Ariel Winter just added a shiny new trophy to her collection—this time, it’s the Legacy Youth Leadership Award! And she didn’t accept it in a low-key Zoom call, oh no, this all went down at the 4th Annual Legacy Ball at the fancy SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. On a Saturday, no less. Clearly, Beverly Hills doesn’t take weekends off from the glam life.
But hold on to your hats because Ariel had not one, but TWO “Best Supporting Boyfriends” on stage with her: Luke Benward, the actual boyfriend, and Nolan Gould, her honorary TV family from Modern Family. These two legends were there to present her with the award—probably after arm-wrestling each other for the honor. (I mean, who wouldn’t want to hand out a prestigious award to their queen?)
And what did Ariel do? She gave us a heartfelt speech that would make even the most hardened cynic reach for the tissues. “This will never not be the most special honor I could receive,” she wrote on Instagram, because apparently, Ariel’s also a poet when she’s not being an actress, activist, and all-around icon. Then she hit us with the humble-brag that should really be on a T-shirt: “I’m so beyond grateful and lucky and PROUD to work with you.” Throw in a heart emoji, some sappy tears, and you’ve got an acceptance speech that rivals the Oscars.
She went on to sing the praises of Legacy Youth Leadership, which, fun fact, is basically turning today’s youth into tomorrow’s superheroes—no capes required. The programs are free, which is already legendary, and these kids are apparently so incredible that Ariel herself was ready to drop her phone and start a fan club for them.
As if that wasn’t enough, Ariel also made sure to give a shout-out to her “fam,” both IRL and TV. Eric Stonestreet and Ty Burrell sent a surprise video, because even when they can’t show up in person, they find a way to crash the party. She also made sure to thank her hair and makeup squad for making her look like she just stepped off a red carpet (which, let’s face it, she probably did).
Oh, and let’s not forget the star-studded crowd. Tyler Posey was there, Gavin Leatherwood was probably brooding in a corner, Gus Kenworthy was likely plotting his next adventure, Max Ehrich was, I assume, NOT crying over a breakup for once, and Nico Greetham was just being his usual heartthrob self. A casual Saturday night in Beverly Hills, really.
So, yeah, Ariel Winter: actress, activist, and now official mentor to the future leaders of the world. Somebody get her a cape already!
