The Stunning Transformation Of Modern Family Star Sarah Hyland

Sarah Hyland first shot to fame as the pretty but undeniably ditzy Haley Dunphy on the ABC sitcom "Modern Family." Hyland's charm made her a key player in the show's ensemble cast over 11 seasons, which started when she was just 18-years-old. Since the show's 2009 debut, the doe-eyed beauty has evolved into an elegant star and entrepreneur. Famous for serving iconic red carpet looks and being winningly authentic on social media, Hyland has matured into some serious staying power. Her personal experience with kidney disease has made her a powerful advocate for organ donation, while her relationship with "The Bachelor" alum Wells Adams has been serious couple goals. Meanwhile, her playful and honest social media presence has established her as authentic and vulnerable celebrity — a public figure who is both relatable and empowering.

Ultimately, Hyland's resilience in the face of health challenges, as well as her eagerness to embrace new types of professional projects and a more mature, polished style, has helped transform her from girl next door to chic, modern star.

Though Sarah Hyland had worked as a child actor prior to "Modern Family" across from stars like Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd, the ABC sitcom propelled her to pop culture prominence and established her as a relatable, comedic teen star. "I never considered myself a comedic actress before 'Modern Family,'" Hyland told Good Morning America. "I had never really done any comedies before, I was always the quote-unquote ugly girl that is unpopular and was crying over not being able to lose her virginity."

But, as Haley, Hyland was suddenly playing the pretty girl and a key power player in the cast. And while Hyland became, for many viewers, synonymous with the fashion-focused and endearingly spacey character she played, the show's eleven seasons offered the character a lot of opportunity to grow, which meant a chance for Hyland to flex her range as the character matured. By the end of the show's run, Hyland went from playing a teen daughter to a savvy professional and mother to twins.

On social media, Sarah Hyland developed a reputation for her open and genuine presence. That authenticity has come to include transparency about her challenges with kidney disease, a tragic detail from her past that threatened to derail her acting career. The actress has spoken candidly about her experience with kidney dysplasia, which necessitated a first kidney transplant at the age of 21, and then another at the age of 27. In a 2022 interview on the podcast "Quitters," Hyland opened up about the difficulty of being sick while filming "Modern Family," noting that hiding her illness was an added pain on top of the illness itself (via National Kidney Foundation). "I had almost 27 years of putting on a show, whether it was on Broadway or in my family living room," she explained.

But for Hyland, the experience of opening up and being vulnerable about her experience has been powerful. "I thought if I talk about this, not only do I think it will help me and be a bit cathartic, in the sense of I'm proud of myself for making it through the other side but as well as shedding even more light," she said. Fans resonated with the star's honesty, and it signaled a new era for Hyland. No longer was she merely the air-headed eldest Dunphy daughter; her vulnerability made her an empowering advocate for organ transplant and mental health. 

As Sarah Hyland's public persona become more authentic and vulnerable over the years, she has undergone a breathtaking style transformation to match. Though the red carpet stunner has had few detours to the Worst Dressed List, she has nonetheless matured, gravitating toward more elegant styling. While the Hyland who starred in early season of "Modern Family" loved graphic eyeliner and neon-colored dress, the star has since embraced more romantic looks, with softer, smudged eyeliner and more muted color palettes. One example of this was the sleek, pink two-piece set and short hair look she wore to the Hard Rock's New Era In Florida Gaming event in late 2023.

Her early red carpet looks ooze indie sleaze but, in recent years, she's since found more sophisticated silhouettes, with longer skirts and the occasional plunging neckline. Though she still loves a bold choice, like a dark lip or smudged eye makeup, Hyland's makeup choices are still romantic and nearly ethereal in color palette. As of 2024, her fashion and beauty choices are giving old school Hollywood glamor — perfect for a star who has transformed from teen star to silver screen icon.

When Wells Adams appeared on the 2016 season of "The Bachelor" to vie for JoJo Fletcher's heart, Sarah Hyland developed a crush on the contestant—and tweeted about it. It wasn't long before the reality star slid into her DMs to ask her out. Though they met in person just days before Hyland's second kidney transplant, Adams was key part of Hyland's support system and the pair rapidly became inseparable.

"He still liked me after that somehow," she said. "So it definitely brought us closer together and forced us to have a relationship that was very serious from the start," Hyland told People.

The couple moved in together in 2018, and became engaged shortly after in 2019. "We like to joke when we first started dating, that we're the same person," Hyland told PeopleTV in an interview that year. "We're just so similar that it definitely felt like meeting a kindred soul from a past life." Though they postponed their wedding twice due to COVID, they were finally married in 2022—surrounded by friends from the "Modern Family" franchise.

Though "Modern Family" concluded in 2020, Sarah Hyland has moved on to a variety of projects that have kept her actively working and present in the public eye. From 2022 to 2024, she hosted the popular reality dating show "Love Island USA." She also made the leap from television to the stage, landing a role in an off-Broadway revival of "Little Shop of Horrors" in 2024. "Audrey has been a dream role of mine since I was a little girl, so it really is a dream come true," Hyland revealed on "Today with Hoda & Jenna" in July 2024. Both roles have been proof that Hyland has celebrity staying power behind "Modern Family."

When she's not acting, Hyland has expanded into a multi-hyphenate as an entrepreneur. In 2020, she collaborated with supplement brand Source, eventually becoming both a co-founder and creative director of the chocolate-infused vitamin company. "My health journey and experiences have influenced my health and wellness habits, and have caused me to really seek out products that are truly good for your body while still being tasty," she explained in a 2023 interview with Wild Elements.

But despite those professional successes, Hyland is perhaps best loved for being herself. She remains a popular social media presence, with a timeline that heavily features her relationship with husband Wells Adams. And it's that Hyland who is beloved for her playful authenticity and capacity to be vulnerable.