By Iona Kirby
Published: | Updated:
Modern Family will be returning to the small screen later this year, but not every cast member will be back for the fourth season.
It has been reported that the dog who plays Jay Pritchett’s pet Stella has been replaced by another lookalike pooch.
The French Bulldog, whose real name is Brigitte, made her first appearance at the end of season two and had a role on the sitcom throughout its third season.
Poor pooch: The dog who played Stella on Modern Family, pictured with Sofia Vergara, has been replaced by a lookalike
According to TMZ, Brigitte was on the books of Hollywood animal acting agency Good Dog Animals, who subleased the pup to ABC for the show before season two.
But the agency recently decided it no longer wanted to work with the cute pooch and made no bones about it as Brigitte was dumped.
They then replaced her with a new dog named Beatrice, who Modern Family decided to hire to take on the role of Stella for season four of the show.
Spot the difference: Brigitte (L) starred on the show from season two but Beatrice (R) will take her place in season four
Co-stars: Stella is the pet of Jay and Gloria Pritchett, played by Ed O'Neill and Sofia Vergara
TMZ reports that unfortunately, Brigitte’s owner had no written contract in place to ensure her continued employment with the agency.
It’s not the only drama to surround Modern Family recently as last week the stars banded together to file a lawsuit and void their contracts to work on the hit comedy show.
But now stars including Sofia Vergara, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell have dropped their intention to sue after apparently striking an attractive deal.
Paws for thought: Brigitte didn't have a written contract with the agency, Good Dog Animals, who replaced her
Drama: Some of the show's cast have just dropped a lawsuit over their contracts after a pay rise
The actors have come to an agreement with ABC network producers, after starting negotiations for $200,000 per episode.
However, they are reported to have settled for $175,000 for each show they go on to record and a slice of the whole operation's profits, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The sitcom is about to go into its fourth season and can look forward to earning as much $350,000 by the eighth.
All five prosecutors extended their agreements for an additional series as part of the fresh contracts.
Her name is already in lights! Sofia Vergara visited a lighting store today in Los Angeles
