Supporters of Modern Family have had their minds blown after finding out that one of the main characters was actually changed.
The comedy ran for 11 seasons from 2009 to 2020, and focused on the connected lives of the extended Pritchett and Dunphy families, and their increasingly absurd antics.
The first episode saw Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) come back to LA after adopting a daughter in secret, introducing their family and friends 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 – baby twins Jaden and Ella Hiller portrayed the character for the first two years.
On TikTok, the 16-year-old revealed details about her time on the sitcom in a new post, revealing a surprising fact 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 turn of events, the twins’ parents previously revealed that they realized Ella and Jaden ‘weren’t enjoying their time on set’, so decided to step away from the series.
Supporters were utterly confused by the news that Aubrey wasn’t the original actress for the role, and gathered in the comments section to express their surprise.
Eileen replied: ‘YOUR WERENT BABY LILY???? [sic].’
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 fortunate 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.
‘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.’
When Aubrey’s Modern Family co-stars moved on to other projects after the show ended in 2020, Aubrey went back to school and focused on her studies.
But as she gets older, she says she is now prepared to come back into the public eye and has been auditioning quietly.
‘I immediately returned to public school and I’ve been there since,’ she said. ‘I took 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 enjoyable. I hope to do something – is there anything in the works currently? Not necessarily.
‘I’m looking forward to releasing music this summer, so stay tuned for that if you would like.’
