Ellen Terrifies ‘Modern Family’s Julie Bowen With Giant Lizard [Video]
Ellen DeGeneres has a penchant for pulling pranks on her guests, and actress Julie Bowen was a prime target when she appeared on the Ellen Show earlier this year. Julie, best known for her work in the show Modern Family, certainly wasn’t expecting to be badly scared when appearing as a guest on the show, but Ellen knows how to surprise her visitors.
Before Julie came out on to the stage for her interview, Ellen shared a quick story about a lizard getting trapped in her bathtub at home. She had chased the thing all over the bathroom, and eventually cornered it in the tub, before catching it in a basket and kindly “escorting” it outside. This little story played into the interview Ellen later had with Julie Bowen.
Julie started her interview innocently enough – chatting about her other Modern Family co-stars, as well as gossiping lightly about Sofia Vergana’s marriage to True Blood star Joe Manganiello. Entertainment Tonight acknowledged that Julie lightheartedly gossiped, revealing nothing too telling about her co-star’s wedding plans.
“I like to lie about it. It would be fun if we had a clue, but I don’t think she has a clue. They’re either going to run away and elope, or it’s gonna be a thousand people.”
Julie brought up Ellen’s story about the lizard, and admitted that she, too, had encountered a “creepy crawly” of her own at home — all while Ellen secretly schemed. After Julie mentioned her encounter with the lizard, the audience was sure that Ellen wasn’t going to let that one go. E! Online explains how Ellen set Julie up for one heck of a scare.
“Julie had just finished telling a story about her home visit from a reptilian intruder when Ellen, a friend of PETA’s, started giving her tips for what to do the next time she encounters a creepy crawler. Julie focused in, listening to Ellen’s every word, and was completely oblivious to the 6-foot lizard (which was actually a person in costume) creeping toward her.”
Ellen Scares Julie Bowen: Ellen Scares Julie Bowen There’s a lizard on the loose! It scared… http://t.co/bVb7uDLuYA pic.twitter.com/GWYNwyZvcq
— Maha Putra (@mahaputra26) February 26, 2015
Despite her “terrifying” run in with the man-sized lizard on Ellen’s show, Julie Bowen has gone on to be incredibly successful in her time starring on Modern Family, even garnering an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
A big congratulatins to Julie Bowen on her Emmy Nomination for #ModernFamily! pic.twitter.com/AcXVjvXdLo — Modern Family (@ModernFam) July 16, 2015
Julie’s reactions to this “lizard scare” were hysterical, and it took her a considerable amount of time to recover from the shock. She took it all in her stride, however, only noting that she “literally should’ve seen it coming.” Ellen will, no doubt, continue pulling pranks on her guests, but this one she pulled on Bowen will remain one of the audience’s favorites.
[Photo: Kevin Winter, Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images]
