Modern Family remains one of the best sitcoms of all time and, thanks to streaming, people can continue to revisit it. It's one of the rare series that ran for over 10 seasons, as it ended with 11 seasons and 250 episodes. The show featured a wonderful ensemble cast that included Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who played Lily Tucker-Pritchett. Today, the actress is "grateful" for her experience on the Emmy-winning show, but she may not recommend child acting to everyone.
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons was just four years old when she took over the role of Lily amid Season 3 of the aforementioned show, and she played it through the remainder of the series. As her character grew up she became a fan-favorite for her sass and sarcasm, even at a young age. Anderson-Emmons herself also received praise for her work.
The former child star, along with her mother, recently appeared on Trisha Paytas’ Just Trish podcast, where the host and influencer mentioned that she was thinking about getting her young kids into acting since she was never able to when she was their age. The veteran Modern Family cast member didn't totally try to dissuade the social media maven from moving forward with that plan, but she did give her take on why Paytas should wait until her kids are older:
I would say wait 'til they know what they want to do. … Modern Family has brought me so many blessings into my life, and I'm forever grateful. But I think kids need to have a normal experience, and I don't know if that's the way to do it. And I feel like I definitely was more troubled when I became older because of the show.
Those are reasonable thoughts. Show business is said to be tough, but I'd imagine that taking part in it at such a young age before you’re really able to make decisions for yourself is even harder. I can’t imagine having that kind of pressure or no control over things.
Still, it’s clear that Aubrey Anderson-Emmons still holds her former show near and dear to her heart, and she still hangs out with her TV family from time to time. Yet the now-17-year-old actress is not shy about admitting what life was like immediately after Modern Family, and it sounds like it wasn’t easy:
I was like 12 [when the show ended]... I would just say wait, because I felt I didn’t really know what I wanted to do after the show, and I think figuring out your hobbies and experiences for yourself is important, not having your parents choose for you. And it’s not like [my mom] chose that for me, because I said I wanted to do it. But it’s like, how do you choose what you want to do for eight years when you’re 4 years old?
She did indeed spend a good chunk of her childhood on the beloved ABC show and was almost a teenager when the series wrapped. For a while, acting was all she knew, so one can understand why it was tough for her to find another outlet after the show ended. I can’t blame her for recommending that others hold off on the child acting until they're of an age that they're truly cognizant of whether or not they want it.
Anderson-Emmons might have not known what she wanted after the series ended, but she is making sure to get as much normal school experience as she can. The young actress went to prom earlier this year, and many fans had sweet comments referencing her show and her TV dads, Cam and Mitch. She also has not acted since the series' conclusion in 2020, aside from the short Tailwinds this year. On that note, though, it seems like she's content with making decisions for herself in regards to what she really wants to do with her life.
I love seeing just how mature and well-adjusted Aubrey Anderson-Emmons is at this point in her life. And, while she's moved on from Modern Family, you can still revisit her work using a Hulu subscription or a Peacock subscription.
