The rebooted Rugrats series hit Paramount+ this week and fans of the show are celebrating the revelation that Betty DeVille is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The strong and energetic mother of twins Phil and Lil, who was married to Howard in the original series, is openly gay in the reboot, according to Betty's voice actor, Natalie Morales.
"Anyone who watched the original show may have had an inkling Betty was a member of the alphabet mafia," Morales told The A.V. Club in an exclusive interview. Morales, who is queer herself, celebrated what Betty's revival on a show as popular as Rugrats means for LGBTQ+ representation.
“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,” Morales continued. “And yeah, 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.”
Admittedly, I haven't had a chance to watch the new Rugrats series on Paramount+ yet as it just premiered his week, so I'm not sure how they'll rework Betty's story. Rugrats has always primarily focused on the toddlers, but the parents also had their moments to shine at times, and it will be great for the series to finally acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community. Betty was voiced by Kath Soucie in the original series, but Natalie Morales is voicing the character in the revival.
Rugrats is now streaming on Paramount+.