10 Times Jay Loved Stella More Than Gloria

Modern Family's Jay Pritchett was madly in love with his second wife Gloria, but at times it seemed that he was even more so with his dog Stella.

In season two of Modern Family, the Delgado-Pritchetts adopt Stella and adapt to a new life of being pet owners. Jay is originally against the idea of owning a pet but after raising Stella, he realizes how much he adores her. Jay and Gloria changed their views on Stella almost overnight, with Jay fawning over her and Gloria regretting taking her in.

Jay quickly started treating Stella like a prized possession. He oftentimes treated Stella nicer than he treated his wife. The irony of it all became a long-running gag on the ABC sitcom as fans fell in love with the relationship between Jay and "Stella Bella."

10 When He Dreamt Of Stella In His Sleep

With a woman as stunning as Gloria, one could only assume that she would be the only woman Jay would dream of. But in one episode, Gloria is woken in the middle of the night by Jay groaning and saying "baby" in his sleep. Gloria immediately suspects he's dreaming of another woman and gives him the cold shoulder.

When they finally talk about, Jay tells Gloria he was screaming "baby" because he was having a nightmare about their son Joe. Later when Jay spoke to the cameras, he admitted he wasn't dreaming of Joe or Gloria — he was dreaming of Stella.

9 When He Offered Stella A Towel First

In the episode "Little Bo Bleep," Jay is concerned when Stella keeps jumping in the pool without knowing how to swim. He assumes she's suicidal and jumps in the pool with her whenever she dives in.

Gloria isn't a fan of Stella but when she hears Stella fall in the pool, Gloria does the right thing and jumps in the pool to save her. When they emerge, Jay quickly wraps a towel around Stella instead of warming up—and thanking—his drenched wife.

8 He Chose Stella Over Joe's Rash

In the episode "Rash Decisions," Gloria and Jay are perplexed when Joe gets a rash all over his body. After running through possible reasons, Gloria is convinced Joe is allergic to Stella. Jay refuses to get rid of the dog, which angers his wife because he is choosing a dog over his child.

However, Jay sadly comes around to it and gives Stella to Mitchell and Cam. A few days later, Joe still has the rash and appears to be allergic to Gloria's new lotion. As soon as Jay was in the clear, he left Gloria and his son behind and brought Stella home.

7 He Hates Gloria's Snoring But Loves Stella's

When Gloria was pregnant with Joe, Jay was losing sleep because of Gloria's snoring. He even tried sleeping in a hotel one night just to hide from her. But in an earlier episode, Jay wakes up to the sound of snoring in bed and it turned out to be Stella.

Gloria was annoyed by the noises but Jay adored it. He assumed Stella was afraid in the middle of the night and snuck into bed to curl up with Jay. Gloria reminded Jay that they had a "no dogs in the bed" rule but Jay ignored her.

6 He Sneaks Away From Gloria To Enter Stella In A Dog Show

In the episode "Sleeper," Jay is nervous about entering Stella in a local dog show. He lied to Gloria and told her he was getting his tires rotated but in actuality, he was buying Stella a decorative show-collar.

As the day went on, it became harder for him to do the dog show without Gloria knowing, so Mitchell convinced him to do it anyway. By the end of the episode, Jay was seen showing Stella off while the family cheered on.

5 Jay Greets Stella First

Jay and Gloria have a relationship filled with arguing but they wouldn't change it for the world. When Jay worked, he would come home and be greeted by a happy Gloria.

The two would talk about their days, problems, and what they have planned for the evening. But once Jay formed a bond with Stella, it was Stella greeting Jay by the door — not Gloria. Jay told Gloria he would greet her first too if she wagged her tail when he came home.

4 "S" Is For Stella

In the episode "Valentine's Day 4: Twisted Sister," Jay and Gloria had a romantic evening planned for Valentine's Day. But when Gloria's sister Sonia shows up unexpectedly, their plans changed.

Now that Jay didn't need to splash Gloria with gifts, he went to the jewelry store and bought Stella a chained collar with a bedazzled "S" on it. Manny judged Jay for getting Stella a Valentine's Day gift but it sums up their relationship in a nutshell.

3 He Even Showers With Stella!

The closer Jay and Stella become, the more hostile Gloria becomes with the dog. In one scene, Gloria is furious that Stella is chewing on her expensive shoes. While Jay is showering, she barges in and warns Jay that he has to train Stella better because all of her shoes are ruined.

Instead of taking her seriously, Jay tells Gloria to clean up her shoes so Stella wouldn't eat them. It's then that she notices that Stella is also in the shower with Jay. The two are so connected, they're literally bathing with each other now!

2 Stella Was His Muse For His Company

When Jay hands the family closet business over to Claire, he enjoys retirement for as long as he can before he becomes bored. He eventually begins dabbling in different projects before creating a new business venture: Dog Beds by Stella.

With Manny's help, Jay starts creating various dog beds for all breeds. Stella, of course, is the inspiration and muse of the company, much to Gloria's chagrin.

1 Jay Feeds Stella Gloria's Columbian Meals

In the episode "I Don't Know How She Does It," Jay admits that he gives Stella human food from time to time. Whenever Gloria makes something he doesn't enjoy, he quietly feeds it to the dog. Jay told the cameras he lied to Gloria when they first started dating and said he loved this one specific Columbian dish.

It took Gloria three days to make the meal but she did it because she thought Jay loved it. As it turns out, he hates the meal and secretly feeds it to Stella without Gloria noticing.

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