Rugrats Reboot Features Phil and Lil's Mom Betty as Openly Gay — See Fans' Reactions
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Paramount+
Like with any reboot, it's not uncommon to see changes made to the updated iteration. For the new Paramount+ Rugrats series, which premiered Thursday, Phil and Lil's mother, Betty DeVille, is now openly gay.
"Anyone who watched the original show may have had an inkling Betty was a member of the alphabet mafia," actress Natalie Morales, who voices Betty in the new series, told The A.V. Club in an interview published Wednesday.
"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," Morales, who came out as queer in 2017, said to the outlet. "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."
The change-up for Betty — who was married to Howard in the original series and previously voiced by Kath Soucie — has sparked various reactions across Twitter from fans.
"I don't know about you but as someone who watched Betty in the original, this makes sense," one user tweeted, while a second account holder wrote, "Betty is a part of the LGBT in the Rugrats reboot!!!! FINALLY CONFIRMATION ON WHAT WE ALWAY KNEW!!!"
As someone pointed out that Betty "mentioned an ex-girlfriend" in the reboot and took that to mean that "she has finally come out of the closet after 30 years," another user said: "I was today years old when I learned that Betty from Rugrats wasn't always gay."
Reps for Nickelodeon and Paramount+ did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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people mad abt betty being gay in the rugrats reboot idk how to tell u guys howard and betty were always gay it was a marriage of convenience
— Mars🌙🌙🌙 (@realclownhours) May 27, 2021
I truly have a few love and hate things about the show. Love what they are doing with Betty and saying she had a girlfriend in the past…but part of me feels like its weird to see the Rugrats with today’s technology..
— Alyssa Mays (@alyssa__mays) May 27, 2021
Listen. Listen. I am so happy that Betty is openly out in the Rugrats reboot. But I need to know if they killed Howard. Where is he? Just like is he okay?
— Cobra Bubbles ™ (@AliJoyful) May 27, 2021
Wowza am I feeling a way about the decision to make Betty gay in the Rugrats reboot when there are so many bi+ identities they could have chosen instead to honor her palpable queerness and her relationship with Howard from the original.
— She gon be Black today. (@theninthway) May 27, 2021
We all knew Betty was gay. They just couldn’t openly admit it back in the 90’s. I’m glad it’s canon now. #Rugrats
— Ronnie Starks (@starkswrestling) May 27, 2021
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In her interview with The A.V. Club, Morales, 36, explained that "Betty is a fictional cartoon, 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."
The original Rugrats first premiered on Nickelodeon in 1991 and wrapped in 2004 after nine seasons. The animated show's success spawned a spinoff series, All Grown Up!, that ran for five seasons from 2003 to 2008. There were also three Rugrats films: The Rugrats Movie (1998), Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000) and Rugrats Go Wild (2003).
Viacom announced in 2018 that it was rebooting Rugrats and developing a new live-action film featuring CGI characters. While the film was later dropped the following year, the new show features the original series' iconic voice cast.
Rugrats is now streaming on Paramount+.