Why the twins who played baby Lily in Modern Family were pulled from the show by their parents

The parents of the twins who played Lily in ABC's Modern Family have opened up about their decision to remove their children from the hit American sitcom.

Having first aired in 2009, Modern Family followed the lives of three fictional family set-ups in Los Angeles.

One of these families was made up of fathers Cameron Tucker and Mitchell Pritchet - played by Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson respectively - and their adoptive daughter Lily Tucker-Pritchett.

In seasons one and two, Lily, who was a baby, was portrayed by twins Ella and Jaden Hiller. However, they were replaced in later seasons by Aubrey Anderson-Emmons.

Now, Ella and Jaden's parents, Doug and Michelle Hiller, have spoken out about their decision to remove their young children from one of American TV's most popular sitcoms.

Ella and Jaden Hiller played Lily in seasons one and two. (ABC)

Explaining how their children ended up on Modern Family, Doug admitted he'd never aimed for the twins to become stars.

“We saw an ad on Craigslist looking for identical Asian girl twins, so we sent in a picture and they were cast. It was crazy,” he told Woman's Day magazine.

Ella and Jaden appeared in a total of 36 episodes throughout the course of the first two seasons.

Their brief acting careers helped at to their college funds, revealed Michelle, a stay-at-home mum.

She added, "They didn’t have an agent, so they got $200 per girl per day. All the money they earned went into their college funds.”

But their twins' starring roles didn't last.

As Ella and Jaden began to grow up, Doug and Michelle noticed their children weren't enjoying being on set so much and this ultimately led to their decision to remove them from the ABC series.

"Halfway through season two their personalities had started to develop, and it was really clear to us that they weren’t enjoying their time on set. So we told the producers the girls wouldn’t be coming back," Michelle said.

TV bosses weren't prepared to let the Hiller twins go that easily though. Soon enough, more money was offered and better contracts.

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons took over the role of Lily from season three. (ABC)

But it wasn't enough to sway Doug and Michelle, who stood firm on their decision and their daughters' final scenes aired during season two.

From series three onwards, Lily was played by child star Aubrey, who remained on the show until the final series in 2020.

Aubrey, now 19, also goes by the name Frances Anderson and since the show has continued to chase a career as a musician, releasing her debut EP, Drown, last year.