Jesse Tyler Ferguson remains chill on Nathan Lane's joke

Jesse Tyler Ferguson had no issues with his pal Nathan Lane telling an adult joke to his 5-year-old son, Beckett.

Ferguson hosted Lane and his wife for his Dinner’s on Me podcast. Ahead of the dinner, he shared that he told Beckett and son Sullivan about Lane’s Disney character to help them recognise him.

“And I was like, ‘You know Nathan, of course. You’ve listened to him, you know his voice from  The Lion King.’ So I played Hakuna Matata, and on my way to school, they were singing Hakuna Matata. And I was like, ‘This is Nathan who is coming to dinner!'”

“So that evening, Nathan comes over with Pam, and Nathan comes in, and my son goes, ‘I know who you are!’ He called him, ‘Athan. Athan, Athan, Athan, I know who you are! You’re from Hakuna Matata, you’re from The Lion King!

But Jesse’s Modern Family co-star was embarrassed about being recognised for a past role.

“Nathan was like, ‘Oh god.’ Like, as if he was being stopped in the street by a fan,” Ferguson recalled with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Nathan, he’s a 5-year-old. Like, let it rest!'”. Beckett then went away and brought something, hiding it behind his back.

“He’s like, ‘Athan, Athan, Athan, guess what I have?'” Ferguson remembered. “And Nathan goes, ‘Hepatitis.'”

The Modern Family star wasn’t bothered by the joke and loved his co-star for his authenticity.

“He’s like, ‘I don’t mind kids, but I also don’t relate to them. And I hear an opportunity for a joke and this is what I’m going to give.'”

Nathan Lane played Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Mitch and Eric Stonestreet’s Cam’s gay pal Pepper Saltzman in Modern Family.