassed to show him off to her family, suspecting that he was gay, but then got defensive when her family suggested the same thing.

He was sweet and treated her well, but they were better off as friends

Unlike some of Alex’s short-lived lackluster boyfriends, Michael makes a second appearance on the show but it still is clear they aren’t a match. In the end, Alex seemed to come to terms with the fact that she and Michael were not meant to be, showing real growth on her part. While Michael tried showing affection to Alex, these two didn’t have chemistry. He was sweet and treated her well, but they were better off as friends.

9 Alec The “Fake” Boyfriend

Played By Luke Benward

Fans only met Alec briefly, but he seemed to have a real hold on Alex’s heart. Only appearing in one episode and only seen in a brief scene, it’s not clear where the two met, but she was dating him in secret until she eventually told her parents. It’s not evident how compatible the two are since the audience only really gets Alex’s perspective of their relationship when she tries to talk about him.

Sadly, Claire and Haley didn’t believe that Alec was real and ignored Alex every time she spoke about him. They thought she was making it up to fit in with Haley Dunphy and her many love interests. As it turns out, Alec was real. Unfortunately for Alex, he broke up with her because his family was moving to Africa which hilariously only made the idea that she made Alec up more believable.

Alex seems genuinely into Alec, showing a rare selfish side when he reveals that he has to leave for her father’s work and she insists she is more important than him helping sick children. She also is quick to suggest that they can make things work long-distance. However, as much as him moving away is what breaks them up, Alec also doesn’t seem very sad about it and delivers the news quite casually, suggesting the romance wasn’t as special as Alex thought.

8 Teddy The Bad Boy

Played By Carlito Olivero

In Modern Family, Alex’s boyfriends don’t fall into the bad boy category as often as Haley’s do but she did have a few bad boys interested in her though. Right after Alex and Alec broke up, she found out the person who was leaving flowers on her porch was a guy named Teddy, not Alec, who she originally thought it was.

Unlike Alex’s other boyfriends, Teddy seemed like a bad boy. He drove a motorcycle and worked at the cemetery where he stole flowers and an American flag as a gift for her. It’s obvious she was smitten by Teddy, but he certainly wasn’t endgame. The two didn’t make sense, considering Alex always judged Haley’s interest in bad boys.

Teddy doesn’t make another appearance after his single scene when he comes to pick Alex up on his motorcycle. However, as much as it was clear this was not a romance that was going to last, it was a nice bit of payback on Alex’s part. After her family suggests she make up a boyfriend, she gets to show off a bad boy who was truly interested in her. In fact, her embracing him as a love interest was likely more about getting back at her parents than actually seeing him as a viable partner.

7 Jimmy Scrivano

Played By Matthew Gumley

When the Modern Family characters took a vacation to Wyoming, the adults were out on horseback, but Alex was too busy being “romanced” by a boy named Jimmy. The two met while she was reading by the pool and he was unintentionally splashing her. As she told him off, he couldn’t help but flirt with her, which she found surprising. Alex wasn’t particularly interested in Jimmy, but more in the idea of a boy liking her.

What was more surprising was when he kissed her. She wasn’t expecting it and, quite frankly, didn’t seem interested. Nothing happened between these two after Wyoming, but it was exciting to see Alex let her hair down for once. Jimmy wouldn’t rank among Alex’s serious boyfriends as they were 13 at the time of the story, and Alex hadn’t become interested in dating anyone yet. He did, however, open her eyes to the fact that other people could be interested in her.

Appearing in only one episode, Jimmy could be seen as a character that ignited this more active interest in dating and served as a nice coming-of-age moment for Alex. However, he was also brash, rude, and not Alex’s type at all. While it was an exciting introduction to romance for Alex, it was also a sign that she could do better.

6 Ben, Claire’s Assistant

Played By Joe Mande

Ben was a rare example of one of Alex’s love interests who was not originally introduced for that purpose. The character first appeared on the show in season 6 as Claire’s assistant when she began working at her father’s closet company. It wasn’t until season 8 of the show that Ben and Alex were caught and it was revealed that they had been dating for some time.

At the start, Ben seemed like the perfect fit for Alex. He was older, he had a career, and he was a homebody. The problem with Ben is that, after a while, Alex grew tired of him as he got a little too comfortable and didn’t excite her anymore. Not to mention that Claire despised the idea of her assistant dating her daughter. It is especially weird considering there was a time when Ben thought Claire was trying to seduce him as her boss.

It gradually becomes clear that Alex has little interest in Ben. When he comes along on the family lake vacation she and her family all forget that he is there. Alex eventually broke up with Ben, but it was for the best. While breaking up with him, she realized that he cheated on her with his ex-girlfriend. But before that reveal, he seemed like a good fit for her and the Dunphy clan.

5 Reuben Rand

Played By Spenser McNeil

Both Haley and Alex Dunphy have boyfriends in Modern Family who are a few years older or younger than them. While both of them date older men as the series progresses, Alex also dates this younger man at one point, though the relationship is brief. Reuben was friends with Manny and Luke, and a little too theatrical for her liking. By season 5, his crush on Alex is revealed, though she still doesn’t have any interest in the younger man.

However, there was an undeniable connection between the two. He’s the one person whom Alex pushed away but couldn’t seem to keep at bay. No matter how rude she was to Reuben, he always came back and won her over. She initially sees him as a comfortable option when she just wants someone to date but is often ashamed of herself for carrying on the relationship and continues to try hiding it from her family.

Reuben was also incredibly bright and well-read. If she hadn’t let the age gap or his “dorkiness” get in the way, these two could have been a good match a few years down the line instead of while he was still in high school. Despite the reservations Alex has about him, he is the longest relationship she has had over the course of the series.

4 Sanjay Patel

Played By Suraj Partha

Though not the longest romance on Modern Family, the relationship between Alex and Sanjay made for some very sweet moments. He was introduced as Alex’s rival in school with the two finding themselves facing off for the honor of being valedictorian. However, while they were in bitter competition with each other throughout the school year, with it all coming to an end, Sanjay reveals to Alex that she is the reason he pushed himself so hard and he owes all of his success to her. He also admits that he likes her.

Given that Alex is so smart and doesn’t find a match for her intelligence within her own family, it was nice to see her find a romance with someone who could allow her to embrace that side of herself comfortably. Unfortunately, timing plays a big role in why things don’t work out between them. They begin their relationship at the end of their time in high school, but being the level-headed thinkers they are, the couple formally decided to call off their relationship before going to college.

Alex and Sanjay knew that long-distance couples rarely worked throughout the separation, and they weren’t wrong. When they decided to try long-distance after all, Sanjay cheated on Alex and broke her heart. If these two met later in life when distance wouldn’t come between them, they might have been a great match.

3 Jason Darling

Played By Caleb Hoffman

Most of the better-suited love interests for Alex had a longer time to show their compatibility with her on the show. Jason managed to present himself as a worthy suitor in just a single episode. Alex met Jason while the two were touring Caltech together. They instantly connected and were semi-competitive when answering questions in their tour group.

Fans know how awkward Alex can be when she tries to flirt with men, but Jason was just as bad. They were both so nervous that they lied to one another initially, coming clean during the school visit. These two kids seemed to have a shot at something special if they both attended Caltech at the same time.

Sadly, after this episode, fans never heard more about Jason. He and Alex became Facebook friends, and she was hoping to connect with him if they both went to Caltech but that never happened. It is a shame as it seems as though there was an ideal match for Alex out there that just needed a little more time to allow their relationship to really form.

2 Bill The Firefighter

Played By Jimmy Tatro

A common theme in Alex’s dating history has been how her intelligence comes into play with romances. While some of her best matches have been people who can connect with her on an intellectual level, Bill proved that she can find happiness with someone who is not as bright as she is.

Bill was a firefighter who rescued Alex after her dorm room fire. The two began dating despite their differences and seemed good together. However, unlike Arvin, her crush at the time, Bill wasn’t as “smart” for Alex, or the men that Alex usually fell for. Bill was the average guy with a heart of gold who would have been a great member of the family. He balanced well with Alex and stood up for himself when she poked holes in his personality.

The two complemented one another very well, since Bill helped Alex embrace her more emotional side instead of her intellectual side, and Alex learned to accept that Bill wasn’t a genius. Sadly, these two called it quits over a misunderstanding. When Bill found out that Alex accidentally sent compromising photos to a colleague instead of Bill because of some phone number confusion, Bill blamed Alex instead of comforting her. It was an abrupt end to their relationship and demonstrated that Bill might not have been as understanding as originally thought.

1 Arvin Fennerman

Played By Chris Geere

While there were some great love interests earlier in Alex’s story, it makes sense that the one she ended up with when it was all over remains her best watch. The age difference between Alex and Arvin might have initially put some Modern Family fans off, but Arvin was really Alex’s perfect man. He started out as her professor whom she had a crush on, but that crush was diminished when he started dating Haley.

Alex tried to move on from her feelings by seeing Bill, but that didn’t work out. When Haley realized she still loved Dylan more than Arvin, she cheated on him, and they broke up as well. Alex made a move on Arvin when the timing was right, and she was no longer his student, and it paid off.

If there’s one guy fans could wish for Alex, it would have been Arvin

By the end of Modern Family, the two began dating and were getting ready for a work trip abroad together. They worked in the same field, understood what it was like to be cheated on, and found a way to balance their professional and personal lives. If there’s one guy fans could wish for Alex, it would have been Arvin.

• Modern Family

  Release Date:

  2009-09-23

  Cast:

  Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez

  Genres:

  Comedy, Mockumentary

  Rating:

  TV-PG

  Seasons:

  11

  Writers:

  Christopher Lloyd, Steven Levitan

  Network:

  ABC

  Streaming Service(s):

  Hulu

  Showrunner:

  Christopher Lloyd, Steven Levitan