Steve Levitan Discusses His Decades-Long Career Connection

Modern Family co-creator Steve Levitan is among the many mourning the loss of sitcom writer and producer Eric Gilliland, renowned for his work on Roseanne. Gilliland passed away on Sunday due to colon cancer. Levitan expressed his grief and shared fond memories of his friend on Facebook.

Levitan reminisced, “I found myself thinking this morning that Eric Gilliland would have taken some perverse pleasure in knowing that, of all people, he was outlived by Dick Van Dyke.” Their friendship began in eighth grade, bonding over their mutual love for The Dick Van Dyke Show, Monty Python, Jack Benny, The Carol Burnett Show, SNL, and bad puns. “Yes, people, we started a pun club,” Levitan added.

Their bond only grew stronger after middle school, as Gilliland was “just plain smart and funny.” In high school, they participated in plays, musicals, and comedy assemblies, with parts they even co-wrote. Levitan recalled their time together on a local Glenview radio show called “Little Bucky,” where Gilliland, noticing Levitan’s struggle with accents, nicknamed him “The man with a thousand voices.”

Levitan noted that although Gilliland always had a lot of friends, “he stuck out in a crowd of high school kids who were all just trying to fit in,” proudly singing and dancing. Despite going separate ways—Levitan into conventional careers and Gilliland moving to the West to pursue comedy writing—their friendship persisted. Gilliland’s courage to take a chance on the comedy scene inspired Levitan. “If Eric was brave enough to take a chance like that, I should be too,” Levitan admitted, acknowledging he owed a lot to Gilliland for that inspiration.

While they didn’t see each other “as much as one might expect,” they would catch up over a beer whenever Levitan was in New York. Reading the various tributes to Gilliland, Levitan expressed regret over not having the chance to work together more and letting too much time pass between visits. Reflecting on friendships that naturally drift apart over time, Levitan took solace in the many cherished memories, even if the recent ones were few.

“Rest in Peace, Little Bucky,” Levitan concluded. “But first take a big, hammy bow. You deserve it.”