Eric Stonestreet says 'Modern Family' Mitch and Cam spinoff being rejected was 'hurtful'

The story of Mitch and Cam almost didn't end with the "Modern Family" finale.

Eric Stonestreet, who played Cameron Tucker on the ABC sitcom for 11 seasons, reflected in an interview with Graham Bensinger about the network passing on a spinoff series about his character and his husband, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson). The actor, 53, said there was a "really great" script for the spinoff, which would have followed Mitch and Cam's life in Missouri, but it was rejected.

"They said no," he recalled. "They just said, 'We don't want to do it.' I think it hurt Jesse and I's feelings. I think it hurt (co-creator) Chris Lloyd's feelings."

Stonestreet explained he loved his "Modern Family" character and didn't feel like he was "done" with the role when the show wrapped.

"Jesse and I maybe felt like they thought of us as the old guys or something like that, that didn't seem worthy of keeping those characters going," he said. "It felt a little hurtful. But people make business decisions. We can't get involved in that."

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"Modern Family," which revolved around the lives of an extended family, also starred Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Ed O'Neill and Sofia Vergara. In the series finale, which aired in 2020, Cam and Mitch decide to move to Missouri.

When asked in the interview if a "Modern Family" spinoff could happen, Stonestreet said he feels this is no longer a possibility, as "they had their chance." While he said he understands the desire not to "dilute" the brand with a subpar spinoff, he argued the Mitch and Cam show would have been a "slam dunk" given Lloyd was involved.

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"It would have been great," he added. "If ABC would have said 'let's do it,' I think we'd be on right now."

But while the ship may have sailed on this spinoff, Stonestreet floated the idea of a "Modern Family" Christmas special and teased, "There's been talk of that."

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Ferguson previously confirmed on "Watch What Happens Live" in 2022 that there "were discussions" of a Mitch and Cam spinoff show, but the network "decided against it."

"We'd been on for 11 years," he said. "I think they were ready to move in a different direction."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eric Stonestreet on failed 'Modern Family' Mitch and Cam spinoff