Jesse Tyler Ferguson Says Playing a Gay Character on TV Gave Him a 'Coat of Armor'

Jesse Tyler Ferguson gained an unexpected confidence by playing gay in front of millions of viewers every week on "Modern Family."

In his is "Dinner's on Me" podcast, the 48-year-old actor said joining the show in 2009 changed how people perceived him.

Speaking to his guest Nicole Byer, Ferguson said the role gave him a "coat of armor."

"I went to Las Vegas, and I had been in Las Vegas a few years earlier, and I sort of got gay bashed a little bit," he explained. "It wasn't anything violent, but it was definitely like, there was negative energy coming at me from a couple that felt uncomfortable around me and my then-boyfriend."

Years later on "Modern Family," everything was different.

"I remember feeling that same negativity initially, but then they would see who it was, and they would recognize me from being, I am gay, but I'm also that gay one from TV," he said. "There was some weird superpower that I felt like I was being protected by this role that I was also playing."

He added, "It kind of gave me this coat of armor, and I had this protection of being this character that people also loved. I don't know. It was really weird."

However, Ferguson said he still gets nervous at times over being recognized in public in light of rising anti-gay rhetoric.

"Like, how are they gonna respond to someone who looks like me and has my political views?" said Ferguson.

Listen to the Ferguson's full podcast and interview with Byer below.