Gloria is the much-younger wife of Jay Pritchett and the mother of Manny. She was born in Colombia and speaks with a heavy accent. She and Jay met while they were eating in the same restaurant and he boldly asked her out and she accepted. Gloria is Jay's second wife and he sees her as his reward for having spent years putting up with his first wife in a miserable marriage.Gloria loves spending money on clothes and basking in the finer things, including manicures and visits to the salon, but she maintains a clear head about the poorer situation from which she came. She wants the best for her son Manny and is a deeply caring, sometimes smothering mother who wants to see to his every need, both literal and emotional. She praises everything he does, never criticizing anything and often aiming to stop Jay from making critical or disapproving observations about her son. As he grows up, Manny understands her methods of saving his feelings and being overly involved in his life and does what he can to free himself from this without hurting her feelings. Gloria also tries to overly protect Manny from father, her ex-husband Javier, who was mostly absent and who she otherwise sees a bad influence due to his gambling and other questionable activities. She lets Javier visit Manny and has a cordial relationship with him, but is always leery of his intentions.Gloria tries to ingratiate herself with the family, particularly wanting a stronger connection with Jay's daughter Claire, who likes Gloria but is also threatened by her. Gloria is a generally kind and loving person, but has a short fuse, especially when she feels she's been slighted.