Ed O’Neill: ‘I had no idea airport fan was Britney Spears’

Modern Family star Ed O’Neill lost a few cool points with his daughter when he failed to recognise Britney Spears at an airport.
The veteran actor was just about to board a plane to Hawaii at Los Angeles International Airport, when he spotted a fan heading towards him.
“I was flying alone to Hawaii and I was waiting for my flight to board,” he told Finding Dory co-star Ellen DeGeneres during a recent appearance on her U.S. talk show. “They told me the flight was boarding and… I saw a woman approaching me…
“I was leaving; she came up and said, ‘Oh, Mr. O’Neill, I love Modern Family, and you’re my favourite on the show’. And I was like, ‘Well, I’m here, I’m the only one here…’,” (She said), ‘Could you please, and I know you’re in a hurry… So I said, ‘Sure, fine, you know, OK.’
“So she sat there and we took it (photo) and I said, ‘Have a nice trip, I’m going’, and I left.”
Britney then posted the snap on social media.
“So the next day my manager texts me and goes, ‘What is this? 53,000 likes? It’s Britney Spears’,” the actor added.
Ed admits his daughter was not impressed, adding, “I mean, look at the look on my face – do I look like I’m sitting with Britney Spears? My daughter, Sophia, she said, ‘You are a moron’.”
O’Neill insists he won’t make the same mistake again, and will also fondly remember his encounter with Spears, stating, “She couldn’t have been nicer.”
Ed’s chat with Ellen airs in America on Monday (13Jun16). Their new Finding Nemo sequel hits cinemas on Thursday (16Jun16).