Rico Rodriguez, world-famous for playing Manny Delgado in the hit sitcom Modern Family, has emerged with a full beard, bomber jacket, and sneakers at age 28, transitioning into voice acting and production work.
- Rico Rodriguez trades Manny’s polite poloshirts for a full beard and streetwear, stepping out at red-carpet events in Los Angeles.
- After the ABC sitcom wrapped in April 2020, Rodriguez shifted to selective film and podcast roles, including voice work for the upcoming animated feature Sneaks.
- The former child star has partnered with his sister, actress Raini Rodriguez, to launch an independent production company behind the scenes.
Back when Modern Family aired, the character Manny Delgado famously preferred espresso at age ten and wore neat, buttoned-up shirts. Today, Rico Rodriguez cuts a very different figure on the red carpet in Los Angeles, sporting a thick beard, glasses, and curly hair, as reported by Blick.
The transformation marks a sharp visual break from the clean-shaven persona he maintained across eleven seasons on ABC. In the sitcom, Manny frequently worried about facial hair that refused to grow in. That adolescent dilemma is firmly in the past for the 28-year-old actor, though his signature smile remains unchanged.
Following the series finale in April 2020, Rodriguez adopted a measured approach to his career, picking roles carefully. In 2023, he took on a voice role in the comedy-thriller podcast How to Win Friends and Disappear People. By 2025, he expanded his voice-acting portfolio by voicing a shoe named Ice in the animated feature Sneaks, working alongside Martin Lawrence and Anthony Mackie.
Behind the camera, Rodriguez has turned his attention to development and production. He teamed up with his sister, actress Raini Rodriguez, to establish their own production company.
| Project | Role / Capacity | Year |
|---|---|---|
| How to Win Friends and Disappear People | Podcast Voice Role | 2023 |
| Sneaks | Voice of “Ice” (Animated Feature) | 2025 |
Despite the long-running show concluding years ago, ties to his former castmates remain intact. Rodriguez recently surprised his on-screen mother, Sofía Vergara, during a live recording of America’s Got Talent where she serves as a judge. Documenting the surprise on social media, Rodriguez wrote on Twitter: We had literally not seen each other in a year and a half!! That scream says it all.
