“Ugly Betty ”turns 20! See America Ferrera and the cast of the beloved comedy, then and now

Danny Horn, Kevin JacobsenMon, September 28, 2026 at 4:00 PM UTC

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Mark Indelicato as Justin Suarez, Ana Ortiz as Hilda Suarez, Tony Plana as Ignacio Suarez, Becki Newton as Amanda Tanen, Ashley Jensen as Christina McKinney, Michael Urie as Marc St. James, America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade, Judith Light as Claire Meade, and Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater on ‘Ugly Betty’Credit: Andrew Eccles/ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

ABC boasted numerous shows that captured the zeitgeist in the mid-2000s, including Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, and Lost. And then there was Ugly Betty, which didn’t quite reach the same heights but quickly became a beloved comfort watch upon its 2006 premiere. Adapted from a Colombian telenovela, Ugly Betty began as the story of the high-spirited yet dowdy Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) as she navigated the cutthroat world of a high-fashion magazine in New York City, and blossomed into a hilarious, heartfelt ensemble show about identity and the power of inner beauty.

The show earned heaps of acclaim, including an Emmy for Ferrera, and served as all-too-rare representation for Mexican-Americans and the LGBTQ+ community on primetime television. All these years later, the cast has flourished in Hollywood, with Ugly Betty propelling them to future success. As the four-season wonder celebrates the 20th anniversary of its premiere, we’re looking at what the actors behind Betty, her loving family, and her catty co-workers have been up to all these years later.

America Ferrera (Betty Suarez)

America Ferrera as Betty Suarez on ‘Ugly Betty’; America Ferrera attends the ‘Barbie’ European premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square in London, England, on July 12, 2023Credit: John Clifford/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Gareth Cattermole/Getty

America Ferrera won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for playing Betty Suarez, the fashion-backward assistant at Mode who’s determined to follow her dreams.

Ferrera first learned about the part from executive producer Salma Hayek. At an Ugly Betty reunion panel at the ATX Television Festival in 2016, Ferrera recalled, “I hadn’t heard anything about the show and she ran up to me and said, ‘You are my Ugly Betty,’ and I was like, ‘I don’t know what that means, but I will do whatever!’ And then she pitched me the show.”

At the time, Ferrera was primarily known as one of the four leads in the coming-of-age film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), though she also earned a handful of awards for her debut in Real Women Have Curves (2002).

Her film career picked up with the cop drama End of Watch (2012), alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, and what became a long-running voice role as Astrid for the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

She returned to TV for the workplace comedy Superstore before landing her biggest movie role yet: stressed working mom and Barbie enthusiast Gloria in the billion-dollar blockbuster Barbie (2023), which earned Ferrera her first Oscar nomination. She has also starred in Dumb Money (2023) and played a key role in Paul Greengrass’ The Lost Bus (2025), opposite Matthew McConaughey.

Ferrera has been married to actor-director Ryan Piers Williams since 2011; they have two children, Sebastian and Lucia.

Vanessa Williams (Wilhelmina Slater)

Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater on ‘Ugly Betty’; Vanessa Williams attends the 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 30, 2023Credit: Michael Desmond/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Phillip Faraone/Getty

Vanessa Williams earned three Emmy nominations as Wilhelmina Slater, who resents being passed over for Mode’s editor-in-chief job and tries to undermine Daniel’s authority.

In 1984, Williams became the first Black woman to win the Miss America pageant. However, she had to relinquish her crown late in her term due to controversy over nude photographs — for which she had posed years prior under the promise of anonymity — that were published in Penthouse. She found her footing in subsequent years, becoming a recording star with the release of her debut album, The Right Stuff. She now has 11 Grammy nominations to her name.

Acting success soon followed as she built a television and stage career playing powerful women. In 1994, she debuted on Broadway in Kiss of the Spider Woman and later won a Tony for playing the Witch in the 2002 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. She recently appeared in the West End production of The Devil Wears Prada as overbearing magazine editor Miranda Priestly.

In addition to Ugly Betty, Williams has commanded small-screen attention on Desperate Housewives as the tough-to-please neighbor Renee Perry, and on The Librarians as a villainous military general.

Asked about whether she feels typecast, Williams told PEOPLE in 2024, “I always find it fascinating. My characters are formidable because they’ve worked their lives to create something that means something… It’s very comfortable to play.”

Williams was married to her first husband, Ramon Hervey II, from 1987 to 1997. The couple had three children: Melanie, Jillian, and Devin. In 1999, she married NBA player Rick Fox and had another daughter, Sasha. Williams and Fox split in 2004. Her third marriage to Jim Skrip was from 2015 to 2021.

Eric Mabius (Daniel Meade)

Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade on ‘Ugly Betty’; Eric Mabius during RomaDrama Live! at the Palm Beach Convention Center in Palm Beach, Fla., on June 25, 2022Credit: Karen Neal/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Mireya Acierto/Getty

Eric Mabius played Betty’s boss, Daniel Meade, a nepo baby whose father handed him the editor-in-chief job at Mode.

Mabius’ onscreen debut was in Todd Solondz’s classic indie comedy Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995). He later appeared in the diabolical teen melodrama Cruel Intentions (1999) and unleashed vengeance in the title role of The Crow: Salvation (2000) opposite Kirsten Dunst. He also featured prominently in the original Resident Evil(2002).

On the small screen, the actor popped up on The L Word and Chicago Fire before landing a long-term leading-man gig with the Hallmark Channel series Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

Mabius married his high school sweetheart, interior designer Ivy Sherman, in 2006. The pair split in 2018 and share two children.

Alan Dale (Bradford Meade)

Alan Dale as Bradford Meade on ‘Ugly Betty’; Alan Dale attends the 2017 CW Upfront in New York City on May 18, 2017Credit: John Clifford/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Monica Schipper/WireImage

Alan Dale was Bradford Meade, the hard-headed magazine mogul who hired Betty as Daniel’s assistant so his son wouldn’t be distracted by her looks.

The New Zealand actor appeared on Australian TV for many years before making his way to the States, where he nabbed parts on ER, The X-Files, and 24, plus a major role on The O.C. Many TV viewers probably know him best as enigmatic tycoon Charles Widmore on Lostor King George on Once Upon a Time. He also took on another gruff tycoon role on the Dynasty reboot.

While the veteran character actor has been a ubiquitous presence on the small screen, he’s squeezed in bit parts in some pretty major movies, including Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).

Dale’s first marriage to ex-wife Claire lasted from 1968 to 1979, producing two sons, Simon and Matthew. In 1990, he married Tracey Pearson. They share two sons, Daniel and Nick.

Michael Urie (Marc St. James)

Michael Urie as Marc St. James on ‘Ugly Betty’; Michael Urie attends the Queerty Pride50 party at Current at Chelsea Piers in New York City on June 12, 2023Credit: Michael Desmond/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Santiago Felipe/Getty

Michael Urie played Marc St. James, Wilhelmina’s ride-or-die assistant who teams up with Amanda to tease and torment Betty.

Urie has fond memories of Marc’s double-act with Becki Newton’s Amanda. “That was one of those chicken and the egg things,” Urie said at the 2016 ATX Television Festival Ugly Betty reunion panel. “[Becki and I’s] friendship kind of came from the characters and the characters kind of came from our friendship. We sort of just glommed on to each other and we’re still really close.”

Marc was Urie’s first major acting job. He later guested on Modern Family and The Good Wife before booking a recurring role on TV Land’s romantic dramedy Younger. He currently stars as Brian, Jason Segel’s character’s best friend on Shrinking, for which he has earned two Emmy nominations. Urie also has an extensive theater career, most recently costarring in Oh, Mary! as Mary’s Teacher on Broadway and the West End.

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Urie is in a relationship with writer-actor Ryan Spahn.

Becki Newton (Amanda Tanen)

Becki Newton as Amanda Tanen on ‘Ugly Betty’; Becki Newton celebrates season 3 of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ at the Los Angeles Center Studios in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 10, 2024Credit: Ron Tom/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Amanda Edwards/Getty

Becki Newton played Amanda Tanen, Mode’s receptionist and Marc’s eager partner in crime.

After Ugly Betty ended, Newton popped up on How I Met Your Mother and Kevin Williamson’s thriller anthology Tell Me a Story before joining the main cast of Netflix’s series version of The Lincoln Lawyer.

Newton has been married to actor Chris Diamantopoulos since 2005. They have three daughters and a son.

Mark Indelicato (Justin Suarez)

Mark Indelicato as Justin Suarez on ‘Ugly Betty’; Mark Indelicato attends the HBO and Max post-Emmy reception at San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2024Credit: Danny Feld/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; JC Olivera/Getty

Mark Indelicato played Justin Suarez, Betty’s fashion-obsessed teenage nephew. While early episodes were cagey about Justin’s sexuality, he came out as gay in the fourth season.

Indelicato has reflected on the cultural impact of Justin’s coming-out storyline, as he told PEOPLE in 2021: “At the time, I don’t think that I understood exactly what Justin would mean to so many people and the kind of legacy of the show in opening so many doors for subsequent projects and representation. But I think that it took me until I was about 25 to really look back and be like, ‘Oh, wow. I did that. I’m part of a larger kind of story.’”

After attending NYU, Indelicato landed a role on the supernatural horror series Dead of Summer (2016) and eventually starred on Amazon’s rom-com series With Love and competed as a contestant on RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race. He also had a long-running supporting role as Deborah Vance’s (Jean Smart) assistant on the HBO Max hit Hacks.

Ana Ortiz (Hilda Suarez)

Ana Ortiz as Hilda Suarez on ‘Ugly Betty’; Ana Ortiz at the Disney 2024 upfront presentation held at the North Javits Center in New York City on May 14, 2024Credit: Michael Desmond/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Kristina Bumphrey/Getty

Ana Ortiz played Betty’s older sister, Hilda, who is very protective of Betty and Justin.

“I can’t tell you what an honor it’s been to be part of such an iconic Latin family,” Ortiz told EW in 2010. “It’s meant so much in my community just walking down the streets and hearing, ‘Oh my God, that’s my family.’ Just hearing that and seeing young people recognize themselves not only in Betty, but in Hilda and Justin and Papi. It was so incredible.”

Ortiz came to Ugly Betty with an established record on TV, including NYPD Blue and Boston Legal. She eventually headlined her own series, the eccentric murder mystery Devious Maids. More recently, the actress earned acclaim for Hulu’s Love, Victor, playing the title character’s mother, and she played a key role on Apple TV’s Imperfect Women.

She married musician Noah Lebenzon in 2007. They have two children, Paloma and Rafael.

Rebecca Romijn (Alexis Meade)

Rebecca Romijn as Alexis Meade on ‘Ugly Betty’; Rebecca Romijn attends the 84th annual Peabody Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, in Beverly Hills, Calif., on June 9, 2024Credit: Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Kevin Winter/Getty

Rebecca Romijn played Alexis Meade, Daniel’s transgender sister who shows up halfway through the first season to accuse her father of murder.

Romijn appreciated the opportunity to play a transgender woman on prime-time television; she said in a 2023 interview with The Independent that she “really wanted to do that character justice” and “make her as hot as possible.” These days, she believes a trans actress would play Alexis, but she’s glad the role could “open doors for the trans community.”

Romijn was a prominent model in the 1990s before transitioning to film, most notably as the shapeshifting Mystique in the X-Men series. She went on to lead Brian De Palma’s twisty erotic noir, Femme Fatale (2002). The actress starred in the 2002 Rollerball remake and had her son cloned by an evil Robert De Niro in Godsend (2004).

She found a regular gig on the fantasy adventure series The Librarians, and joined another franchise as Una Chin-Riley on Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. She’ll soon revisit her X-Men role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe flick Avengers: Doomsday (2026).

Romijn was married to John Stamos from 1998 to 2005. She married another actor, Jerry O’Connell, in 2007. They have twin daughters, Charlie and Dolly.

Ashley Jensen (Christina McKinney)

Ashley Jensen as Christina McKinney on ‘Ugly Betty’; Ashley Jensen attends the National Youth Theatre annual fundraising gala at the Londoner Hotel in London, England, on March 7, 2023Credit: John Clifford/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty

Ashley Jensen played Christina McKinney, the seamstress at Mode who becomes a confidant for Betty. Christina was originally meant to be American, but producers liked Jensen’s accent so much that they rewrote the character as Scottish.

Jensen became known to American audiences as the co-lead on Ricky Gervais’ showbiz satire Extras. She’s been a linchpin of British television ever since, appearing on Amazon’s acclaimed Catastrophe, landing the title role on the comic mystery Agatha Raisin, and taking over as the lead on Shetland.

She made an impression on the big screen with a key supporting character in Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster(2015), though most of her film work has been voice roles, including How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and Arthur Christmas (2011).

Jensen was married to actor Terence Beesley from 2007 until his death in 2017. They had one son, Francis. Jensen married actor Kenny Doughty in 2023.

Tony Plana (Ignacio Suarez)

Tony Plana as Ignacio Suarez on ‘Ugly Betty’; Tony Plana attends HBO’s ‘White House Plumbers’ New York premiere at 92nd Street Y in New York City on April 17, 2023Credit: Craig Sjodin/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Michael Loccisano/Getty

Tony Plana played Betty’s father, Ignacio, an immigrant who’s proud of his daughter’s success.

Plana has strong feelings about his time on the show, which he shared at the 2016 ATX Television Festival Ugly Betty reunion panel. “I felt so honored because I knew about the Latino show, the Spanish show, and reading the script, I felt a lot of responsibility for this character to do it right,” he said. “We put a face on immigration in a way that no one had done before.”

He has been a consistently working character actor for decades, appearing in such films as An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Three Amigos (1986), JFK (1991), Lone Star (1996), and Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017). In addition to appearances on Lethal Weapon, The Punisher, and Madam Secretary, the Cuban American actor reunited with America Ferrera on three episodes of Superstore, once again playing her father. Most recently, he played a supporting role in the 2026 Netflix rom-com Office Romance opposite Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein.

Plana has been married to actress Ada Maris since 1988. They have two children, Isabel and Alejandro.

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