<P> DeDe Pritchett ( Shelley Long ) is Claire and Mitchell 's mother , Haley , Alex and Luke 's maternal grandmother , Lily 's adoptive grandmother , Phil and Cam 's mother - in - law and Jay 's ex-wife . It has been implied that she may be mentally ill due to her somewhat manipulative and sometimes aggressive ways . It is implied that she was initially more accepting of Mitchell 's sexual orientation than Jay was when he first came out . She often uses her close relationship with Mitchell to get him to do things he does not want to do . Jay wanted to divorce her after a spectacular fight they had while their kids were still in school ( he taped over an episode of Dallas to record an NFL game that , ironically , featured the Dallas Cowboys ) but was inspired by an animatronic Abraham Lincoln exhibit at Disneyland to stick things out until Claire and Mitchell reached adulthood . She is still bitter over Jay 's remarriage to Gloria and even attempted to ruin their wedding , which she convinced Mitchell to talk Jay and Gloria into inviting her to ; she got drunk and made rude and inappropriate toasts and eventually had to be dragged out of the reception , in the process ruining the wedding cake . She is very aggressive towards Gloria , often trying to physically attack her . DeDe is also passive aggressive toward Cameron about his weight , and is often critical of Claire , especially her appearance . She also seems to be very good friends with Manny as they write letters to each other talking about their personal issues . DeDe is also a famous author and poet . A running gag throughout the series is that DeDe 's arrival is always forewarned by bad omens , ( birds crashing into the window or peaceful scenarios spontaneously turning chaotic ) . </P>
<P> DeDe Pritchett ( Shelley Long ) is Claire and Mitchell 's mother , Haley , Alex and Luke 's maternal grandmother , Lily 's adoptive grandmother , Phil and Cam 's mother - in - law and Jay 's ex-wife . It has been implied that she may be mentally ill due to her somewhat manipulative and sometimes aggressive ways . It is implied that she was initially more accepting of Mitchell 's sexual orientation than Jay was when he first came out . She often uses her close relationship with Mitchell to get him to do things he does not want to do . Jay wanted to divorce her after a spectacular fight they had while their kids were still in school ( he taped over an episode of Dallas to record an NFL game that , ironically , featured the Dallas Cowboys ) but was inspired by an animatronic Abraham Lincoln exhibit at Disneyland to stick things out until Claire and Mitchell reached adulthood . She is still bitter over Jay 's remarriage to Gloria and even attempted to ruin their wedding , which she convinced Mitchell to talk Jay and Gloria into inviting her to ; she got drunk and made rude and inappropriate toasts and eventually had to be dragged out of the reception , in the process ruining the wedding cake . She is very aggressive towards Gloria , often trying to physically attack her . DeDe is also passive aggressive toward Cameron about his weight , and is often critical of Claire , especially her appearance . She also seems to be very good friends with Manny as they write letters to each other talking about their personal issues . DeDe is also a famous author and poet . A running gag throughout the series is that DeDe 's arrival is always forewarned by bad omens , ( birds crashing into the window or peaceful scenarios spontaneously turning chaotic ) . </P>
who is jay 's ex wife in modern family
who is jay 's ex wife in modern family
DeDe Pritchett ( Shelley Long )
DeDe Pritchett ( Shelley Long )