All About Sons Oliver, John and Gustav

Julie Bowen may be best known for playing the funny and high-strung Claire Dunphy on Modern Family, and off-screen, she’s running her own hilarious household.

The Happy Gilmore 2 actress shares three sons with her ex-husband, Scott Phillips, whom she married in 2004 and divorced in 2018. They welcomed their first son, Oliver, in 2007, followed by their twins, John and Gustav, two years later in 2009.

In November 2024, Bowen revealed the funny realities of raising teen boys while speaking to PEOPLE.

“The only thing more expensive than horses are teenage boys. You go grocery shopping, get home, food is gone,” she said. “Towels and socks everywhere, all the time. I don’t understand it.”

From which of their mom’s projects they’ve seen to how she’s adapted to being a mom of teenage boys, here’s everything to know about Julie Bowen’s kids: Oliver, John and Gustav.

Oliver McLanahan Phillips, 18

Bowen and Phillips welcomed their first child together, Oliver McLanahan Phillips, on April 10, 2007.

Since he was a toddler, Oliver has appeared alongside his mom at red carpet events, including the opening night of Shrek The Musical. While he often supports his mother’s work, Bowen doesn’t press Oliver and his brothers to watch her movies and TV shows.

“I heard Julianne Moore say that her kids will never watch anything that she does. I was like, ‘Okay, if Julianne Moore, who’s a goddess, an Academy Award winner, and her kids won’t watch her, then you know what? I’m going to stop pushing it,’ ” she told PEOPLE in January 2023.

However, Bowen later revealed that one of her sons got around to watching her 1996 sports comedy film, Happy Gilmore, after his friend suggested it.

“He made [my son] watch it, and he loved it, but he did say to me, ‘Who are you in it?’ ” she recalled during an appearance on Sherri in October 2024. “He could not believe it was me at all.”

Away from the cameras, Bowen is the co-founder of JB SKRUB, a “simple” skincare line for boys, inspired by her kids.

“I used to stand outside the shower and yell, ‘Pits! Nuts! Butts! In that order!’ ” she told PEOPLE in January 2023. “Nobody was teaching teen boys to get clean.”

Oliver and his brothers are fans of the line and have incorporated the products into their daily routines.

“They’ll be about to leave for school, and one of them will go into the bathroom. And I’m like, ‘Did you have to pee?’ And he’s like, ‘No, I needed to put on my moisturizer,’ ” she shared. “I’m like, ‘Oh my God! They actually use it.’ ”

In his free time, Oliver seems to have followed in his mom’s artistic footsteps, but behind the camera rather than in front. The teen has his own photography account on Instagram, where he posts snaps he’s taken from live performances, high school basketball games and other fun events in his life.

Oliver turned 18 in April 2025, and Bowen’s Modern Family costar Sarah Hyland couldn’t quite believe it.

“I’m sobbing. EIGHTEEN?!?! Nooooooo,” she wrote in the comment section of Bowen’s celebratory Instagram post.

Two months later, the teen graduated from high school. Oliver plans to attend college in Oregon, per his Instagram bio.

John Phillips, 16

Bowen and Phillips welcomed their twin sons, John and Gustav Phillips, on May 7, 2009.

When Bowen auditioned for Modern Family, she was expecting them, causing her to worry she wouldn’t land the role due to her baby bump.

“I was pregnant with twins, and I kept thinking they weren’t going to hire me,” she told PEOPLE in 2015. “They kept bringing me in over and over and sort of staring at my humungous belly, and I thought, ‘I’m never getting this job.’ ”

Bowen was ultimately cast as the Dunphy matriarch, and her twins even made a subtle appearance, as she was still pregnant with them in the pilot episode.

John has grown up to be a bit of a “stunts” man, performing tricks with his twin or watching television upside down while standing on his head, Bowen shared during a May 2018 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

“That’s Johnny, I love him so much,” she explained as host Jimmy Fallon showed a photo of the teen standing on his head in the hallway. “But what the hell is he doing? … This is his jam … he does everything he can do upside down.”

The actress continued, “He’s now into the stunt zone. … [His] genius twin brother throws things at him, and he catches them between his legs [while standing on his head].”

In July 2023, John paid a visit to the hospital after he had an accident during a family getaway, resulting in multiple broken bones. That said, it’s unclear if it was because of a stunt gone wrong.

“It’s not a vacation without a trip to the ER for a broken wrist … Both bones broken, but John is on the mend and his brothers were total champs,” the Hubie Halloween star captioned her Instagram post at the time.

 Gustav Phillips, 16

Bowen and Phillips celebrated the arrival of their son Gustav alongside his twin, John, on May 7, 2009.

Though Bowen was a lead in Modern Family for over a decade, she admitted in a January 2023 interview with PEOPLE that her three sons don’t particularly care for her portrayal of Claire Dunphy.

When asked if she’s watched the sitcom with her kids, Bowen said there was only one occasion, and she took the opportunity to point out a fun fact.

“I said to my twins, ‘You’re in my stomach right there. You’re in this episode.’ Because I was pregnant with them on the pilot,” she recounted.

The Horrible Bosses alum added, “They thought that was pretty funny, and they watched some of it. But in front of me, they will not watch it.”

Now, Bowen’s younger sons are all grown up and have joined their older sibling in teenage antics, such as retreating to their rooms instead of spending time with their mom.

During a September 2024 appearance on Today, Bowen said that she mostly communicates with her children over Snapchat.

“Basically, I’m in the desert right now. It’s like I got dumped by three guys I was madly in love with,” she quipped. “I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m right in the kitchen,’ and they never show up. It’s as desperate as I ever felt in high school when you had a crush on a boy.”

Bowen added, however, that despite their distance, the family is still close, and her sons enjoy supporting her upcoming roles.

“They’re excited for Hysteria. They’re excited for Happy Gilmore,” she said of her latest projects. “They get excited for new stuff.”