Marcel Winatschek

The Haley Dunphy Problem

The uncomfortable arithmetic of being a Modern Family fan: Haley Dunphy is supposed to be a teenager, which means every mildly suggestive moment in the show triggers a brief internal audit. Sarah Hyland plays her. Sarah Hyland is twenty-two. Sarah Hyland just shot for Complex, photographed by Carlos Nunez, and the pictures exist entirely outside the jurisdiction of any parental controls software.

The interview alongside is more interesting than the photos. She doesn’t want to be a sex symbol—fine, but the shoot handled that without consulting her. She’d like to date a musician. She never finished college, something she carries with the practiced lightness of someone who understands that a network sitcom residual check is its own kind of diploma.

The math checks out. Twenty-two. I’ve confirmed it several times. We’re fine.