"Truth Be Told" is the seventeenth episode of the first season  of Modern Family. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company on March 10, 2010. During the course of the episode, Phil meets an old girlfriend he's been talking to on Facebook, while Jay accidentally kills Manny's turtle and Mitchell tells his boss the truth.

Plot

The theme of this episode was facing or owning up to the truth.

In the Dunphy family plotline, the family has a notion to go see a movie, but Phil opts out due to conflicting plans on meeting an ex-girlfriend. Claire discovers that he's been talking to her via Facebook for a year, and suspects Denise's plans even if Phil doesn't. Phil believes it to be merely friendship, but shortly after Denise pays a visit, he discovers that Claire has been correct.

In the Pritchett family plotline, Jay tries to urge Manny that failure doesn't necessarily make a person weak. He gives Manny a Successories poster but Manny doesn't really accept it. Jay decides to place the poster on Manny's wall to help reinforce his idea. Unfortunately, the poster falls into Manny's terrarium, killing the pet turtle Shel Turtlestein. Jay creates an elaborate alibi by faking a break-in by a raccoon. Gloria sees through the falsehood and urges Jay to confess. Jay spends the day justifying the deception by relating a similar incident where he owned up to the truth when he accidentally killed Mitchell's pet bird and it wounded...