Rugrat's Betty DeVille is openly gay in the Paramount+ reboot

28 May 2021, 11:58

Watch the trailer of the Rugrats reboot on Paramount+

By Jazmin Duribe

Voice actor Natalie Morales wants Betty to be a "beacon for young queer people".

Rugrats' Betty DeVille is openly gay in the Paramount+ reboot, it has been confirmed.

Rugrats originally ran from 1991 to 2004 on Nickelodeon and was the height of entertainment for all '90s babies. The show has been rebooted on Paramount+ and the first episode debuted on May 27. The new series features the original voice cast along with new actors including Phil and Lil's mother Betty.

Betty was married to Howard DeVille and she was a feminist icon, rocking leg warmers, sweatbands and sweaters with the gender sign on it. Betty is voiced by Natalie Morales, who is queer and uses both she/her and they/them pronouns, replacing actor Kath Soucie.

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Didi Pickles' original voice actor Melanie Chartoff had previously hinted that the reboot would feature a lesbian character but didn't confirm who would be.

In an interview with the AV Club, Natalie confirmed that Betty is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. She said: "Anyone who watched the original show may have had an inkling Betty was a member of the alphabet mafia."

"Betty is a single mom with her own business who has twins and still has time to hang out with her friends and her community, and I think it’s just so great because examples of living your life happily and healthily as an out queer person is just such a beacon for young queer people who may not have examples of that."

Natalie added: "Betty is a fictional cartoon character, but even cartoons were hugely influential for me as a kid and if I’d been watching Rugrats and seen Betty casually talking about her ex-girlfriend, I think at least a part of me would have felt like things might be okay in the future."

Naturally, Rugrats fans are happy that Betty is now out of the closet.

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