In September 2006, “Ugly Betty” debuted and immediately revolutionized primetime television. For almost two decades, fans and critics have coined the series as “ahead of its time” thanks to the exploration of deeper plot lines while maintaining its unwavering humor.

Now, two of the show’s most beloved stars, Michael Urie and Becki Newton, are looking back on the hit TV show with rewatch podcast “Still Ugly”—but it isn’t their first rodeo.

“It kind of felt inevitable that we would do this. We did a podcast when ‘Ugly Betty’ originally aired,” Urie explained via phone.

During the days of filming “Ugly Betty,” ABC’s press and marketing team asked Urie and Newton to host their own show, which added an extra layer of fun to the duo’s strong friendship.

“Every week, we would talk about the latest episode, and we would interview cast members and crew members. We had the best time, and we were just two idiots with a microphone in Becki's dressing room having the most fun,” the actor, who played Marc St. James, said. “We would prank call the writers’ room, prank call the costume shop, prank call the writers’ room as the costume shop. It was such an added delight to the show and just more time that Becki and I got to hang out, and we were hanging out anyway all the time,”

This, of course, was during a time when podcasts weren’t as evolved.

“Originally we just had two little microphones and what felt like a tape recorder,” said Newton, who portrayed Amanda Tanen, on a phone call. “And now [podcasts have] evolved so much, and particularly throughout the pandemic, podcasting was everywhere,”

Newton said that the video element makes a huge difference—and it is something that they briefly explored during their podcast that was recorded throughout the making of “Ugly Betty.” The first video podcast was filmed in May 2008 and featured Naomi Campbell, who guest starred in season two of “Ugly Betty.”

“We called it a vodcast,” Newton noted. “We were running around talking to people and when we added that video element back then, I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so amazing and cool,’ and now it’s sort of a given,”

The visual element of “Still Ugly” gives listeners a deeper connection to Urie, Newton and the special guests of the show. In the first episode, which premiered on February 17, 2025, the hosts chat with Betty Suarez actress America Ferrera on a video call. Subsequent episodes will feature interviews with fellow cast members and fan interactions.

Connection and growth was a huge part of the “Ugly Betty” story, and this is something that the pair will be exploring throughout “Still Ugly.” Ever since Urie and Newton’s first podcast, fans have reached out to the actors to not only ask about the show, but to also seek advice.

“Originally, when people would write in back when we did the original podcast, first it was questions about the show. And then it very quickly changed. So instead of us talking about what Marc and Amanda were up to at Mode [Magazine, where the characters worked on the show,] we had people in high school telling us they were having troubles with their friends or relationship,” Newton explained. “And I think Michael and I really enjoyed that. I mean, ironically, we're not equipped to give any advice, but I really loved that people felt so emotionally connected to the show,”

“It was a really neat experience,” she added. So I think that's why interacting with fans now feels really special, because it feels like we've grown up with a lot of our fans,”

Urie and Newton’s characters went through a lot of growth during the show, from originally playing the callous characters to their redemption arc by the end of season four.

“Even though we were playing the evil characters, the mean girls, our fans still wanted our advice because they could see that the show was so much more well rounded and there was so much depth,” Urie explained.

Through making "Still Ugly,” the pair hope that listeners will remember why the series was so special, as well as bringing some joy to the everyday the art of podcasting.

“This show is about loving each other at its core. Even when you're at odds with each other, you can find a way to love each other. And that message is super resonant in the show and I hope in the podcast it can permeate to the entire world.” Urie said.

“The world needs it desperately,” Newton agreed. “I hope [listeners] take away, in some sense, that it's just Michael and I together,”

“There's so much love, there's so much friendship and there's so much fun. And that really does overlap with the show as a whole,” she added. “I think we just want to infuse people with a little bit of joy right now.”

Episodes of “Still Ugly” are released every Wednesday via YouTube, Spotify and Apple.

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