Jay Pritchett is the patriarch of the family and father of Claire and Mitchell, who is on the south side of middle age. He is married to Gloria and a stepfather to Manny; he is much older than Gloria and has been mistaken for her father more than once. At times there is a cultural clash between him and his wife and stepson because of their strong Colombian heritage. Most of the time, Jay manages to tolerate Manny's sensitivity and Gloria's attitude. Although he usually acts tough, he values all of his extended family members. On occasion, Jay enjoys traditionally manly hobbies such as watching football (Jay used to be a quarterback in college) and constructing model airplanes.