Why Hayley Orrantia Was Never The Same After The Goldbergs

"The Goldbergs" was not Hayley Orrantia's first jump into television. Before premiering on the sitcom in 2013 as Erica Goldberg, the oldest of the central Golberg family, Orrantia could be seen on "The X Factor" competing with the country-pop musical group Lakoda Rayne, working under mentoring music legend Paula Abdul. 

Orrantia has continued her music over the years, but it's her run on "The Goldbergs" that is what the young artist is known for best. The main performers — which includes names like Wendi McLendon-Covey, Troy Gentile, and Sean Giambrone making up the titular family — have spent so many years around each other, they have become exceptionally close, Orrantia explained. "We definitely feel like a family, and that's not just cast but that's also the crew as well. We've had a lot of the same crew that we had since the very beginning," she told Parade before the 10th season of "The Goldbergs," explaining that it never feels like any time has passed during filing hiatuses. 

On top of this long-running success, an endless number of funny moments, and the closeness of the cast and crew, Orrantia also revealed that her life has changed in some big and very specific ways because of "The Goldbergs," in ways both personal and professional.

Hayley Orrantia isn't just saying nice words when she says the cast and crew feel like a family — in fact, her real-life network has been reshaped thanks to her time on the series, in ways both small and huge. As the actress told Parade, "I think it's allowed me to learn from some really talented people, both in front of and behind the camera. It has given me a platform to express through my experience and my stories both musically and also just by supporting people and causes that I think need to be seen. I wouldn't know my fiancé [Greg Furman] had I not ended up booking this show. I wouldn't know the majority of my closest friends had I not been introduced to them through working here. It's allowed me to meet the people who are closest to me in my life."

In a direct parallel to Orrantia's own life, audiences have literally watched her character grow up on "The Goldbergs." The show has been running a long time (too long, in the eyes of some fans) which has given viewers the wonderful opportunity to see Erica Goldberg getting married, pregnant, and starting a family of her own over the course of the show. 

In the real world, Orrantia announced her engagement to Furman in late June 2022 through her Instagram. Furman, an actor who appeared in the 2022 film "Wing Dad," also enthusiastically shared the news on his social media. The two were known to be together for a few years prior.

Whenever the show does come to an end, Orrantia revealed in the same interview that she intends to refocus her energy on her music, as well as moving into producing. She has still kept busy acting outside of "The Goldbergs" though, appearing in 2021's "Christmas Is Canceled" and an upcoming film titled "Be Alright," per IMDb. She also portrayed Erica Goldberg on the spinoff "Schooled" in 2019.