Summary
- Sofia Vergara tried to lose her Colombian accent early in her career, spending a lot of money on lessons, but it never went away.
- Despite feeling limited in Hollywood due to her accent, Vergara's banter with Ellen DeGeneres has always been in good fun.
- Vergara once clapped back at an interviewer who made fun of her accent, showing that she is not afraid to stand up for herself.
Sofia Vergara is one of the most famous television actresses in history. Thanks to her starring role in the hit series Modern Family, Vergara was able to step into the homes of millions for 11 seasons.
One of Vergara's trademark qualities is her thick Colombian accent. This has often been used for comedic purposes, as evident by Vergara's many appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
However, Vergara's accent wasn't always something she embraced. In fact, she once admitted to working with someone in an effort to lose her accent. Fans pointed to a clip of Vergara at an award show in 1999. Many say her accent sounded different from how it sounds today.
People Noticed Sofia's Accent Sounded Different While She Presented An Award Early In Her Career
In 1999, Vergara made an appearance at the American Comedy Awards. The clip of Vergara presenting Steve Harvey was later uploaded to YouTube. It is said to be one of Vergara's first appearances on American television.
Many in the comments noticed that Vergara's accent sounded different compared to today. Some speculated that the actress attempted to lose her accent during this time.
As it turns out, this is something Vergara herself confirmed. In 2015, Vergara admitted that she "spent a lot of money" to try losing her accent at the start of her career while attending PaleyFest in Los Angeles.
"I don’t understand how Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz can’t fix their accents. I’m gonna do it," Vergara said. "I hired someone and I worked for months, and I spent a lot of money because it’s very expensive."
According to Vergara, she was taking three hour-long lessons per week. However, her Colombian accent never went away.
During a 2024 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Vergara spoke about how she has been "limited" in Hollywood due to her accent.
"I’m always looking for characters because there’s not much that I can play with this stupid accent," she said playfully. "I can’t play a scientist or be in Schindler’s List. My acting jobs are kind of limited."
Vergara then mentioned other Latina actresses who don't have strong accents. She compared herself to these women and revealed she sometimes beats herself up over the fact that she hasn't lost hers.
"Eva Longoria doesn’t have an accent. Jennifer Lopez doesn’t have an accent. Jessica Alba doesn’t have an accent. Is it frustrating? Of course. In the beginning, more than now," Vergara explained. "And the frustration was towards me. How come I can’t [...] get this right? I’ve been here for 30 years. How dumb can I be? I have to fight in English [...] act in English. It’s exhausting."
Ellen DeGeneres Joked With Sofia About Her Accent In The Past And Sofia Said She Was In On The Joke
Throughout the summer of 2020, The Ellen DeGeneres Show was in the headlines due to allegations of a toxic workplace environment. DeGeneres herself addressed the issue in a conference call to her staff in August of that year. During the call, the comedian apologized for allowing the show to be run like a machine.
DeGeneres also confirmed that Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman, three of the show's executive producers, would no longer be working on the show. Her comments were similar to a memo DeGeneres sent to staff on July 30, amid an internal probe being conducted by Warner Bros.
It wasn't just allegations of a toxic work environment that was trending online. Many began calling DeGeneres' character into question, speculating that she's a mean person.
Celebrities, however, came to DeGeneres' defense during this time. Ashton Kutcher, Katy Perry, Kevin Hart, Diane Keaton, Jerry O'Connell and Scooter Braun all spoke about their positive experiences on the show. DeGeneres' wife Portia de Rossi also spoke out in her defense on social media.
Another celebrity who came to DeGeneres' defense was Vergara. Vergara has been a guest on DeGeneres' show many times over the years.
The banter between DeGeneres and Vergara has made her a favorite guest in the show's history. This banter included jokes by DeGeneres regarding Vergara's accent.
During the summer of 2020, clips of DeGeneres making fun of Vergara's accent resurfaced, with many using them as examples of DeGeneres being mean to Vergara.
In a tweet, Vergara clarified that she was always in on the joke.
"Two comedians having fun with each other to entertain," Vergara wrote. "I was never a victim guys, I was always in on the joke."
Vergara later returned to The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a guest in 2021.
Sofia Once Clapped Back At An Interviewer Who Made Fun Of Her Accent
In 2024, Vergara was a guest on Spain's El Hormiguero and had a tense exchange with host Pablo Motos.
Vergara was there to promote her Netflix crime drama Griselda, but things got heated when Motos mentioned the name of another show Vergara starred in.
"Gloria Pritchett was my character on Modern Family," Vergara told the host in Spanish.
Motos then asked Vergara how she pronounced Modern Family, interrupting her.
"Does it not sound right?" Vergara asked the host, before following up with, "Because you speak better English than me?"
"Yes," Motos said, laughing.
"How many Emmy nominations do you have in the United States?" Vergara asked Motos. "How many times have they nominated you for a Golden Globe?"
Motos replied, "The Golden Globes are minor awards. So they don’t matter (to me)."
Vergara's clap-back went viral online and the actress thanked the show for having her on as a guest in a social media post.
