Sarah Hyland 'Caught Off Guard' by Modern Family Death, Learned About It Watching Show

Sarah Hyland was just as surprised as viewers watching "Modern Family" on Wednesday night, when the show killed off one of her on-camera relatives.

A good chunk of the episode revolved around Phil (Ty Burrell) checking in on his father Frank (Fred Willard) after getting a call that he was "wandering around the grocery store he used to run." After spending a sweet father-son day together, Frank passed away off-camera and the episode ended with Phil giving a eulogy.

While some of her costars appeared in the final scene, Hyland did not -- and she claims she had no idea Frank's death even happened until she watched it unfold on TV.

"So, I don't read scripts of episodes of Modern Family that I'm not in, so I just found out that my grandpa's dead along with all of you," she said in a video on her Instagram Stories. "I still feel special."

"Oh yeah, I guess I should've put a spoiler alert for Grandpa Frank dying, but I was just caught off guard," she said in a followup post. "As his granddaughter, you think I'd be invited to his funeral. If it's any consolation to those who are angry about the spoiler alert, karma hit real fast and Boo just farted in my face and then had to get off the bed because the smell was so bad, she couldn't handle the heat."

After a series of misadventures with his father during the episode, Phil looked into the camera and said, "It might have been one of the best days I ever had with my dad. I just didn't know it would be the last."

He was next seen giving a speech in front of his family, telling them, "My takeaway from our day: Don't miss a chance to let the people you appreciate know that."

"Modern Family" made headlines in 2018 when it killed off another character after teasing a "significant" death before the season began. Eventually, it was revealed Jay's ex-wife, and the mother of Mitch and Claire, DeDe had passed away on a trip to Greenland. At the time, some fans felt duped by the hype.

The show is leading up to its series finale, which will air April 8 on ABC.