The Most Controversial Moments from ‘Modern Family’

2. Insane Asylum-Themed Halloween

Modern Family found itself at the center of controversy once again, after it aired its insane asylum-themed Halloween special. The episode showed Claire (Julie Bowen), turning her front yard into a spooky insane asylum, and many of the show’s characters dressed up as sadistic nurses, demented doctors, and mental patients. Her daughter Alex (Ariel Winter), was even strapped down to a gurney wearing a straitjacket. Although most of the show’s millions of viewers got a good laugh out of it, six mental health organizations reached out to ABC to slam the controversial episode. Mary Giliberti of the National Alliance on Mental Illness said the episode “greatly alarmed the mental health community,” and it continued to stigmatize and place offensive stereotypes on those who suffer from mental conditions.