Why Frances Anderson Stepped Away From Acting After Modern Family

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Frances Anderson was looking forward to a modern teenage experience.

When the popular ABC sitcom “Modern Family” concluded after 11 seasons in 2020, the actress who portrayed Lily recognized that it was high time for her to experience everyday teenage life, having spent several years on the show’s set.

In an exclusive chat with Francesca Amiker at TopMob News, Frances shared that she was educated at home during her time on the show “Modern Family”, which ended when she turned 12. She then opted to take a break from acting to attend regular school, socialize with peers, and explore her personal growth.

Although the 18-year-old is currently immersed in music and prefers to be known by her middle name rather than Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, her former stage name as a child actor, she’s not entirely abandoning her career in front of the camera.

“I plan to act again,” Frances noted, “but the break was exactly what I needed.”

Instead, the pause didn’t offer her a typical adolescence, as her resumption of school happened amidst the ongoing pandemic.

She disclosed that we had completed the show, only to be hit by COVID-19 two weeks later. This sudden turn of events led her from a prominent TV role straight into lockdown. Later, she joined a public school with approximately 4,000 students, which was quite overwhelming due to its size and recognition factor. Eventually, she switched schools and found one that suited her needs better.

As a die-hard admirer, I’m beyond thrilled to share that I, along with countless others, am witnessing Frances stepping back into the limelight! This time around, she’s gracing us as a singer-songwriter extraordinaire. The anticipation has been building for months, and finally, on August 8th, her EP titled “Drown” dropped, sending waves of excitement throughout the music community. I can hardly wait to immerse myself in her soulful melodies!

She shared that much of her music is influenced by her childhood memories, and the feelings and experiences she had during her high school years. She hopes that others can relate to this.

What prompted her to publish her music under an alias, you might wonder? To put it simply, it was a straightforward decision for her.

Frances expressed her desire to showcase a fresh aspect of herself by saying, “I decided to mix things up and reveal an unexplored part of me.” She also shared her intention to establish a dedicated environment solely for music. Furthermore, she expressed her eagerness for everyone to listen to the tracks on her upcoming EP and expressed her gratitude.

For more of where the Modern Family cast is now, read on.

In a fitting conclusion, Sarah Hyland, portraying Haley Dunphy (the eldest daughter), embarked on a new journey with her longtime partner Dylan (Reid Ewing) and their twins, leaving behind the sunset (or perhaps just an old apartment). In real life, Sarah found her happily ever after when she met Wells Adams, the bartender from Bachelor in Paradise. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, her on-screen brother, officiated their wedding in 2022. Moreover, Sarah spent two seasons hosting Love Island USA under the warm sun of Fiji.

Among her other roles, she worked on six episodes of “Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin” and appeared on Broadway in “Little Shop of Horrors” and “The Great Gatsby”. In an interview with TopMob News in 2023, she shared what advice she’d give to her younger self: “Be gentle with yourself,” she said. “Appreciate the people around you, but cherish yourself even more.

Meanwhile, as Ariel Winter’s character Alex embarked on a fresh job in Switzerland, the young actress chose to remain geographically nearer, departing from California alongside her long-term partner Luke Benward.

Beyond bringing the titular Disney princess to life in Sofia the First, she has also lent her voice to shows such as American Dad!, Firebuds, and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Additionally, she has worked on the docuseries SOSA Undercover. In October 2024, she shared with TopMob News that she recently discovered her life’s calling. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a doctor and then a lawyer, but now finds herself in the world of entertainment. Yet, this is not a new role for her – using her platform to help others has always been her style.

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I’d rephrase it like this: When Luke Dunphy embarked on his college journey at the University of Oregon, my path took a new turn as well. In a humorous December 2024 Instagram post, I playfully assured followers that I hadn’t vanished off the face of the earth by sharing a series of solo images captured in diverse locations, each one serving as a proof of life.

Apart from that, he shared his travel experiences with Ferguson. During a September 2024 episode of his podcast titled “Dinner’s On Me“, he discussed how he got rid of his possessions after the end of “Modern Family” to explore different parts of the country in a van. This was during breaks from filming “Camp” in 2023, the short film “JOE”, and an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy“.

After spending nine seasons portraying Eric Stonestreet’s Cameron Tucker and Mitchell Pritchett’s daughter on the show (Modern Family), Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, originally from L.A., shared in a 2024 TikTok that she felt her acting days might be behind her. However, rekindling her passion for acting through high school theater performances brought her back to the audition scene. “It’s exciting,” she expressed. “I hope to continue working on new projects.

Manny, the son of Gloria Delgado portrayed by Sofía Vergara, has been Rico Rodriguez in various projects. He’s recently made an appearance on Disney’s show “Bunk’d” and will lend his voice to the 2025 movie “Sneaks.” In a post, Manny shared a picture from their 2023 reunion with his on-screen family, expressing excitement for future gatherings by saying, “Reunions are popular these days among TV shows. When will we hang out next, guys?!

In a 2024 interview with TopMob News, Jeremy Maguire shared that people often describe him as carrying an ‘old soul’ in a youthful body, a sentiment he agrees with himself.

He entered the family dynamic in 2015, playing Joe Pritchett, the son of Gloria and Jay Pritchett on the television series Modern Family. Originating in 2011, two years before the show premiered on ABC, he found himself surrounded by a cast that felt like his real family. As he put it to TopMob, “Growing up with a camera crew around can be confusing at times because it doesn’t always feel like they’re your actual family. And for me, that was particularly challenging given my nature to bond easily with people. When Modern Family ended, I felt incredibly sad because it was the only life I had ever known.

Despite a swift comeback, he featured prominently in all 12 episodes of Disney’s 2021 reboot of Turner & Hooch. If opportunities don’t come his way acting-wise, he’s prepared to pen them himself. He finds the process therapeutic, having penned poems, stories, or even scripts for potential future projects. As he put it, “It’s very therapeutic.

Before landing the role of the lovable Dunphy patriarch, Ty Burrell found himself in a dry spell and contemplated leaving acting. He shared this during an interview on Good Morning America before the series’ 2020 finale. In a moment of reflection with his wife, he considered alternative career paths but admittedly had very few options. Jokingly, he confessed that he had no other skills to fall back on.

Despite not needing an alternative plan, the Oregon-born individual – father to daughters Frances and Greta with wife Holly Burrell – utilized his vocal talents for Fox’s “Duncanville” following “Modern Family”. However, he still established several restaurants in Utah despite this.

Residing in Utah (often referred to as the Beehive State) might limit his chances of frequent meetings with his previous co-stars, causing some speculation among fans that he might have passed away due to his absence from their gatherings, such as the 2023 event at Vergara’s home. However, despite the physical distance, their text conversation remains active and vibrant. As he shared with People in 2025, “That group was clearly very close-knit. We experienced a lot together, and everyone maintains contact.

Five years since saying goodbye to conservative Claire, Julie Bowen continues to view her TV co-stars as part of her family. She’s been there to support Hyland in leaving an abusive relationship and attended Anderson-Emmons’ high school play. In a 2024 episode of The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast, she shared, “I see them all like my children.” Regarding her on-screen stepmother Vergara, Bowen told TopMob News in 2024, “We get along exceptionally well.

Despite her successful career, fueled by the Peacock thriller “Hysteria!” and an upcoming “Happy Gilmore” sequel, she admitted during the 2022 episode of the “All Good Things with Jason Nash” podcast that she is quite frugal. She expressed a deep fear, not jokingly, about potentially running out of work opportunities.

Despite occasionally teasing that she’s taken a break from dating since her 2018 separation from husband Scott Phillips (with whom she has sons Oliver, John, and Gustav), she admitted she wouldn’t mind having an evening conversation with Harry Styles. “Oh, absolutely,” she playfully said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “Him? Just look at him!

Entering Gloria’s high-heeled shoes catapulted Colombia native Vergara into a widely recognized figure in households. However, her career after Modern Family has been far from comedic. In addition to starring in films like “This Is Me… Now” and the upcoming “Despicable Me 4,” as well as her ongoing role as a judge on America’s Got Talent for six seasons, she landed her first dramatic acting job. Furthermore, Vergara is a mother to an adult son named Manolo.

In the 2024 Netflix miniseries titled “Griselda,” where she portrayed drug lord Griselda Blanco, Vergara unexpectedly gained another nomination for both Golden Globe and Emmy Awards. Speaking exclusively with Laverne Cox on “Live From TopMob: Emmys,” Vergara shared her feelings, saying, “I was taken aback to be nominated. It was my debut in a drama series, and surprisingly, I acted in Spanish for the first time too. It was quite a pleasant surprise.

Now, following her separation from Joe Manganiello two years ago, Vergara expressed to Access Hollywood in January 2025 that she is wishing for an increase in good fortune, including health, wealth, and potentially a new romantic partner.

The plans of the creators might have dampened our anticipation when they vetoed the idea of continuing the story of Ferguson’s characters Mitchell Pritchett and his husband Cam Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) moving to Missouri. According to the actor, he believes they were pondering if this family was still suitable for telling that particular narrative. “We had been running for 11 years,” he said on ‘Watch What Happens Live’, “they might have been eager to explore new storylines.

However, those eager for a nostalgic journey can simply tune into his “Dinner’s On Me” podcast, where he invites not only his past co-stars but also popular figures such as Gavin Rossdale and Chelsea Handler to join the conversation.

The actor-producer husband of the individual, named Justin Mikita, along with their sons Beckett and Sullivan, accompanied him to London. They joined him there as he prepares for a 2025 run in the musical “Here We Are,” where the star of the film “Cocaine Bear” is currently based.

Since his stint as a football coach, Kansas-born Stonestreet has been taking on fresh roles in shows like ‘American Auto’ and ‘The Santa Clauses’, and is all set to shine in the upcoming revival of ‘Dexter: Resurrection’. The Kansas City Chiefs fan humorously announced this news via an Instagram post in March 2025, jokingly saying, “I too have some free agency news.” He expressed his excitement about working with such a talented team.

In real life, he partnered with nurse Lindsay Schweitzer, who agreed to his proposal in 2021. He penned in a birthday homage that year: “She is as stunning inside as she is outside,” and added, “She’s the ideal person to handle me, so I am grateful every day.

With an 11-season stint on the “Married…with Children” set under his belt, Ed O’Neill effortlessly transitioned into the role of Jay Pritchett, the family patriarch in a new sitcom. At first hesitant to commit to another television series, he recalled during an interview on “The Jenny McCarthy Show” in 2016, “They sent me the script, and I thought, ‘Wow, I simply must be part of this project.’

As a loyal devotee, I’m excited to share that I’ll be stepping into the shoes of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in the 2024 movie “Clipped”. Additionally, you can catch me in Ryan Murphy’s legal drama series titled “All’s Fair”, where I’ll be gracing the screens with my presence.

For many years, the retired defensive lineman from Youngstown State has referred to actress Catherine Rusoff as his long-term teammate in their personal lives. Together, they have two daughters named Claire and Sophia.

Although for years he was an intermittent love interest, portrayed as Haley’s boyfriend on “Good Luck Charlie”, it wasn’t until the introduction of their twins on screen that he officially became part of the family. In a 2020 post on Instagram, he proudly referred to his role as “the best job I’ve ever had.

Over the past few years, he has been featured in short films titled “Always Come in Second” and “Nest”. However, during a live Instagram session in September 2024, he announced his retirement from acting. He expressed that acting had been a long and challenging journey for him, but felt it was the right time to step away as the process had become increasingly unhealthy.

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2025-08-10 15:17