Ed O’Neill recalls almost joining the mob before ‘Modern Family’

Modern Family actor Ed O’Neill began considering a different career path before landing his big break in acting.

O’Neill dished on his plans of joining the mob in his 20s when he was broke, during a chat with former co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson on his Dinner on Me podcast Tuesday.

The Married … with Children star, 77, revealed that the opportunity came to him in 1969 after he was fired by the Pittsburgh Steelers and didn’t “have a clue” what to do next. He shared that he had friends in “organised crime.”

The actor then went om a drive with his old pal named Jim, who lived in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, and told him that he was “broke.” The friend in the mob then took O’Neill to a “fancy” restaurant he “never would go” to.

He detailed an event in which his friend bribed the bartender to get information on a person that he was looking for. After the duo left the restaurant, O’Neill was offered a job he almost couldn’t resist.

“We left and he said, ‘You can do this kind of stuff for me, you know, I’ll protect you, I’ll give you easy stuff. Just you collect here. You do that. You run, you drop something off here and there. You know, you may have to lean on a guy. You’re good at that. You can make some good money,'” he added.

“I said, ‘Let me think about it, Jim. Cause I’m, I don’t know. I might be leaving town to pursue this acting thing,’” he continued.

However, the Wreck-It Ralph star’s father talked sense into him, pointing out that he could go to jail in the future for his ties. O’Neill then ditched the idea and pursued acting.