Rebecca Romijn left “Ugly Betty” before the ABC comedy series aired its fourth and final season, though her reason for doing so shouldn’t come as a surprise. The actress stepped into the role of Alexis Meade in the middle of Season 1, replacing Elizabeth Penn Payne as the character following the first 12 episodes. After appearing as Alexis on “Ugly Betty” from 2007 to 2008, Romijn received some news that convinced her it was time to move on.
Alexis was initially a central figure on “Ugly Betty,” but the show’s writers gave her a reduced role in Season 3. In a 2008 interview with the New York Post’s Page Six, Romijn said: “They made a tremendous amount of changes, especially with the writing staff [during the writers’ strike]. And while I know I’ll be coming back next season, with all the changes, I’m not sure they can take care of my character the way they have been. So I’ll be leaving, back in a recurring capacity, but time for me to leave and find something else.”
Once Romijn made her choice to exit, “Ugly Betty” concluded Alexis’ story. After revealing that she accidentally killed Christina (Ashley Jensen) by pushing her down the stairs, Alexis forfeited her publishing company to avoid a prison sentence and left New York City.
Rebecca Romijn still appreciated her time on Ugly Betty
An ambitious magazine editor-in-chief, who identifies as transgender, Alexis began “Ugly Betty” as one of the show’s foremost storylines. Even though Rebecca Romijn didn’t stick around, the actress has publicly expressed how meaningful the role was to her. “I really wanted to do that character justice — and make her as hot as possible,” she told The Independent in 2023.
The “X-Men” star also reflected on being given the opportunity to play a transgender character at a time when LGBTQ inclusion on TV, particularly representation of trans individuals, was just getting its feet off the ground. “I never would be cast in that role today, but I do feel like it helped open doors for the trans community. I’d like to think that, anyway. I don’t want to pat myself on the back too much,” she said.
Romijn’s time on the show may have ended prematurely, but America Ferrera and the rest of the cast carried on “Ugly Betty” until the series finale. Those interested in seeing Romijn’s performance on “Ugly Betty” can currently stream the series on Hulu — the series ran for four seasons before its cancellation.