The ABC comedy, starring America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, premiered 20 years ago on Sept. 28, 2006 — but its creator initially had a very different idea for Betty’s story
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NEED TO KNOW
- Ugly Betty‘s Betty Suarez was originally pitched as an FBI agent working undercover at MODE Magazine
- The comedy celebrates its 20th anniversary on Monday, Sept. 28
- Ugly Betty is available to stream on Hulu
Two decades ago, Ugly Betty hit the small screen and introduced Betty Suarez, an ambitious young woman who lands a job as an assistant at MODE magazine. Audiences fell in love with America Ferrera’s Betty as she navigated the fashion industry with her unapologetic style. However, Betty wasn’t always meant to take on the world of high fashion in quite the same way.
While developing the comedy, showrunner Silvio Horta envisioned Betty as an FBI agent working undercover at the magazine. His reimagining of the Colombian telenovela, Yo soy Betty, la fea, on which Ugly Betty was adapted, was met with silence.
“I’m met with just crickets,” Horta said during an Ugly Betty reunion at ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas, in June 2016, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. He explained that executive producers Ben Silverman and Teri Weinberg said, “‘Look, we think what was done originally worked, and stay with that. Don’t shy away.’”
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Years later, Weinberg recalled Horta’s initial pitch during an October 2025 appearance on the Viva Betty: An Ugly Betty Rewatch podcast.
“He said, ‘Listen, I was raised on this telenovela. My mother watched it when I was a boy. And I love it, it’s in me. This is my life. And I came up with this great idea. I want Betty to be an undercover FBI agent, and this is how we get her into Mode. She’s the one that’s going to investigate some wrongdoings in MODE,’” Weinberg said.
“Me and Ben, we never stop talking. You can’t get a word in. And it was literally a cricket. We weren’t in the same room, and I don’t think either one of us knew what to do or say,” she explained. “And we said, ‘You know, um, no.’ First of all, no. That’s a hell no. ‘But go and think about it because we love you, and we know you have this in you.’”
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During its four-season run, Ugly Betty earned 19 Emmy nominations and won three. Ferrera, 42, took home Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2007 Emmys. She also won a Golden Globe and SAG Award in 2007 for her portrayal of Betty.
The Barbie actress said she’d be open to an Ugly Betty reunion while speaking to Entertainment Tonight in December 2023.
“I think there has been like a deep desire there for a long time, because our Ugly Betty family is so close, and so we love each other so much,” Ferrera told the outlet. “I think we’d all come back in a heartbeat. You know, I don’t know! It takes a lot of work to get a thing off the ground. Maybe we’ll figure it out.”
She also noted that she cherishes her time as Betty, saying, “Betty is my heart. I would be thrilled to play her again.”
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Ugly Betty ran from 2006-2010, starring Ferrera, Eric Mabius, Vanessa Williams, Tony Plana, Ana Ortiz, Marc Indelicato, Becki Newton and Michael Urie.
Ugly Betty can be streamed on Hulu.
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