Latest news with #ArielWinter
Daily Tribune
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Tribune
Ariel Winter recalls harrowing experiences with Hollywood ‘male predators'
Bang Showbiz | Los Angeles Ariel Winter received 'inappropriate messages from older men' when she was a child. The 27-year-old star found fame through her role as Alex Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family and has revealed how she had to deal with the unwanted attention of 'male predators' from an early age. Speaking to Ariel said: 'I am familiar with male predators because I worked in Hollywood at a young age. I started at age four. I don't wanna say too much about it, but by the time I was on a laptop and cell phone, I was getting inappropriate messages from older men, and it caused trauma.' She added: 'The experiences I had in person and online as a child have affected me so deeply that I've had to go to therapy for it. The movie and TV industry is a dark place.' Ariel featured for the duration of Modern Family's 11-season run and admits that she found it difficult to come to terms with show ending in 2020. She said earlier this year: 'It was hard. 'We were like a real family. It was weird knowing it would just be over, and I wouldn't get to see everybody all the time anymore. It was like, wait, yeah, wait, we're not going to be together on Monday? So on the one hand, I didn't want it to end, but at the same time, I was ready to start something new as an adult.' Ariel was just 11 years of age when Modern Family began and she did not suspect that the programme would go on to become so popular. She said: 'I was 11 when it started. I don't think I had any idea of it was going to be successful or not. I was just like, 'Oh awesome, I got a job.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ariel Winter Reveals She Received 'Inappropriate Messages From Older Men' As A Child Working In Hollywood
Ariel Winter recently opened up about the traumatic experience of being preyed upon by older men as a child actress in Hollywood. The Modern Family alumna discussed her experience while promoting the YouTube true crime docuseries SOSA Undercover in which she appears; the online show follows members of the Safe from Online Sex Abuse nonprofit organization as they work with law enforcement to uncover and apprehend perpetrators of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. More from Deadline 'I May Destroy You's Weruche Opia Joins Scott Speedman In ABC Pilot 'RJ Decker' 2025 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming 'Scrubs' Reboot Scores ABC Series Order With Donald Faison & Sarah Chalke Joining Zach Braff 'I am familiar with male predators because I worked in Hollywood at a young age, I started at age 4,' she told the U.K.'s Daily Mail. She continued, 'I don't wanna say too much about it, but by the time I was on a laptop and cell phone, I was getting inappropriate messages from older men, and it caused trauma.' As a result, Winter said she sought professional help: 'The experiences I had in person and online as a child have affected me so deeply that I've had to go to therapy for it. The movie and TV industry is a dark place.' Winter first rose to fame portraying brainiac middle child Alex Dunphy in the popular ABC mockumentary-style sitcom about a chaotic yet loving extended family, a part she landed at just 11 years old. Her experience unfortunately echoes what many young starlets have detailed about their time growing up in the public eye of the entertainment industry, including Jenna Ortega, who shared last year that she left social media after being sent explicit content as a young girl. Previously, Winter also discussed the relentless body-shaming she faced while going through her teen years on camera: 'That was a major part of my teenage years,' she told People in part. 'It was just everywhere. It was every headline I read about myself, like, grown people writing articles about me saying how I looked terrible or pregnant or like a fat slut. I mean, I was 14. It totally damaged my self-esteem.' Best of Deadline 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Soundtrack: From Griff To Sabrina Carpenter 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ariel Winter recalls harrowing experiences with Hollywood 'male predators'
Ariel Winter received "inappropriate messages from older men" when she was a child. The 27-year-old star found fame through her role as Alex Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family and has revealed how she had to deal with the unwanted attention of "male predators" from an early age. Speaking to Ariel said: "I am familiar with male predators because I worked in Hollywood at a young age. I started at age four. I don't wanna say too much about it, but by the time I was on a laptop and cell phone, I was getting inappropriate messages from older men, and it caused trauma." She added: "The experiences I had in person and online as a child have affected me so deeply that I've had to go to therapy for it. The movie and TV industry is a dark place." Ariel featured for the duration of Modern Family's 11-season run and admits that she found it difficult to come to terms with show ending in 2020. She said earlier this year: "It was hard. "We were like a real family. It was weird knowing it would just be over, and I wouldn't get to see everybody all the time anymore. It was like, wait, yeah, wait, we're not going to be together on Monday? So on the one hand, I didn't want it to end, but at the same time, I was ready to start something new as an adult." Ariel was just 11 years of age when Modern Family began and she did not suspect that the programme would go on to become so popular. She said: "I was 11 when it started. I don't think I had any idea of it was going to be successful or not. I was just like, 'Oh awesome, I got a job.' "What I was so excited for was to get the chance to work with Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill, who portrayed her grandfather Jay Pritchett in the comedy). "But once the show started, it was an immediate hit, and it was so exciting to have that opportunity. And being on the same show for so long? I feel like that doesn't really happen anymore."
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Modern Family' Star Ariel Winter Grapples With Childhood Fame: 'I Am Familiar With Male Predators'
'Modern Family' alum Ariel Winter is opening up about her traumatic childhood stardom. The actor was only 11 years old when she was cast in 2009 in the ABC sitcom as teenage introvert Alex Dunphy. While she found fame and recognition for her performance throughout the show's 11-year run, Winter recalled Hollywood being 'a dark place' in a wide-ranging interview Thursday with the Daily Mail. 'I am familiar with male predators because I worked in Hollywood at a young age,' Winter told the outlet. 'I don't wanna say too much about it, but by the time I was on a laptop and cell phone, I was getting inappropriate messages from older men, and it caused trauma.' 'The experiences I had in person and online as a child have affected me so deeply that I've had to go to therapy for it,' the actor, now 27, continued. 'The movie and TV industry is a dark place.' Winter, who left Los Angeles after 'Modern Family' ended in 2020, recently told People that the city 'holds some not-great memories' for her. She said she was 'pushed into the industry' at 4 years old by her 'stage mom,' Chrisoula 'Crystal' Workman, who wanted her to be famous. Winter was removed from her home in 2012 following abuse allegations against her mother, who was reportedly accused in court documents of pushing, hitting and slapping Winter — and allegedly imposing such a strict diet that Winter's co-stars would secretly give her food. Workman was also accused of dressing Winter in highly inappropriate outfits for her age. The Department of Children and Family Services later confirmed the emotional abuse allegations, and guardianship over Winter was transferred to her adult sister, Shanelle Gray. Workman has denied the allegations; Winter was emancipated from her mother in 2015. Winter has also opened up about the online harassment she endured during her teenage years, telling People in May that she had to endure 'grown people' describing her in articles as looking like a 'like a fat slut.' 'I mean, I was 14,' she told the outlet. 'It totally damaged my self-esteem.' Winter has since found purpose in teaming up with the nonprofit SOSA (or Safe from Online Sex Abuse), which targets sexual predators online and lures them into the open. Winter recently posed as a 12-year-old decoy for a sting operation in Oklahoma City. 'It can be scary at times pretending to be 12 and [talking] to older men, but it's validating to put away predators that have been harming children,' she told the Daily Mail. 'Growing up in the entertainment industry, I've been the girl we are trying to save,' she said. 'It's vital to me to help protect young women from the experiences I endured in my own life.' Need help? Visit RAINN's National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's website. North Carolina Sheriff Retires Amid Sexual Misconduct Charges Son Of Norway's Crown Princess Faces Rape And Sexual Assault Charges Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Sentencing Set After Split Verdict In Federal Sex Crimes Case
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Modern Family' star Ariel Winter says men were 'inappropriate' to her as a child
Former "Modern Family" child star Ariel Winter is recalling the predatory behavior she was subjected to as a child. The actress, who starred on the ABC sitcom starting when she was 11 years old, told the Daily Mail in an interview promoting the true crime YouTube docuseries "SOSA Undercover" that she is "familiar with male predators," having worked in Hollywood since she was 4. "I don't wanna say too much about it, but by the time I was on a laptop and cell phone, I was getting inappropriate messages from older men," she told the outlet, adding she has sought mental health treatment due to the "trauma." "The experiences I had in person and online as a child have affected me so deeply that I've had to go to therapy for it," she continued. "The movie and TV industry is a dark place." Between the predatory behavior and body-shaming she experienced as a teen, she would go on to be put on antidepressants in high school. The medication made her gain weight, but "my mental health was my top priority," she said. She left her hometown of Los Angeles for the same reason. "I went on a journey of self-healing," Winter said. 'Modern Family' star Ariel Winter says body shaming 'totally damaged my self-esteem' In "SOSA Undercover," Winter will be going undercover, acting as a child to catch predators. She called the experience "cathartic." "It can be scary at times pretending to be 12 and (talking) to older men, but it's validating to put away predators that have been harming children," she said. "Growing up in the entertainment industry, I've been the girl we are trying to save. It's vital to me to help protect young women from the experiences I endured in my own life." SOSA, or Safe from Online Sex Abuse, is a Connecticut-based nonprofit aimed at preventing and intervening in online child sexual abuse and exploitation, and supporting victims and survivors. The series "SOSA Undercover" will follow the nonprofit working with law enforcement on undercover operations. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: (4673) and and en Español
