Jesse Tyler Ferguson jokes he’s raising son ‘gay until he decides he’s straight’

Actor and his husband welcomed first child together in July 2020

Jesse Tyler Ferguson has joked that he is raising his eight-month-old son Beckett Mercer “gay until he decides that he’s straight”.

The Modern Family star, who shares the toddler with hishusband Justin Mikita, discussed the couple’s parenting methods on Tuesday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he explained that they are “still figuring out his personality”.

“I mean, we’re still figuring out his personality,” the new father said when asked what it has been like being a dad. “This is a funny thing about kids that they don’t tell you. Like, it’s a new person in your life, and just like anyone else new that comes into your life, you’ve got to figure out if you like them.

“Like, it takes a little bit of time,” the actor jokingly continued, adding: “No, I really do. I really do like him, he’s a really sweet boy.”

However, when it comes to the types of activities that the new family likes to do together, the 45-year-old told DeGeneres that he has been singing his son “a lot of showtunes” because that’s what the actor likes, and that the eight-month-old’s first musical experience was with Britney Spears.

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“It’s a lot of showtunes because that’s what I like,” Ferguson joked. “So we’re raising him gay until he decides he’s straight.”

Ferguson then recalled that on the way back from the hospital, they had played Spears for their new son because that was what “Justin demanded he listen to”.

“That was his first exposure to music,” he added to laughter.

The joke about the child’s sexuality prompted a response from DeGeneres, who responded in an equally joking manner: “But you’ll love him just the same if he is straight right?” to which Ferguson replied: “Absolutely.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the actor revealed that he had wanted to become a dad for a “long time” but that he had been waiting for his husband, who is 10 years younger, to be ready.

“I was like: ‘You let me know when you’re ready, but like I’m ready yesterday,’” Ferguson recalled of his eagerness at becoming a father.

The couple, who married in July 2013, welcomed their son on 7 July 2020.