‘Modern Family’ Season 8 Premiere Spoilers: What Happens In Episode 1 ‘A Tale Of Three Cities?’ [Promo]

Modern Family Season 8 premieres tonight at 9/8c on ABC. Episode 1, titled “A Tale of Three Cities,” immediately picks up where Season 7 left off, with the Dunphy family in New York, Mitch and Cam in Missouri, and Jay and Gloria in Juarez for her cousin’s wedding.

According to the official synopsis for the Modern Family Season 8 premiere, the Pritchett clan will get together to celebrate Father’s Day after returning from their separate family adventures.

Months before the premiere, Star magazine reported that Ariel Winter, who plays Alex Dunphy on the show, had been fired. An insider claimed that the producers decided to let go of Winter after co-stars Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, and Ed O’Neil asked for higher salaries. With their new contracts in place, it was said that the producers could no longer afford Winter.

“To renew deals for the ‘big three,’ some of the younger actors will be shuffled or cut entirely,” the source said.

Given that her character is not central to the show, the insider claimed that Winter was just at the top of the chopping block. The Dog Years star, however, was allegedly not disappointed, as she was already looking forward to the next stage of her career.

“She’ll be sad to leave — the cast is a second family to her — but she’s also very excited for the next opportunity.”

Modern Family executive producer Steve Levitan, however, told Gossip Cop that they are not ready to let go of Winter just yet.

“Nothing could be further from the truth. Ariel is a beloved cast member and a crucial part of our show. While she is starting to attend classes this year at UCLA, we are happy to report that she’ll continue to be a part of Modern Family’s coming season.”

In an exclusive clip from the Modern Family Season 7 DVD, via Fox News, Ariel Winter said that it was cool growing up with her alter-ego. While Ariel and Alex could not be any more different from each other, the 18-year-old star insisted that had quite a few similarities.

When they first introduced Alex, Winter pointed out that all she cared about was doing well in school. As the show progressed, we all got to see her transition into a more normal teenager who worried about boys and experienced pressure from society.

“You see her having struggles with friends and real life things which are actually interesting for me to go through, as well as having Alex go through. That’s been pretty cool with my life paralleling hers. I learned a lot about sending in college essays and [dealing] with rejection from Harvard!”

If, however, there is one thing that Winter doesn’t like about playing Alex, it’s wearing her baggy sweaters.

“The only thing that I don’t love about Alex is her sweaters. And plaid is not my favorite. But that’s okay, other than that Alex is pretty great!” she said.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight at Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood Issue Celebration, Ariel Winter opened up about receiving hate from followers who did not approve of her risque outfits. The Modern Family star explained that she does not feel the need to apologize to fans, saying that she is just living the life the way she wants to.

“I’m not going to fight with someone on my Instagram that tells me they don’t like my outfit or I should put my butt away. I’m sorry you think I should put my butt away, but just unfollow me.”

Modern Family Season 8 Episode 1, “A Tale of Three Cities,” airs tonight on ABC. Watch the promo below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSwtePu_7gQ

[Featured Image by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images]