Why Does Gloria Call Manny “Papi” in ‘Modern Family’? Fans Finally Explain

Wrapped back in 2020, Modern Family is still one of the best sitcoms out there, but it certainly wouldn’t have a half of its charm if Sofía Vergara’s Gloria wasn’t there.

Introduced as one of the most recent additions to the Pritchett family in the first season, the character was quick to take the spotlight and become the heart of the entire series, causing the loudest laughs with her catchy phrases, Spanish accent and unhinged attitude of a typical proud Latina girl.

However, Gloria’s several cultural references never quite reached the audiences’ understanding, especially when she started calling her eldest son Manny “papi”, a term that is usually associated with someone’s father or, more likely, romantic partner.

As Modern Family’s Latino fans later explained, the word can also be used by someone who wants to show their endearment towards their son, so nothing bad is meant here anyway.

Still, the show’s viewers have spent years arguing whether Gloria and Manny’s relationships were in fact weird, and “papi” in this case wasn’t the biggest problem.

‘Modern Family’ Fans Defend Gloria Amidst Unhealthy Relationships Accusations

Despite all the laughs and fun that Modern Family’s viewers had every time Gloria would show up on the screen, some felt like her overprotective behaviour in regard to Manny was a little bit too much, especially since he wasn’t really a kid as the show progressed.

This, however, was what other fans couldn’t tolerate when it came to blaming Gloria for literally anything.

“I think it’s hard to say, given the fact that Manny was all that she had for a long time before meeting Jay. Having to go through a traumatic experience (being abandoned by Javier and raising Manny on her own) it’s inevitable that she will put all her focus love and care into Manny”, Redditor Marcuslow0402 revealed in a thread.

“This is just how latina mothers are truthfully, I think that’s kinda the joke (source: I am Latina)”, Frickly_FiddleFig added.

‘Modern Family’ Cast Doesn’t Mind a Reunion, Julie Bowen Says

The actress, who portrayed Claire Dunphy throughout eleven seasons, sparked rumours about a possible reunion around a year ago, revealing whether she would be down for meeting with her co-stars on the set again.

“Of course, I would be game. I can’t imagine any of us wouldn’t be. We’re stupid for each other”, Bowen told New York Post back then.

However, she then clarified that this isn’t something that would depend on her decision anyway.

“You know, that’s up to [Steven] Levitan and [Christopher] Lloyd in the end”, the actress admitted.