Aubrey Anderson-Emmons Is ‘Grateful’ forModern Family,but Thinks Kids Should Skip Acting in Favor of 'Normal' Childhoods

Mar. 15, 2025

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons on ‘Modern Family’ in 2009 (left); Aubrey Anderson-Emmons in 2024 (right).Photo:Rick Rowell/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Paul Archuleta/Getty

Rick Rowell/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Paul Archuleta/Getty

Aubrey Anderson-Emmonsis opening up about the ups and downs ofchild stardom.

Paytas, 36, shared that when she was a kid she always wanted to be an actress, and she has thought about bringingher own daughtersinto the industry. “I would say wait ‘til they know what they want to do,” Anderson-Emmons advised. “We both would say don’t do it,” her mom added.

Sofia Vergara (left) and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons on ‘Modern Family’ in 2012.Peter “Hopper” Stone/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Peter “Hopper” Stone/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Paytas was surprised, noting that the actress and her mom are “so normal.” Anderson-Emmons explained, “Modern Familyhas 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.”

When the show ended, the actress was 12 years old and she felt a little unmoored. “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.” She noted her mom didn’t exactly choose for her because she “wanted” to act when she was little, but, “How do you choose what you want to do for eight years when you’re 4 years old?”

From left: Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons on ‘Modern Family’ in 2020.Eric McCandless via Getty

Eric McCandless via Getty

Anderson-Emmons’ mom chimed in to say that she thought stereotypes about child stars are a little exaggerated. “My belief is the majority of kids in this industry turned out just fine or even really great,” she said. “A lot of adult actors were child actors and are really thriving in their careers, and a lot of people who were child actors go on to do completely different things … But that’s not who we hear about. We want to hear about the ones who are troubled.”

“We know a ton of kids who are in this industry and we know a lot of people who are not, and I’d say more kids who are not in the industry are having troubles in their teens than the industry kids,” she added.

OnModern Family, Anderson-Emmons’ Lily was the daughter ofJesse Tyler Ferguson’s Mitchell andEric Stonestreet’s Cameron. She told Paytas that she thoughtModern Familywas the “best show” to be on because the workload was split between the different houses on the show, so she usually wouldn’t work five days a week. She also said her experience was really different from stars on the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon who might be expected to do more and lead a series at a young age.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

WhenModern Familyendedin 2020, she took “a break” from acting, after she’d started doing self-tape, at-home auditions during the COVID-19 pandemic that gave her “so much anxiety.”

“I told my mom I want to quit,” she remembered. So she did. Anderson-Emmons went back to full-time school, and it was only when she gotinvolved in her high school theater departmentthat she decided she wanted to step back into acting again. She now has a large following onTikTok, where she often shares stories from herModern Familydays.

source: people.com