Where Did Manny's Actor Rico Rodriguez Disappear To After Modern Family?

The most dapper kid who has ever graced our television screens. That's Manny Delgado, the witty and wise character that Rico Rodriguez played over the course of 11 seasons of "Modern Family." The series follows Manny's stepdad, Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill), as he and his two adult children, Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) and Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), take care of their respective families. As they navigate the ups and downs of life and the zany adventures that ensue, Manny is there with advice that goes beyond his years, offering new perspectives in the midst of disagreements that seem like they'll never be resolved.

Rodriguez would charm his way into the hearts of audiences during his time on "Modern Family," appearing in more than 200 episodes. The beloved TV family said goodbye to viewers in 2020, and Rodriguez has been super busy since leaving the Pritchett household — though not in ways you might expect.

While Manny was his breakout role, Rico Rodriguez was raking in plenty of work before landing a role on the hit ABC series. He has been entertaining audiences with his acting skills for more than a decade, moving to Los Angeles when he was six-years-old. Late night viewers may recall his 2006 appearance as a younger version of Jimmy Kimmel's pal Guillermo on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" His career would take off one year later with several guest appearances on popular shows. This began with the role of James on "ER" during Season 13's "Crisis of Conscience." He would then head to family comedy with a two-episode appearance on the "That's So Raven" spin-off "Cory in the House," playing Rico during the Season 1 episodes "Rock the Vote" and "Mall of Confusion." The late-2000s would see Rodriguez taking on more guest spots, including an appearance on an "NCIS" episode that you may have forgotten about.

He would land his breakout role as Manny Delgado in 2009, with Rodriguez noting that he and Manny eventually became one and the same. He explained how much the show has meant to him during a 2018 interview with Sioux City Journal, saying, "To be able to be on this show is a blessing. It's been a roller coaster, but it's been a great one — and I love it." His one regret was not getting more time with Manny's football storyline. Rodriguez would receive several award nominations during the show's run, including a few Teen Choice Awards. He also helped the "Modern Family" cast win SAG awards in the outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series category. The sky is still the limit for this star who has been dabbling in plenty of other ventures since becoming a household name.

While Rico Rodriguez made a name for himself with comedic projects, he has been venturing into the world of game shows since the end of "Modern Family." During his time on the sitcom, he appeared as a judge on "Chopped Junior," popping up in the Season 2 episode "Quail Quest," and he also appeared on an episode of "Celebrity Family Feud."

Since then, he's featured as a guest celebrity on "The Substitute," a hidden camera show from Nickelodeon that has celebrities going undercover as substitute teachers. Rodriguez appears in Season 1, Episode 6, with his sister Raini Rodriguez (best known for the role of Maya Blart in the "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" movies) gives him prompts from another room. Rodriguez portrays a teacher with a unique organization technique that has him trashing most of the tech in the classroom. Nickelodeon's Facebook page showed off his transformation, which included a curly wig and a mustache that left him so unrecognizable that the students were in total awe during the reveal.

He is also no stranger to presenting at awards shows. Rodriguez made history at the SAG awards when he became the first person under the age of 18 to speak during the beginning of the awards ceremony. In 2020, he presented at the "WWE: Slammy Awards," which was a big moment for the WWE fan (he has been known to post photos of himself at "Monday Night Raw" to his Instagram page).

Rico Rodriguez's expressions are priceless when delivering hilarious lines. However, since "Modern Family," he has taken his acting skills to a platform that strictly relies on his voice acting talents: He can be heard on the 10-episode podcast "How to Win Friends and Disappear People," starring Leslie Grace (who was supposed to star in the cancelled "Batgirl" movie). 

Grace plays El, a vampire who has been roaming for decades. She becomes the new neighbor to a computer scientist named Nancy (Soni Bringas) and the two delve into a perilous world in modern-day New York City. The podcast premiered in 2023, and Rodriguez took to his Instagram account to share his excitement over the project. Rodriguez posted the trailer for the show with a caption that said that it would leave viewers on the edge of their seat. "This was a fun project to be a part of!" he added.

The show is an immersive experience with a narrator that offers a first-person perspective to the story. Rodriguez plays Louise beginning in Episode 3, "(Undead) Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." The podcast comes from QCode, who's CEO and founder Rob Herting told Deadline, "Perfect for true crime fanatics and fans of comedic thrillers, this series utilizes vampire lore to insightfully explore modern relationships and feelings unique to the digital age."

When Rico Rodriguez isn't making people laugh in front of the camera, he is working behind the scenes with his sister Raini. She also has a long list of acting credits. On top of the "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" movies, she's known for the Disney shows "Austin & Ally" and "Bunk'd," and she's done plenty of voice acting work, too. Fans of Studio Ghibli movies will recognize her voice from the English dub of "When Marnie Was There," in which she plays Nobuko, and, more recently, she's been voicing Sammy Gutierrez in the animated Netflix series "Jurassic World: Chaos Theory."

Raini has also dipped her toe into directing, having helmed an episode of "Austin & Ally." Those behind-the-scenes talents have been channeled into a production company that she now has with her brother. Rico told ABC11 in July 2024, "I've been doing a lot of writing, me and my sister we have our own production company. So, we have a couple of projects that are in development right now." No other specifics were shared.

This is just one of the many ventures that they've been working on together. The siblings told Shine on Media that they have created the Raini & Rico Foundation to help the Head Start Program, focusing on providing various school supplies to kids in Texas. Raini told ABC11 that she enjoys working with her brother. "It's a true blessing to be able to be together and to have my partner by my side," she said.