Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Side Dish: More with Eric Stonestreet

Episode Date: January 15, 2026

More of my interview with ‘Modern Family’ star Eric Stonestreet. Eric tells me about a special surprise he planned for his now wife at their wedding. Plus, we laugh about ridiculous moments on set, like handling our fake baby doll version of Lily. This episode was recorded at Tony's Mexican Grill in Sherman Oaks, CA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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That's wildalaskan.com slash JTF for $35 off your first order. Thanks to Wild Alaskan Company for sponsoring this episode. Hey, it's Jesse. So I have a little extra side dish for you from this week's episode of Dinners on Me. We have a bit more of a conversation with Eric Stone Street, who played Cam, my husband, on Modern Family. Honestly, we talked for so long we could probably fill a week. week's worth of episodes. We nestled into a red leather booth at Tony's Mexican grill in Sherman Oaks, a place he's been coming to since the late 90s, and I'm so glad he brought me to this place.

We had so much to catch up on since we last saw each other, including his top secret wedding, his new home in Kansas City, and listen, we obviously got into working together on the set of honor family. Okay, let's get to the conversation. I mean, you've just finished this house in Kansas City, which looks incredible, got married, at the house. And so everyone was there, her mom, her dad, her sister, her brother-in-law, and their kids. And then, so then we're like sitting in the living room. And then we're like, well, we didn't know, you know, who would marry us. And then I had to do it quick because I knew everyone's first thought was going to be you.

And Tyler, my old assistant, who's known us since. we were a couple. Yeah. Was like, dude, you can't, like, put a big pause there because they're going to expect

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and then I'm going to walk in. So I was like, and then we couldn't decide who married, would marry us. So, Tyler, come on in. And so Tyler walked in.

Aw. So Tyler comes in, and he, has he ever married in one before? No, he got his marriage license online. Hugh. Yeah. I mean,

that's what I did for Sarah Highland. It's like literally takes, I'm not even kidding, 30 seconds. So then the plan was, was you guys hang out, have some hors d'oeuvres, some canopays. We're going to go get changed, and I'll text Tyler when we're ready, and he'll bring you to the room we're getting married in, which is my TV room.

So then we all got ready in the master bedroom, in the primary bedroom, and then when we were all ready, they went in. I started some music, and we walked in and got married. And then, because you know I love surprises, Lindsay didn't know about this. No one knew about this, except Tyler. we'd always imagine we would have a normal wedding with everyone there, and then we would invite some of our very talented friends

and uncomfortably ask them to sing at our wedding. And our favorite song is a song called Pushing Up Daisies by Brothers Osborne, a great band. So I called John Osborne and said, hey, this is a deal. We're not getting married normally, but would you guys just record, you know, a video of you guys singing, pushing up Daisies on stage,

and just like dedicated to Eric and Lindsay, so everyone knows it's for us. Uh-huh. He's like, yeah, for sure. What if we just came up and did it? Do they live close? Nashville. And I was like, John, or don't mess with me right now.

He's like, well, let me look, but we're not on tour right now, so hold on. Three days later, he called me back. He's like, yeah, we're in. What? So they flew up from Nashville that morning, hid in the basement of the house. Lindsay had no idea they were here. Oh, my God. You know you may have built a little too big of a house

when you can have professional recording artists there. A space to hide, a whole band. Yeah. But they hung out downstairs and then... Oh, thank you, Paul. Thank you. Grazieus. Yeah, please.

So they hung out downstairs. And so I said, everybody, after we got married, I said, everybody, go out into the living room. At the surprise for all of us. So we go out and I say, so, you know, we always imagine having this wedding. We always imagine dancing our first dance to this specific song, but didn't work out that way. But our friends John and T.J. Osborne said to FaceTime them after we got married and they had a special surprise for us. So Lindsay doesn't have to.

Lindsay, it still has no idea. Okay. So we get everyone facing the TV like we're going to FaceTime. Okay. Oh, my God. So we like this, and I hit ring, and it starts ringing. John Osborne, and then all of a sudden you hear the ring, and they just walk into the room. And the photographer, again, Heather, amazing, caught the moment in my phone that Lindsay sees

John and T.J. walk into the room. Oh, my God. Like that. And they came in and sang pushing up daisies, and we danced in the little bit of our living room. That's incredible. I'll show you the video. I'll let you put a little bit of it on podcast. It's everyone I've showed it to cries. Oh, my God. Just all world people. And I was like, John, let me buy your flights. He's like, it's our wedding present. Oh, my God. That's incredible.

You'll love that song. The sentiment of it is we're not getting out of this love alive. We'll go on until we're pushing up Daisy's sweet song. Oh, my God. Yeah. Great. It sounds incredible. Yeah, I'm glad you weren't there.

I really would have taken the focus off. Yeah. You know, people wanting photos of me and all that. I mean, what? But I find, I mean, you put so much care. I know, because I've been getting updates about this house. Oh, my God. And I've seen photos of this house in every single stage from, like, just a photo of the land to, like, you know, the septic system being put in.

And so I know how much love you and care and attention. And this is the thing I've always really appreciated about you is you have such a, um, you, there's, there's. And it's interesting to detail that you appreciate, but also you really layer in thoughtfulness in a way that I feel like most people just don't think to do. Just even the way that you talked about laying the foundation of your house and like what you're going to write into the cement and like what you're going to put onto the walls before the dry wall goes up. And like, you know, we buried a chief's flag in the ground underneath our front porch, wrote things. Yeah, in the concrete, but, yeah. I mean, it makes me proud and Lindsay proud that when you come to the house, when we walk through it, I can tell you what that is and why that's there. I mean, I just, I mean, you saw my other house and you know that, like, a lot of the decoration in there was the first toolbox my grandpa made me.

And it was the first hammer my dad bought me and my discus that I threw in high school. Like is all the stuff that means something to me. So, yeah, it's the same there. You're going to love it. But, I mean, to like then, like, sort of even just to have your wedding be a part of that legacy is really special. Yeah. Well, I mean, not to get dorky, but like, you know, we are obviously together for a long time before it. But what better way to start a marriage than finishing the literal bones of a home, like a foundation of a relationship?

built the house together. And we had like two arguments the whole time, which is... About what? Dumb things, like, you know, I don't even know. Like, I don't even know, but it was... We each say that there were two arguments. She wanted... Rats, tent?

No, I had no play in that. Okay. There were things, and people asked, like, well, how did you do it and not get an argument? It's like, because I didn't care about a lot of things. And I told her... But there were things that you cared a lot about. 100%. I remember there was a conversation as you had about stone that your contractor like fought you on.

And you're like, no, it has to be this. No, no. I just had another conversation about that today with somebody. Yeah, it took a long time. But there again, Lindsay was like, I trust you that you'll find the look that you want for our stone. And I'm not going to have many opinions on it because I trust you. And with her, I'm like, I trust that you're going to pick the fixtures in the bathrooms. I don't care what the water comes out of.

I care about the pressure. Yeah. The water pressure. So my point is, we just didn't get in each other's things that we most cared about. And then there were things that we each cared exactly the same amount. And then that's where compromise happens. But we really didn't have to compromise. Let me be very clear.

It's mostly a testament to her because, as you know, I do get very worked up and very passionate about things. And Lindsay's just like, steady. Yeah, she is. Steady. Yeah. It's my favorite. I'll be about her. Very, very steady, very...

I mean, you know, Chris Lloyd, who coined her nickname when we first met. What's that? Sturdy Gertie. Lindsay, it's like, you're fucking kidding me? That's a terrible nickname. Sturdy Gertie Gertie.

Oh, God. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Eric shares a funny early memory that involves a text from me and a limo driver. Also, we talk about the time I took him to his very first Broadway show. Let's just say he might not remember the entire thing, but he has a very good reason.

Okay, be right back. This is not a drill. For the first time in lipstick on the room history, a real housewife has entered the studio. And not just any housewife, Rachel Zoe, the fashion legend herself. Did we expect styling stories, glam, chaos, stories from the past decade and a full cat eye at all times? Yes. Did we expect her to open up about divorce, rediscovering herself, joining Housewives as a zero prep, and what it feels like to finally feel like her again? No. It is vulnerable, iconic, hilarious, and one of our favorite conversations ever. The Real Housewives have officially entered the chat. Listen now. And we're back with more dinners on me. I mean, I remember, though, we were being driven to some events together. Oh, God. I'm telling this. I'm telling this.

This is, I tell this story all the time. We, it was first season. We were going to the TCA award, TCA things over in Pasadena. Okay, right. And very early on in modern family. Like, and when I, it's important to say that because this was new to me to get picked up at my house. Right. In the backseat of a town car.

Yeah. Like, this was all still very fresh. Driving down the 134, I'm leaned up. literally between the seats walking to the driver so where are you from yeah did you grow up out in L.A.? my phone goes my Blackberry goes off and it's a text from jesse Tyler burgeson that says Eric stops being so chatty with your driver and I was like I think that what I was coming from I was like I felt bad but I was being so chatty with mine I'm glad that you're chatty with them so chatty with your driver.

Like Zoom. I don't even think I saw you doing that. I think I just assumed you were. You were. You were already there or something. It's not like we were riding next to each other on the 134. I didn't say stop. I think I said, are you being so, are you being chattered with that?

You said, Eric, stop being so chatty with your driver. And you were like, how did you know? Yeah. That's so funny. Oh, my God. Remember when I fell asleep in Billy Elliott? Yes. Yes.

This is my world. Yeah. Wake up. Broadway, I took it to your first Broadway show. We had just come out on a red eye. We had to do press in New York. It was your first time in New York City. Hold on. You're not going to believe this.

What? No. It's a friend. What's up? You know everyone. What are you doing? What are you doing? No, it's fine.

It's fine. I turned him on to this. He went to K. State together. We went to K. State together. Hilarious. He bought my old house. Oh, you were living in the old house? Yeah, in Hartsook.

Oh, that I know about you. Yeah, you've met him. Yeah, I've met you before. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. How's that house? It's great. This is crazy.

I know. We're doing a podcast. I come to town. Tell him, I don't even tell people I'm in town sometimes because I'm here so quick. Yeah. How long's Paul Dan been coming here now? Bullshit, not forever. I'm forever.

Twice. Three times, maybe. Well, if you're here is off, as you're saying. That's so incredible. So yeah, I'm bringing your first Broadway show, we're getting on the red eye, doing press in New York. First time you ever been to New York. And you always said, I'm not going to New York until I'm flown there for work. Yes, because I had so many opportunities that were close.

Yeah. Oh, you might shoot this commercial there or you're up for this part on a TV show that shoots in New York. Yes. And I never got them there. And so finally it just got to the point where, like, I'm not going to fucking New York until somebody else takes me there. Right. And I said, I want to take you to your first Broadway show. and I think I gave you a choice of a few shows.

He said, I want to go see Billy Elliott. I love that movie. And so good. And we also used it in the show. I want to dance in the bullet. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And yet we were jet lagged. I think I might have dosed a little bit, too.

Well, do you also remember the thing that happened at that show? Afterwards, right? So I was under the understanding that they wanted us to come backstage and say, hello. Again, this was early on modern cameras, so not a lot of people knew what the show was yet. I was mortified. I was mortified. We went backstage.

The stage hand. The stage door guy. I was like, who are you to see? And I gave like the name of the one person that I know in the show. And I know, like, are they expecting you? And I was like, I think so.

And so, like, we stood in the doorway. And, like, some of the cast was like, oh, hey. Like, hey, hi. But they weren't letting us in. And it's like, I think that they wanted us to come back and say hi. And, like, that was mortified. I was so uncomfortable.

Yeah. Because In New York I was like Oh Broadway Everyone knows me here Trust me I know Broadway The Great White Way

Is Mara World And then we go there in the stage And those New York stage hand door Guys are intimidating They're no joke But also very knowledgeable about musicals Yes Production of Carousel

1973 Unbelievable Were you here when Audra McDonald's was yeah Oh you know Rita Moreno Incredible dancer Also

Niceest girl. Niceest girl. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Eric and I reminisce about our stand-in baby doll that Sophia Vigara would, let's chat, how do I say it, mishandle. And we get into Eric's fondness for pranking me, which she did a lot. Okay, be right back. And we're back with more dinners on me.

I mean, when we did not have to, and I'm experiencing this now as a parent, like getting rid of, like, the baby phase, like so freeing. But I remember like when we didn't have to worry about are they going to cry? Are we going to get through this take with that? We could look at our performance. Yeah, yeah. I mean, truly, I don't know how they got any performances out of us. I just said it yesterday.

They asked about the lilies. And I said, well, let me tell you those first two seasons, if you see Jesse and I holding a baby, that is the only take. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was it. That's right. There's not another take that was good. No.

That's it. That was it. so we couldn't not be good which is again all those elements in my opinion are what made the show so great which is how we shot it which was raking you know people so they understand

the camera's always raking and panning so it's not like we could sit over there and twiddle our thumbs because the camera could all of a sudden come and find you and you're like you know whatever so we're always live and we're always in the moment which is the energy that the show was right from the beginning

right I remember when we shot the pilot and the twins were crying one of one of the one of the we were whichever Lily we were using at the moment actually we used a different baby yeah they were boys they were there was a boy and a girl for the pilot that's right that's right that's right and we were in that last scene where the family's meeting Lily for the first time and the baby started crying we just like kind of had to roll with it because it was all of us we were like needing to finish was like the last scene that we were shooting there was so many elements happening and and it could be the moment of your

life. Yeah, it's more also like, yeah, that's the other element of it that, you know, we didn't, the show wasn't ahead. We were just shooting a pilot. Yeah. We all wanted to make this as good as possible. And we kind of just had to roll with it and be like, okay, the baby's crying now. It's like, what would you do?

And when you watch that scene back, there's something so alive and real about it. Well, you know, there's a very, if you watch the scene, there's very, there's, I'm holding a real baby and then I'm not holding a real baby. Remember that, that pilot. It was a ridiculous doll that I held. Yeah, we basically just had like a cabbage patch kit. A doll, a plastic doll that I had to give girth to, like, otherwise it just went out of my head. Oh, my God.

And you could see it in the shot? I think if you watch real close, there's one, where you can just see the blanket really is collapsed in a way that there's no way that's a real person in there. Right. But yeah. That's so funny. And like when we finally got a doll that, like, was. I mean, it was expensive. I remember that, but like, it was 60 pounds.

Professional stand and baby. Yeah. Yeah. It's so heavy. I had like a special effects. Didn't you know the guy who did? Vince. And they wouldn't let him do the version he wanted to do.

They were like, well, just do the cheaper version. So that's why it looked like an apothecary like, remember? You were like, it called it an ancient Chinese herbalist. Yeah. It was like, it looks crazy. Because they didn't say. They didn't spring for that. Do the good one.

They were like, do the one. can just pass. Well, we have this head that already looks like it's been a burn victim. We'll use that head. We'll use that head. Oh, my God. Yeah, I was, that was the one that upset me because here I'm like, Vince is like, been nominated for Emmy, he's been nominated for Academy Awards.

And then I say, well, you should hire him my friend Vince. And they're like, okay. And then they like say, well, can you do the like, the cheaper version? Cheapest version of it you possibly can. And then they're holding him to the level of which I sold him. Yeah. Well, you're not letting him be that version. Yeah.

Yeah. It's, it's expensive. It is expensive. And it's made with like metal bones so that it can be... Articulate. Yeah. That's crazy. But you remember, like, Sophia would just, like, go and, like, let's start moving the arms around and, like, make it flip people off.

And I was like, stop to playing with our expensive baby. This is ours. Remember at some point it broke and it just became an arm and remember... That's right. That's right. This scene where Lily punches me in the face. That's... And we, they took the arm off and they used them.

And Jim. And Jim, one of our. Marine crawled. Yeah. Our first AD, like, Marine crawled to me. I ran out of frame and smacked me with this baby arm. And then Marine crawled back out. And that's the shot because they couldn't get.

They couldn't get her to do it. Yeah, because she was baby. They were like, who was flying a baby arm? So they brought in an extra baby arm. Oh, my God. Did they saw that off? I think it was just an extra baby arm they had. That's hilarious.

I saw your Santa Claus. That's so funny. I mean, it's not as good as your Santa Claus. It's different than your Santa Claus. But hold on. I saw a comment, and please tell me you saw it.

You posted a picture of you and the Jonas Brothers and you're a Santa, and someone wrote under there. About the old age. Couldn't tell if Stone Street at an old age told you of you. I know. I know.

Oh, my God. I've seen a comment several times, actually. Do you know that I'll be out and people, that's what they'll want to talk to me about. It's like they'll be not about modern family, not about Dexter, not about anything. It's like you and that aging Jesse is the best thing. When did you start doing that?

Like when we were on... Season 9 or 10. Right. But just every once in a while. Right. And then the last year I did it. Anytime I posted you, I aged you. Yeah.

With the whole idea, I mean, I think you know me well enough to know I'm telling you the truth. knowing that I had planned on doing that for forever. Yeah, you played the long game with, like, with pranks. The real long game. The real long game. Yeah, I don't have a, I don't have an end game today. No. Yeah.

I mean, that prank that I, who was it? It was a Kimmel, right? Kimmel, except we want to, okay, we're going to let you get Eric Stone Street back. Right. We're going to play this prank on him. And I don't even remember the prank that I was supposed to play on you. It was like a double agent thing where you ended up pranking me. Molly called me and said, hey.

Molly Kimmel's wife. Yes. Said, because we had improvised together years ago at I.O. So I knew her a little bit. And obviously, we'd each bet on Jimmy. They were like, hey, we have the opportunity for you to double up on Jesse. It's like, what? It's like, well, he's going to practice.

I'm like, go on. Well, then I thought maybe it was a double, double, double, break. I thought maybe Jimmy was going to get us both. Yeah. But, no, that was great. That was great. I was so mad. I know you were.

I really thought I was going to be. Lizzie was there that day. I know. Remember we were in the trailer and I was talking about having diarrhea and you were getting so nervous that you were like, oh, we can't put this on. That's right. That's right. We can't let him talk about this.

That's right. I was protective of you. Yeah, you were like, oh, God, we can't put this in if he's talking about his bowels. Right, because you knew it was a prank and you were in there like fucking with me already. Yes, already. that's how good of a friend I am, by the way. I was like, you can't use any of this. for my conversation with Eric Stone Street. If you haven't heard our full conversation yet,

make sure to check it out on Dinners on Me. This episode of Dinners on Me was recorded at Tony's Mexican Grill in Sherman Oaks, California. Next week on Dinners On Me, you know him as Jacob Hill on Abbott Elementary. It's Chris Perfetti. We'll get into his background in theater, as well as his pivots to television,

and so much more. Dinner's On Me is a production of Sony Music entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Our associate producer is Alyssa Midcalf. Sam Baer engineered this episode. Hans Dale She composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Tamika Balance Kalasney and Justin McKita. I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week.