If you've watched Modern Family more than once, you might have clocked that baby Lily looked a little different partway through the show's run. That's because she was recast entirely after season two — and the twins' parents have now explained exactly why.
A pair of twins found through a casting ad
Lily Tucker-Pritchett was the adopted daughter of Cameron and Mitchell, played by Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. For the show's first two seasons, the role was shared by real-life twins Ella and Jaden Hiller, who were cast after their parents responded to a casting ad looking for identical twin baby girls.
Doug Hiller, the twins' father, says he never set out to get his daughters into showbusiness. The whole thing came about almost by chance, through an online casting call rather than any industry connections. The girls went on to appear in 36 episodes combined, earning $200 each per day of filming. According to their mother Michelle, a stay-at-home parent, every dollar of that went straight into the twins' college funds rather than being spent along the way.
Why the Hillers pulled their daughters
The decision to leave the show wasn't about money or behind-the-scenes drama, though. As Ella and Jaden grew older and their personalities began to develop, their parents noticed they simply weren't enjoying being on set anymore.
"It was really clear to us they weren't enjoying their time on set."
Doug and Michelle told producers their daughters wouldn't be coming back. According to the couple, the show responded by offering more money and improved contracts to try to keep the twins on. It didn't change their minds, and the girls' final scenes aired before the end of season two.
A new Lily, and an 11-season run
From season three onwards, Lily was played by a new young actress, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who remained with the show for the rest of its run. Modern Family eventually wrapped in 2020 after 11 seasons and around 250 episodes. A year into taking on the role, Aubrey became one of the youngest performers ever to win a Screen Actors Guild Award, picking one up as part of the show's ensemble cast alongside her co-stars.
Two very different paths since the show
Aubrey is now 19 and goes by the name Frances Anderson. Rather than continuing to act, she's moved into music, releasing her debut EP, Drown, last year.
Ella and Jaden's paths since leaving the show have looked almost nothing like Aubrey's. More than a decade and a half after their brief time in front of the cameras, the twins have stayed almost entirely out of the public eye, with no acting credits, interviews, or public profiles to speak of since their final appearance.
It's a reminder that not every child actor's story ends the same way. Some go on to build entire careers out of a single early break. Others, like the Hiller twins, get pulled out at the first sign it isn't fun anymore — and their parents, at least in this case, don't seem to have any regrets about it.
