The actress was previously married to Scott Phillips from 2004 to 2018.

Modern Family star Julie Bowen has new mystery man: ‘I have a lovely friend’

The actress was previously married to Scott Phillips from 2004 to 2018.

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

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September 26, 2026 5:53 p.m. ET

Julie Bowen at Step Up’s 2026 Inspiration Awards on Sept. 25. Credit:

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

- *Modern Family *star Julie Bowen revealed she has a new man in her life, although she kept his identity under wraps.

- Bowen was previously married to real estate investor Scott Phillips from 2004 to 2018.

- Bowen and Phillips share 19-year-old son Oliver and 17-year-old twins John and Gustav.

Julie Bowen is giving fans a peek at her love life.

The *Modern Family* star revealed she has a new man, although she isn’t quite ready to share his identity. She did, however, divulge that he is “smart and funny.”

“I have a lovely friend,” she told PEOPLE at Step Up’s 2026 Annual Inspiration Awards in Los Angeles on Friday.

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And while she said her new “friend” is quite the looker, Bowen admitted that personality matters more to her.

“I don’t care what people look like — though he happens to be good-looking,” she quipped. “But I don’t care what people look like. I like the brains.”

Bowen was previously married to real estate investor Scott Phillips from 2004 to 2018. The two share three boys, including Oliver, 19, as well as twins John and Gustav, 17.

Julie Bowen and her ex-husband Scott Phillips divorced in 2018. Gabriel Olsen/Getty

The *Happy Gilmore *actress has been inching closer toward being an empty nester. Last year, she sent her oldest son off for his freshman year of college at the University of Oregon, which she joked has made the house “30% more quiet.”

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But she makes sure to visit Oliver from time to time. In fact, she even came to his campus to watch his college’s football team square off against the University of Wisconsin–Madison last October.

Bowen wasn’t alone in watching that game. Her *Modern Family* costar Ty Burrell, who attended the school in the late 1980s, accompanied her.

“Great (wet) weekend with @itsoliverphillips at U of Oregon,” Bowen wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “Dancing bears, old friends and a deluge…all capped off by a win from the Oregon Ducks at Autzen!”

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