Modern Family first premiered in 2009 and was an instant hit (Picture: Disney)
Modern Family fans have had their minds blown after learning that one of the main characters was actually recast.
The sitcom ran for 11 seasons between 2009 to 2020, and focused on the intertwining lives of the extended Pritchett and Dunphy families, and their increasingly ridiculous shenanigans.
The pilot episode saw Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) return to LA after secretly adopting a daughter, introducing their loved ones to baby Lily.
While Aubrey Anderson-Emmons is known for playing the youngster over the years, some viewers have only just learned that she actually made her debut as Lily in season three – infant twins Jaden and Ella Hiller portrayed the character for the first two years.
Taking to TikTok, the 16-year-old shed light on her time on the comedy in a new post, dropping a bombshell about the casting for her followers.
‘If you don’t know, I was on Modern Family from the ages of four to 12, I believe. I was on for nine seasons, I think there are 11 seasons,’ she began the clip.
‘A lot of people think I was the actual baby at the beginning of the show but no, I was not. I auditioned when I had just turned four. The babies were actually twins.’
‘I did two or three auditions for the whole thing. I had a chemistry read with Jesse Tyler Ferguson who plays my dad in the show, he’s the ginger one. I love him.’
In a very refreshing twist, the twins’ parents previously revealed that they realized Ella and Jaden ‘weren’t enjoying their time on set’, so decided to back out of the series.
Fans were utterly baffled by the news that Aubrey wasn’t the original actress for the role, and flocked to the comments section to voice their shock.
Eileen replied: ‘YOUR WERENT BABY LILY???? [sic].’
Baby Lily was originally played by twins Jaden and Ella Hiller (Picture: Disney)
Fans were shocked to realize the character was recast (Picture: Disney)
Marie agreed: ‘What u weren’t baby Lily???? That’s crazy [sic].’
Alana yelled: ‘NOOO YOU’RE NOT BABY LILY ???’
While Saynaa was having none of it, questioning everyone else: ‘How did yall not know that she wasnt baby lily? [sic]’
Elsewhere in the clip, Aubrey gave fans a glimpse into her life on set, and how she was able to balance her childhood with her growing career.
‘I felt like we were all very lucky because it was one of those shows where the actors were not there every single day,’ she continued. ‘I was probably there two or three days a week because there’s all the different houses on the show, and all the different parts of the families. Those get shot on separate days.
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons joined the show in season three (Picture: Disney)
She continued in the role until the series ended in 2020 (Picture: Disney)
‘People don’t realize that I was working, and if I wasn’t working on the set, I had to do three hours of studio school a day, so I had no time to rest except lunch.
‘There are moments that were fun and there were things I loved about it, but it is work and I think we do have to keep that in mind.’
While Aubrey’s Modern Family co-stars jumped onto other projects when the show ended in 2020, Aubrey returned to school and put all her efforts into her studies.
However, as she gets older, she shared that she is now ready to return to the spotlight, and has been auditioning behind the scenes.
She built up a strong bond with her co-stars (Picture: WireImage)
‘I immediately went back into public school ands I’ve been there since,’ she added. ‘I took a bit of a break right after the show ended, and I thought that I would never act again in my life. Then I went to high school and I was like, “Maybe I should!”
‘Now I’m auditioning again and that’s fun. I hope to do something – is there anything in the works currently? Not necessarily.
‘I’m hoping to have music released this summer, so stay tuned for that if you would like.’
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