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Annaleigh Ashford Exits Kinky Boots - Upped to Series Regular as Lesbian Betty on Masters of Sex
Annaleigh Ashford is amazing no matter what she does!
There’s good news Masters of Sex fans and bad news for Kinky Boots fans! The amazingly diverse Annaleigh Ashford will exit the Broadway company of the Tony-winning Kinky Boots to reprise her role as Betty on Masters of Sex, now that she's been uppped to a series regular for season two, according to Deadline. That means there may be time to explore Betty’s one true love – the woman we haven’t met yet on season one.
Annaleigh, a showtune darling who’s starred in Legally Blonde and Wicked, wowed TV critics on Showtime's Masters of Sex in the role of Betty Dimello, a lesbian who prostitutes herself – in more ways than one – to make ends meet as a single woman in the ‘50s. Her character is crucial to the initial research on sex performed by William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan).
After helping to get the sex study on its feet (as it were) Betty gives up prostitution to marry a nice, wealthy guy with whom she hopes to have kids. But all the while she pines for the love of her life -- a woman-- while making sacrifices to survive the climate of an era that wasn’t exactly good to gays or women. Without giving it all away, things don’t exactly go as planned for Betty, so there’s plenty of room to introduce her female lover in season 2, should the writers opt to go that way.
At any rate, more Annaleigh is always welcome. In honor of her leaving Kinky Boots, here’s a snippet of her blowing the doors off the theater as the plucky factory worker Lauren.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
