How AT&T's Lily Adams Commercials Changed Milana Vayntrub Forever

AT&T commercial spokeswoman Lily Adams has been charming audiences for over a decade. Her friendly demeanor and quick wit have helped cement her as the face of AT&T all while being an overall welcome presence for TV viewers. Much of the same can be said about her actress, Milana Vayntrub. The performer's talent and bubbly personality can be found in other projects such as "This Is Us," "Werewolves Within," and as the voice of Marvel's Squirrel Girl. Additionally, she carries a strong passion for social activism, using her platform to shine a light on topics such as abortion rights and immigration reform. But the same kindness that Vayntrub has shown to the world has not been returned in full. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vayntrub teamed up with AT&T yet again to bring back Lily following the end of their initial campaign in 2017. Vayntrub, who was also directing these commercials, began a new slew of Lily ads where the character was working from home. Not long after, internet trolls began spamming the comments sections of her ads with inappropriate comments. Understandably, Vayntrub was not a fan of these distasteful responses. She addressed many of the hurtful reactions on Instagram and subsequent commercials had the AT&T girl hiding her body to avoid further harassment.

Milana Vayntrub's harsh online treatment following her 2020 AT&T spots proved to be a troubling experience for the actress. AT&T was quick to react to any hate comments. "We don't condone sexual harassment of employees in the workplace or on our social channels," it said in a statement (via The New York Times).

Similarly, prior work colleagues of Vayntrub came to her aid. Director Paul Feig, who worked with her on the web series "Other Space" and 2016's "Ghostbusters," took to X, writing, "What is happening to @MintMilana on social media is an absolute disgrace. To all harassers, trolls, immature guys who hide behind a wall of anonymity to do and say things you'd never do or say in public and anyone who thinks this s**t is 'funny,'  it is vile and harmful."

Someone else who gave Vayntrub a hand was actress Stephanie Courtney, aka Flo from Progressive. Courtney, while never experiencing the level of pestering that Vayntrub was, cared enough to reach out. The two shared a phone call where Courtney offered Vayntrub a kind, listening ear. It was the kind of support she was looking for, telling The New York Times that the call made her feel "like there were people on my team." 

Vayntrub remains loyal to AT&T, even despite these setbacks. When asked by The New York Times if the benefits of working with the company overshadowed any of the negativity, the performer responded, "One hundred percent." With the same chipper attitude possessed by her commercial persona and some true-blue supporters on her side, Vayntrub's talents will continue to flourish. 

After going through her ordeal with online trolls, Milana Vayntrub decided to take the internet's apparent thirst for her and turn it into something positive with "something a little flirty, a little silly, and with a whole lot of heart." The actress offered up classy, custom, pin-up style photographs of herself — exclusive to the buyer — in exchange for a charitable donation. She's done this three times. The first photo drop supported the GoFundMe of a single mother and wildfire victim and raised $170,000. The second one raised $350,000 to support the work of My Tribe Rise, an Altadena, California community justice organization.

With Vayntrub's latest effort, which launched in December 2025 through her website Only Philanthropy, she aims to help even more charities. "I had this full-on crazy idea for an experiment. After the LA fires this year, I saw that what people really needed was some cash. So I wondered if you and me could try something ridiculous & team up to help the people affected," her Instagram post promoting the most recent fundraiser reads, in part. She later added, "This is the best thing I've ever been part of." From avoiding the spotlight because of trolls to fully embracing it, Vayntrub has definitely turned the tables on her haters, raising vital funds for people in need – and it's all thanks to her AT&T fame.

Milana Vayntrub's rising public profile thanks to her Lily-related commercials has resulted in her taking on yet another form of entertainment — she's entered the stand-up comedy world, and the journey has been going well for her so far. Her Instagram shows that she's done a variety of stand-up gigs. In August 2025, she performed at the Mermaid Comedy Hour in Los Angeles, which has been lauded as "a staple of L.A. comedy" and a place where "women and nonbinary comedians can thrive" by the Los Angeles Times.

Vayntrub also does improvisational stand-up, taking suggestions for the night's material from audience members, as she did for Stand Up on the Spot and when she appeared with "Jess Hopkins and Friends" at Hollywood Improv. Vayntrub's comedy work has even gotten her network attention — she's competed as a contestant on the CBS late night gameshow "After Midnight" multiple times. Now that her foot's in the door, she seems determined to make them roll in the aisle, and she definitely has her fame as Lily to thank for that step up. 

In 2024, Milana Vayntrub popped in an independent film that's gotten critical praise, the dark comedy "Bad Shabbos." The movie follows an interfaith couple — Meg (Meghan Leathers) and David (Jon Bass) — who hold a Shabbos dinner to get their families together. This first meeting goes poorly, to say the least — David's family tree is filled with cuckoos, including his sister Abby (Vayntrub), who brings her obnoxious boyfriend, Benjamin (Ashley Zukerman), to the party. A resentful David spikes Benjamin's drink, and then Benjamin dies in the bathroom. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

The film is quite popular with critics and those who have seen it — it holds an 84% critical approval score and an 82% on the audience popcornmeter at Rotten Tomatoes. Vayntrub told CBS News that she hoped the movie would be a uniting force. "I think it's just good to spend time with people who are like you and who are not like you," she said. "So if you're Jewish, you're going to see yourself and you're going to see your family represented in this, and if you're not you get to spend time with people who are a little different from you and maybe grow an empathy towards them." 

Milana Vayntrub isn't always focused on making people laugh — she's also dabbled in dramatic acting. That's her as prosecutor Pam Bozanich at the first trial of the Menendez brothers, Erik (Cooper Koch) and Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez), in 2024's "Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story." It's the second season of Ryan Murphy's "Monster" anthology series on Netflix, the first of which covered the highly disturbing Jeffrey Dahmer story. Vayntrub manages to pull off Bozniach's distant and sarcastic personality, turning in a convincing performance as the real-life prosecutor.

Vayntrub also recently guest starred on a sitcom — Fox's "Going Dutch." She plays the no-nonsense Captain Celeste Shah, wife of Major Abraham Shah (Danny Pudi). Celeste and Abraham's marriage is falling apart, and Celeste is trying to get transferred to Abraham's base in order to improve things. The episode leaves the door open for Celeste to come back, so don't be surprised if you see the character again in the future. Until then, Vayntrub will still be out there, weaving a career that combines all sorts of disparate parts into one cohesive whole. Who knew that winning the role of Lily would open so many doors?