Where is the cast of Ugly Betty now? A look back at the stars from the hit ABC series as it returns to Netflix
Nearly 20 years after the iconic series debuted on ABC, Ugly Betty has returned to Netflix on Tuesday.
The hit series starring America Ferrera in her breakout role as Betty Suarez, which she won an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series in the first season.
The show followed Betty, a smart but awkward 22-year-old who lands a job at a high-profile fashion magazine, created by Silvio Horta (Urban Legend), based on Fernando Gaitan's Colombian series Yo soy Betty, la fea (I Am Betty, The Ugly One).
The show ran for four seasons on ABC from 2006 to 2010, and while it was canceled for low ratings, it has developed a cult following ever since going off the air.
Here, we take a look back at the main stars of the show and seeing where they are now, plus taking a look at some notable guest stars who became stars in their own right.
America: The hit series starring America Ferrera (above) in her breakout role as Betty Suarez, which she won an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series in the first season
America Ferrera (Betty Suarez)
Ferrera made her acting debut in Real Women Have Curves and was featured in films such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Lords of Dogtown before landing the role of Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty.
While Betty was originally hired as a punishment to the new editor-in-chief Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) - who only wanted to take the job to sleep with his assistants - they both formed a unique bond and started helping each other both personally and professionally.
Her performance as the awkward 22-year-old won the hearts of critics and fans alike and earned her an Emmy, beating out industry veterans like Tina Fey (30 Rock), Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine) and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds).
After Ferrera also won a Golden Globe, her work was praised by U.S. Congresswoman Hilda Solis for, 'helping to break down stereotypes and provide a role model for young Latinas,' and the actress was named to Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2007.
After the show went off the air, Ferrera went on to voice Astrid in the 2010 DreamWorks Animation hit How to Train Your Dragon, which she reprised for the film sequels and the animated series Dragons: Race to the Edge.
Ferrera returned to the small screen in 2015, playing the beloved Amy on NBC's hit comedy series Superstore.
That series ran six seasons and 113 episodes before it came to a close in 2021.
Ferrera can currently be seen in her scene-stealing performance as Gloria in Barbie and she'll next be seen in Dumb Money, based on the true story of a bunch of regular people who became rich for their 'short squeeze' of GameStop in early 2021, arriving in theaters September 22.
Hired: While Betty was originally hired as a punishment to the new editor-in-chief Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) - who only wanted to take the job to sleep with his assistants - they both formed a unique bond and started helping each other both personally and professionally
Scene-stealer: Ferrera can currently be seen in her scene-stealing performance as Gloria in Barbie
Eric Mabius (Daniel Meade)
Mabius started his career with smaller roles in movies like Cruel Intentions, Resident Evil and an arc on The L Word before landing the role of Daniel Meade on Ugly Betty.
Meade was the son of Mode magazine publisher Bradford Meade (Alan Dale), who is named as the new editor-in-chief after the death of his father's mistress, Fey Sommers.
Bradford hires Betty to serve as Daniel's assistant in hopes of stopping his womanizing ways.
They ultimately form a bond and team up to fend off the vindictive Wilhemina Slater (Vanessa Williams) and her numerous ploys to take over Daniels job.
After Ugly Betty went off the air, Mabius went on to star in the Hallmark Channel series Signed, Sealed, Delivered.
While it only lasted one season, it also spawned a slew of TV movies, with Mabius returning as Oliver O'Toole in 11 of them.
He also had a seven-episode arc on NBC's Chicago Fire in 2015 and starred in the 2019 Hallmark movie It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.
Mabius most recently starred in the 2022 Hallmark movie Haul Out the Holly with Lacey Chabert and he stars in the upcoming TV series Head Trip.
Betty and Daniel: Bradford hires Betty to serve as Daniel's assistant in hopes of stopping his womanizing ways
Coming soon: Mabius most recently starred in the 2022 Hallmark movie Haul Out the Holly with Lacey Chabert and he stars in the upcoming TV series Head Trip
Tony Plana (Ignacio Suarez)
Plana was no stranger to the small screen when he landed the role of Betty's father, Ignacio, starting his career in 1978 with a guest-starring spot on What's Happening!!
He had roles in An Officer and a Gentleman, Valley Girl, Three Amigos, JFK and a slew of TV guest starring spots before his first major TV role in Bakersfield P.D. in 1993.
The Havana, Cuba native kept working throughout the 90s in movie and TV roles such as 187, The West Wing and The Closer before starring in Ugly Betty.
Plana continued working in Pain & Gain, Alpha House, Colony, Roman J. Israel, Esq., Lethal Weapon, Mayans MC, The Punisher and Playing With Fire, with a major arc on Madam Secretary from 2014 to 2019.
He also joined Ferrera for a few episodes in NBC's Superstore and played 80s TV journalist Geraldo Rivera in the 2019 movie Bombshell.
The actor also transitioned from performing to directing, taking the helm for a 2000 TV movie The Princess and the Bario Boy with Marisol Nicols and Edward James Olmos.
He also directed episodes of Resurrection Blvd., Greetings from Tuscon, The Brothers Garcia and Desperate Housewives.
He can currently be seen in the movie A Snowy Day in Oakland on Prime Video and the HBO series White House Plumbers, where he plays Eugenio Martinez.
Father: The Havana, Cuba native kept working throughout the 90s in movie and TV roles such as 187, The West Wing and The Closer before starring in Ugly Betty
Recent roles: He can currently be seen in the movie A Snowy Day in Oakland on Prime Video and the HBO series White House Plumbers, where he plays Eugenio Martinez
Ana Ortiz (Hilda Suarez)
Ortiz only landed her first series regular role five years earlier - playing Santa Clemente in the short-lived 2001 series Kristin starring Kristin Chenoweth.
She also starred in seven episodes of the war drama series Over There before playing Betty's older sister Hilda Suarez on Ugly Betty.
While the siblings often clashed on the show, Hilda is also very protective of Betty and the rest of the family.
She revealed in an interview that she originally tried out for the Betty role, stating she went into the interview, 'super plain,' adding, 'I just put on some glasses and kept my hair kind of flat and layered on the clothing.'
Ana even kept working on other projects throughout the series, lending her voice to Anna Ramirez on the 2008 animated movie Batman: Gotham Knight.
She also starred in the 2008 TV movie Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story and the 2009 movie Labor Pains with Lindsay Lohan while working on Ugly Betty.
Ortiz would go on to star as Marisol Suarez in the hit Lifetime series Devious Maids and voiced Rafa in Elena of Avalor.
She most recently played Isabel Salazar in the TV series Love, Victor and Alexandra Romanov in History of the World, Part II.
Big sis: She also starred in seven episodes of the war drama series Over There before playing Betty's older sister Hilda Suarez on Ugly Betty
New roles: She most recently played Isabel Salazar in the TV series Love, Victor and Alexandra Romanov in History of the World, Part II
Becki Newton (Amanda Tanen)
Newton had just a handful of guest-starring spots to her name before she landed the role of Mode receptionist Amanda Tanen.
She appeared in episodes of Guiding Light, Cold Case, American Dreams, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Charmed before starring in the ABC series.
Amanda is one of the many in the Mode offices who make fun of Betty when she first arrives, though she ultimately warms to her as time goes on.
She also learns in the Season 1 finale that she's actually the daughter of the late Fey Sommers and spends the rest of the show's run trying to track down her father.
Newton even performed and wrote a song called Gene Simmons Is My Daddy in an episode where her character thinks the longtime KISS frontman is her father.
While Simmons would ultimately claim to be her father - resulting in a reality series - he later admitted in an episode that he only did so to get publicity.
After Ugly Betty ended its run, she went on to have arcs in Love Bites, How I Met Your Mother, The Goodwin Games, Weird Loners, Tell Me A Story and Divorce.
She can currently be seen in the Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer as Lorna Crane, starring alongside Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.
Receptionist: Newton had just a handful of guest-starring spots to her name before she landed the role of Mode receptionist Amanda Tanen
New roles: She can currently be seen in the Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer as Lorna Crane, starring alongside Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
Michael Urie (Marc St. James)
Urie's road to Ugly Betty started on the stage, attending the prestigious Julliard School in New York City.
He earned the John Houseman Prize for Excellence in Classical Theatre at the school, going on to star in the play WTC View and the 2005 film adaptation as well.
The actor also had small roles on Undressed and Uptown Girls before playing Marc St. James, the secretary to Wilhemina Slater.
Marc, like Amanda, spends most of the early seasons poking fun at Betty, and is determined to help his boss to take over Daniel's job.
However, Marc finds a bond with Betty's nephew Justin and their work relationship warms over the years as he comes out as gay.
It's revealed in the season finale that he's made the new creative director of Mode Magazine.
After Ugly Betty went off the air, he would go on to star in movies like The Decoy Bride and he returned to TV in the short-lived Partners with David Krumholtz, Sophia Bush and Brandon Routh.
Urie also had arcs on Modern Family and The Good Wife and he can currently be seen as Brian on Apple TV Plus' Shrinking with Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, and he'll next be seen on the big screen in Bradley Cooper's Maestro.
Secretary: The actor also had small roles on Undressed and Uptown Girls before playing Marc St. James, the secretary to Wilhemina Slater
Mark Indelicato (Justin Suarez)
Indelicato had just a brief role in a Chapplle's Show sketch, an episode of Hack and a short film to his credit when he landed the role of Betty's cousin Justin Suarez on Ugly Betty.
The character was partially based on series creator Silvio Horta's own experiences as a gay teenager being raised by a single mother.
Justin lives with his mother Hilda and aunt Betty and Ignacio, and while it was decided that the character was too young to fully explore his sexuality, it was confirmed in the final season that he was gay.
Instead of coming out to his family, Justin confides in Marc St. James first, and the character was believed to be one of the youngest gay characters on television at the time.
Justin Suarez has been considered by many critics and pundits as one of the best LGBTQ TV characters of all time.
After Ugly Betty went off the air, Indelicato would go on to star in the film White Bird in a Blizzard and the short-lived 2016 Freeform series Dead of Summer.
After a four-year hiatus, Indelicato returned in 2020 with an episode of Melange before playing Damien in HBO Max's Hacks.
He can currently be seen as Jorge Diaz Jr. in the Amazon Prime Video series With Love.
Cousins: Indelicato had just a brief role in a Chapplle's Show sketch, an episode of Hack and a short film to his credit when he landed the role of Betty's cousin Justin Suarez on Ugly Betty
Current role: He can currently be seen as Jorge Diaz Jr. in the Amazon Prime Video series With Love
Vanessa Williams (Wilhemina Slater)
Williams made history in 1984 as the first ever Black winner of the Miss America pageant, though her reign ended in scandal when Penthouse magazine bought and published unauthorized nude photographs of her, leading to her ceding the crown.
She started acting and signing shortly thereafter, with her debut album The Right Stuff in 1988 and continuing to act throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including her 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Eraser.
While she had a handful of guest-starring spots throughout the years, Ugly Betty was Williams' first starring TV role, playing the conniving Wilhemina Slater.
Slater had been with the magazine for years and, after being passed over for the editor-in-chief role by Daniel, she tries anything and everything to make that job hers.
Williams earned three Emmy nominations for her portrayal, considered to be one of the best villains in TV history.
After Ugly Betty ended its run, Williams moved on to another ABC series, Desperate Housewives, playing Renee Perry for two seasons between 2010 and 2012.
She also starred in the short-lived ABC series 666 Park Avenue and had arcs in The LIbrarians and Milo: Murphy's Law, while voicing Amanda Waller in an animated Suicide Squad movie.
The actress voices numerous characters on the animated series T.O.T.S. and she stars in the upcoming movie Tripped Up.
Starring: While she had a handful of guest-starring spots throughout the years, Ugly Betty was Williams' first starring TV role, playing the conniving Wilhemina Slater
More movies: The actress voices numerous characters on the animated series T.O.T.S. and she stars in the upcoming movie Tripped Up
BEFORE THEY WERE FAMOUS
Max Greenfield (Nick Pepper)
Just a few years before his breakthrough role as Schmidt on Fox's New Girl, Max Greenfield played Nick Pepper on Ugly Betty.
Nick was the assistant to Alexis (Rebecca Romijn) who appeared in eight episodes over the first three seasons of the show and idolized Daniel.
He landed the Schmidt role in 2011, playing the beloved character throughout the sitcom's seven season run.
The actor most recently appeared in the 2020 movie Promising Young Woman and he currently stars in the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood with Cedric the Entertainer.
Sitcom: The actor most recently appeared in the 2020 movie Promising Young Woman and he currently stars in the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood with Cedric the Entertainer
Jayma Mays (Charlie)
Before shooting to fame as Emma Pillsbury on Fox's Glee, Jayma Mays played Charlie, the on and off girlfriend of Henry Grubstick (Christopher Gorham).
She appeared in eight episodes over the first two seasons of the show, while also appearing as another Charlie in an arc on NBC's Heroes in its first season in 2006.
Just a few years later, she would land the Emma Pillsbury role on Glee, appearing in 82 episodes over the Fox musical show's six-season run.
Mays most recently starred as Ruby in the Disney Plus sequel Disenchanted, a follow-up to 2007's Enchanted.
Charlie: Before shooting to fame as Emma Pillsbury on Fox's Glee, Jayma Mays played Charlie, the on and off girlfriend of Henry Grubstick (Christopher Gorham)
Star: Mays most recently starred as Ruby in the Disney Plus sequel Disenchanted, a follow-up to 2007's Enchanted
Octavia Spencer (Constance Grady)
Before her Oscar-winning role in The Help, Octavia Spencer played an obsessive immigration case worker on Ugly Betty.
Spencer played Constance Grady, who was the Immigration Services case worker for Betty's father Ignacio, appearing in four episodes of the first season.
It's later learned that she was fired a few months earlier for getting too involved with her clients' lives, even asking Ignacio to marry her at one point.
She can currently be seen in the Apple TV Plus series Truth Be Told and she has TV shows The Lost Women of Highway 20, The Bobby Love Story and the movie The Heart in pre-production.
Too involved: It's later learned that she was fired a few months earlier for getting too involved with her clients' lives, even asking Ignacio to marry her at one point
New character: She can currently be seen in the Apple TV Plus series Truth Be Told and she has TV shows The Lost Women of Highway 20, The Bobby Love Story and the movie The Heart in pre-production
Gabe: Before his Emmy-nominated role as Mitchell Pritchett on ABC's Modern Family, he played Betty's orthodontist Gabe Farkas on Ugly Betty
Cocaine Bear: Ferguson most recently starred in the new movie Cocaine Bear, which hit theaters back in February
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Gabe Farkas)
Before his Emmy-nominated role as Mitchell Pritchett on ABC's Modern Family, he played Betty's orthodontist Gabe Farkas on Ugly Betty.
He appeared in a first season episode when Betty asks him to be her date for Charlie's birthday party, which becomes awkward when he has a fling with Charlie.
He also appeared in the final season, when he decides to ask Betty out, though when she rejects him, he's so upset he tells her to find another orthodontist.
Ferguson most recently starred in the new movie Cocaine Bear, which hit theaters back in February.
