Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson and husband Justin Mikita are expecting their first child together

Modern Family Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita in front of a rainbow flower wall

Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita are to become fathers for the first time.

Ferguson, who plays Mitchell Pritchett on the long-running sitcom, told James Corden that he and Mikita, a lawyer, are expecting a baby in the summer.

He announced the news after Corden asked whether turning 40 had been “a big deal… psychologically”.

“Yeah,” replied Ferguson, 44.

“You know what it is? It’s like you said, it’s when you finally become an adult, I feel. Like I need to start getting serious about things.”

On the top of his list, he revealed, was parenthood.

“This is something I haven’t even mentioned to anyone, if we can keep it between the three of us and you all,” he joked.

“But I’m actually expecting a baby in July with my husband.”

Corden gave a typically cis-het response: “Oh, my god! Do you know what you’re having? A boy? A girl?”

Ferguson cooly replied: “A human.”

Modern Family coming to an end this spring.

Modern Family will draw to a close on April 8 after 11 seasons and 250 episodes.

The sitcom won acclaim early in its run for its portrayal of a gay couple, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), as they adopt a child.

In 2016 the series broke new ground once again by casting a young trans actor in a trans role.

The cast have just three episodes left to film on the series, which Ferguson said makes him “incredibly sad”.

“[It’s] something that I’ve been doing for 11 years,” he explained.

“It’s like first through 11th grade when I was a kid. It seems like a lifetime. Now it’s flown by.”

The actor teased that he might pull an “Irish exit” when it comes to the final day of filming.

“I do not like long goodbyes, so maybe that’s what I’ll do,” he said, explaining: “Just like after my last scene, I’ll just leave the lot and just drive home. I feel like that’s the only way I’ll be able to manage this. It’s really emotional.”