Although Ariel Winter of Modern Family has been in the limelight since the show became a successful hit, it really wasn't until she blossomed like a flower into a young adult that she began to make headlines. Nowadays, the talented 21-year-old just seems to make all of her fans, lovers, and haters go gaga over everything that’s up with her life. Well, Ariel did go under puberty, relationships, family turmoil, and a lot more since she had made her Hollywood debut. Want to dig into all these juicy details about her? You’ll be surprised at how much she’s changed since you last caught up with her!
There's a Monster in Her Family
Although we’re not being literal, it’s not by a long shot. You see, Winter has dealt with a lot of family drama in her life, and it all stems from her mother, Chrystal Workman. Instead of the adolescent causing trouble, it was the grown-up who gave her grief. To say that Chrystal was bad at motherhood is an understatement. She was so bad, that this was even taken to court in 2012 by both Ariel and her older sister, Shanelle Gray. Allegedly, Ariel suffered mistreatment from her mom, and it was why Shanelle wanted custody of her younger sister. Through the court proceedings, a lot was revealed.
She's a Victim of Body Shaming
This might sound crazy, but if you look at Ariel’s Instagram, it appears like the girl’s got more haters than admirers. Don't get us wrong, thousands of fans praise and admire her, but there are also a lot of people who rip her apart just because she’s being herself. Make no mistake, she's bullied. What’s worse is that she’s often targeted because of her fuller figure. Random harsh comments with derogatory words such as fat and ugly would often pop up on her Instagram. But aside from those, there are more comments below the belt that has really affected Winter’s well-being in the past.
She Handles Breakups With Hilarious Posts
Ariel had once dated a model named Laurent Gaudette for two years. There were rumors that the two had broken up in May 2016 when the celebrity posted a black and white picture of her at prom sending two middle fingers straight to the camera. The snap was captioned with a quote from Beyonce's song Sorry which had a line that goes “tell him, boy, bye”. A month after that, Ariel posted another photo which kind of confirmed her relationship status: it was an image where Kim K says that she’s dropping hints she’s single. This girl and her references are just killing us with laughter!
Ariel Started Out So Young - and Paid a Price For It
Winter’s breakout moment in Hollywood came when she bagged a big role at just 11 years old. Yeah, we’re talking about her character on ABC's comedy series, Modern Family which still airs to this date. Winter got the role of wiser-than-her-years Alex Dunphy, the middle child who maneuvers through her family's antics on the daily. However, Winter had a few stints prior to the show’s premiere in 2009, like her small role on the medical drama ER, and her voice acting work on Disney’s Phineas and Ferb. All these opportunities may have made for a great start to her career, but her childhood really wasn’t all fun and games…
She Suffered Through Hell Growing Up
Winter had a toxic relationship with her mom. During the guardianship hearing, the child star’s lawyer told the court that Her mother, Chrystal Workman, was apparently prone to slapping, pushing, and generally hitting her daughter. However, she always made sure not to leave marks. She also didn’t let Ariel act her age and would make her wear outfits like super short dresses to make her appear older. Instead of 12, people then assumed that she was 24. Furthermore, Workman forbade female friendships because according to her, they were competition for Ariel. To make matters worse, Ariel was also deprived of food and was often forced to eat boiled chicken and cucumbers.
Mom Denies Allegations of Child Abuse
The Modern Family star was 14 years old when her sister Shanelle became her legal guardian. The poor girl was able to emancipate herself from her cruel mother who she accused of child abuse, both physical and emotional. Even Ariel’s co-workers on the show saw what kind of mother Chrystal was, but the older woman claims otherwise. She adamantly denies all the allegations and even went to Dr. Phil a couple of months later just to plead her case. That may have just worsened the situation because up to this day, the mother and daughter are still not on good terms.
Owning Her Surgery (It's NOT What You Think!)
We often hear about celebrities that go through breast augmentation surgery, but it’s not often that we hear about those that do the opposite. So, here’s one who did it. In June 2015, Ariel got breast reduction surgery to diminish the size of her chest from a 32F to a 34D. She just got tired of dressing up with her huge assets because she would often get ridiculed for it. People criticized her wardrobe choices for being too mature when in fact, that was just how her body was built. Worse than that, Ariel’s chest was giving her back and spinal problems, so she pushed through with the surgery.
Brave Enough to Show Her Scars
Winter proved that she truly had nothing to hide in 2016. At the Screen Actors Guild Awards, she wore a fabulous Romona Keveza black designer dress. The gown was both strapless and backless. Because of that, it exposed the scars that she got from her breast reduction surgery. What she did was a really huge statement on the red carpet. After the show, Ariel went to Twitter to say why she didn’t make an effort to cover up her scars. According to the young celebrity, it’s a part of her, and she’s not embarrassed about them at all. Way to go girl!
Trolling Back Her Haters & Critics
When it comes to fashion and other things in life, Ariel Winter has always been a risk-taker. And with all the trolls all over the internet, the girl has learned to stay strong and authentic to herself. Ariel also grew up to become fearless when it comes to saying what’s on her mind too. The Modern Family star fired back after being wildly criticized for the dress she wore in a graduation picture that she put up on Instagram. The feisty gal went to town on Twitter to school all the body-shamers, telling them to get a hobby since she looked great in the dress. You should really see the hashtags she uses!
Mom Keeps Trash-talking Her In Public
And if you think Chrystal, the bad mom is out of the picture, think again! She always seems to manage to get into an interview in front of the camera to meddle with her daughter’s business. According to a statement she shared on InTouch Weekly, Ariel needs to grow up and learn to dress properly. That didn’t sit well with Ariel, who then tweeted her sentiments. The young star aired that it’s sad that her mom lies constantly and that she only chooses to address her through the press. The tweet was ended with just one word: toxic.
She Got Accepted to the Best Ivy League Universities
You may not know it, but Ariel went to college for a brief moment. The celebrity got accepted to Yale and Princeton, but she chose to enroll at the University of California or UCLA. According to her interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she genuinely wanted to learn, and that’s why she wanted to go to college. Aside from that, it was also a backup plan for her future. However, not everything worked out as she thought it might. Her first day was completely ruined by paparazzi, a fact which she unenthusiastically shared on Twitter.
College Calls, But So Does Hollywood...
Unfortunately, after attending her classes for a few months, the TV personality eventually took a break from her education. Ariel was majoring in political science when she decided to drop out. It might not be surprising to know that she did it to focus on her acting career. But another reason that she gave Entertainment Tonight is that she also wants to have little bit more time for her personal life because she’s been so busy. Winter is not entirely giving up on her education, though, because she still thinks it’s really important. However, it will have to wait.
A Boyfriend A Decade Older
Now, Winter is in a blissful relationship with Canadian star Levi Meaden. Although their exact meeting is unclear, it is reported to have happened through a mutual friend. That mutual chum is Winter’s friend Sterling Beaumon, who was Meaden’s co-star in The Killing. Their romance began in the Fall of 2016 and was initially met with a lot of criticism mainly because of their age gap. You see, Levi is ten years older than Ariel! On December 2016, they had their first red carpet appearance at the Trevor Project’s Trevor Live, a Los Angeles charity event.
Moving In With Her Beau
After six months of being together, the Modern Family star confirmed that she was already living with her boyfriend. With buying a home in 2016, Ariel was able to have Levi live with her. The two have since shared their life as a couple under one roof. As the Pacific Rim: Uprising star shared with Entertainment Tonight, nothing much changed when they decided to shack up. Levi had once worked as a cook, so he is probably husband material and a blast to live with. But as you might’ve already predicted, the public went livid about Ariel’s living situation. Frankly, she really didn’t care about what people think.
Accused Of Doing Drugs
As soon as 2019 hit, Winter already had another controversy on Instagram. This time she was accused of using illegal drugs. The young star had posted a photo of her and her beau holding drinks, and that’s where it all started. The first commenter typed that this was bad as she was an underage drinker. Winter then quickly clarified that she wasn’t drinking alcohol. However, the haters had a field day, and one of them just had to add that it’s not half as bad as the illegal drugs she uses to lose weight. Good thing Winter was in a jolly mood to just make fun of this comment.
An Attempt to Help Her Cousin Came Across As Suspicious
We don’t think Winter foresaw the backlash that was about to hit her when she decided to help out her cousin. If she did, then she might just have opted not to share the GoFundMe page that was made on his behalf. Winter’s cousin was battling with a life-threatening infection in April 2019 when the uproar ensued on Twitter. Many didn't get why the TV star would need her fans to pay for her cousin’s hospital bill when she should be able to afford some, if not all, of it. Her Modern Family co-star, Sarah Hyland was once also criticized for doing the same thing in 2018.
Her Weight Loss Miracle Is... Depression (!)
Many fans were quick to notice that Ariel Winter had all of a sudden lost weight and as we have mentioned before, many trolls were also quick to judge her on how she did it. Over the years, the star has been made fun of because of her body type. It must’ve been difficult for Ariel to grow up with all the bad things that she experienced, which had definitely taken a toll on her. She had to go to therapy and take medication for the depression that she developed from all the mean behavior directed towards her. The truth is that her weight loss is actually linked to her mental health…
The Side-Effect Of Her Medicine
The TV star shared on her Instagram Stories that she started losing weight because of a switch-up in the antidepressants that she takes. Ariel had been taking these kinds of pills for years and they were the ones that had caused her to gain weight in the first place. It’s no secret that she works out, but for some reason, she wasn’t losing the extra pounds no matter what she did. That was also because of the antidepressants. As soon as she switched to a different one, Winter instantly saw the results. It restored her metabolism to normal and she also felt much better emotionally. That’s a total win!
Her Life Story In Ink
Ariel has a few tattoos that are worth taking a look at, since each of them has a special meaning for her. She has a tattoo of the Roman numbers X.III.MMXII which is the date when she moved in with her older sister, Shanelle Gray. The star also has two matching tattoos with her boyfriend Levi, which are incredibly cute to boot - other than two halves of a heart, they also have a peanut butter and cheese tattoos. Also, the semicolon tattoo tucked behind her right ear symbolizes support for suicide awareness and prevention. Who knew getting tattooed could be a form of therapy as well?
Winter On Fire!
We got so excited when we saw Winter’s new hair that we immediately wanted to watch Little Mermaid again. Why? Just so we can sing "part of your world" which was what Ariel had used to caption her Instagram post revealing her new do. And obviously, this was an homage to the other Ariel - the Disney mermaid - so that’s super cool! The husband and wife team, Tim and Tabitha Dueñas of L.A.’s Nine Zero One Salon, were the ones behind this gorgeous switch up and they did a phenomenal job. Ariel just looks so good as a redhead.
What’s Next?
Modern Family is now a decade old and has proven to be one of ABC’s most successful shows. However, we’re sad to report that the beloved comedy series is about to end next year. But because of that, we can’t help but wonder where Ariel Winter is headed after being on one show for so long. Someone on Instagram, who was also curious like us, actually asked what she would like to do next. Ariel replied that she’s excited to work on new characters as a young lady and she also plans to produce her own content. With a brand new hairstyle, we’re sure she’s ready to conquer the world.