It’s been nearly two decades since Ugly Betty premiered on ABC, but the issues tackled then are just as timely now, especially to the show’s stars, Becki Newton and Michael Urie, who are in the midst of a rewatch podcast.

In Still Ugly, the actors behind the roles of Amanda Tanen (Newton) and Marc St. James (Urie) watch one episode at a time and recount their on-screen and off-screen memories, dishing on the details fans have always wanted while welcoming guests from the show. The first episode, for example, brought in Betty Suarez herself, America Ferrera, to take a look back at the show’s pilot. For Episode 5, Henry (Christopher Gorham) stopped by to talk about his own character’s entry into the world of Mode magazine, and the hosts say this is just the start.

While it’s a fun trip down memory lane, Still Ugly is also an opportunity for Newton and Urie to talk about the newsworthy headlines of the time, which have yet to resolve themselves. This includes racism, sexism, and LGBTQ+ issues, which are just as timely as ever.

“The thing that I think surprises me is just how ahead of the curve the show was. Right now, in the rewatch, we’re going through issues with Ignacio’s [Tony Plana] immigration status. It was topical then, it was ahead of the curve then, and now, suddenly even more so,” Urie said. “Same with all of the queer stuff. You know, we go to a lot of places with queer representation in this show. I can’t believe it was 2006 when we were talking about these things.”

Newton added, “At the time, people talked about the comedy and the camp and all of it, but it really tackled some huge issues. And I think the reason people are still watching it today is because it’s very relevant. It perhaps is more inappropriate in certain parts, but it’s certainly still relevant.”

And while the show was on the cutting edge of issues back in the early 2000s, there are still numerous things that Newton and Urie have to address during the rewatch, including some jokes and storylines that have not aged so well. One of which is the Alexis Meade storyline, where Rebecca Romijn played the transgender sister of Daniel Meade [Eric Mabius], who ended up being the butt of many a joke. Even that, however, gives Urie and Newton an opportunity to talk about how the show was (and still is) on the “right side of things.”

To find out what inspired them to start the rewatch podcast, who fans can expect to hear in the next few episodes, and whether or not they would be up for an Ugly Betty reboot, read on for Decider’s full interview with Urie and Newton.

DECIDER: I want to just start at the beginning and ask what really made you guys wanna get into this? Because so many people have done these rewatch podcasts and said its for this reason or that reason. What was it for you?

BECKI NEWTON: I don’t think that it was a given that we were going to do this. And I don’ think we ever said, “You know what, it might be time now.” I think we’ve always wanted to, and we’re both out in LA right now filming a show. And it just sort of all made sense right now.

MICHAEL URIE: It felt inevitable. We did a podcast for the initial run of the show. We were like pioneer podcasters. ABC.com got us to do this podcast, so every episode of the original run had a correlating podcast hosted by Becki and me and we would interview cast members, we would interview guest stars, we would interview crew members. Sometimes, we would just grab a random crew member, drag them into our dressing room at the lunch break, and make them be on our podcast.

NEWTON: They were usually very confused.

URIE: Oh yeah, they didn’t know what we were doing. There were some podcasts, but certainly there weren’t actors doing podcasts about their own TV shows. And so it just felt like inevitable that we would [do this]. And we really have stayed very close all these years, truly the entire time, maybe like a few months go by where we don’t see each other, but we are in constant contact with each other. We really have stayed really close, going back together and looking at the show again feels, it feels really special. It’s almost like our high school reunion.

I feel like if you did get to go back and listen, you would probably have a lot of the same reactions today. Have there been any moments you have been taken aback by or any that have made you say, “How did this make it to air?”

URIE: In terms of the content of the show, the thing that always strikes me is how progressive it was. Yeah, we had some casual racism and later in the series, there’s casual transphobia when the Alexis character joins the show. But even that stuff was not without consequence. These characters, they get comeuppance for the bad things that they do. But the thing that I think surprises me is just how ahead of the curve the show was. Right now, in the rewatch, we’re going through issues with Ignacio’s immigration status. It was topical then, it was ahead of the curve then, and now, suddenly even more so. Same with all of the queer stuff. You know, we go to a lot of places with queer representation in this show. I can’t believe it was 2006 when we were talking about these things.

NEWTON: I think I was surprised, too, as we rewatch it. Michael and I specifically associate so much with the comedy of the show. But as we’re rewatching it, one of the episodes literally ends with Ignacio being taken away. And so I think I’m responding so much more to the drama of the show and these very serious issues that perhaps Amanda wasn’t necessarily involved in a lot of those scenes. But watching it back now, at the time, people talked about the comedy and the camp and all of it, but it really tackled some huge issues. And I think the reason people are still watching it today is because it’s very relevant. It perhaps is more inappropriate in certain parts, but it’s certainly still relevant.

And I’ve seen so many people responding to the show in the last few years with it hitting Netflix and Hulu. What has that rebirth been like for you guys?

URIE: What’s wild is when young people — who I know couldn’t have watched the original run — come up [to me]. Or people who watched it when they were young now showing their kids, things like that. That’s really cool. That’s so moving and beautiful and to know that the show works in a nostalgic way but also still feels relevant and cool, that’s like, here we are talking about this show, Ugly Betty, still all these years later. It means we are so lucky that we have this chronicle of these years of our lives and that we can go back and watch them. We still love each other so much and can connect with the other cast members. Becki and I were with Mark Indelicato and Ana Ortiz a couple of weeks ago at the GLAAD Awards and it was like no time had passed.

NEWTON: It’s really strangely normal to be together.

URIE: Yeah, it’s like family.

And speaking of, you’ve already had America [Ferrera] and Christopher Gorham on, do you have specific co-stars or people tied to certain episodes as you approach them?

NEWTON: I think every episode as we watch, we’re like, “Oh my god, I forgot that person was in our show.” So I think that there’s no limit to how many people; it’s a matter of time and space. I can’t wait to talk to Vanessa [Williams] and Judith [Light], and Ana. I want to talk to everybody.

URIE: We have episodes coming up with Eric Mabius and Tony Plana. But I also want to hear from our directors and our writers, which is going to be interesting too. And then maybe find people who were fans of the show that are known people that want to come and talk about the show. I think that would be really cool. We’re still figuring it out. This first batch of episodes has been so such a learning experience for us, too. I don’t know, Becki, if this happens to you when you rewatch them, I find myself — when I rewatch the podcast before we put it on the air or before we YouTube and Spotify and Apple podcast or whatever — I laugh at you in the same places that Michael laughed at you when we made it.

NEWTON: Which is often. Yes, the same exact thing happens for me.

URIE: And I think that’s true rewatching the show, too. I don’t know if this is at all interesting for your viewers, but when I rewatch Ugly Betty, I find myself laughing at things and remembering, “Oh yeah, I thought that was funny 18 years ago.” I don’t know, there’s something weird about it. There’s something about revisiting something after many, many years. It’s cool. It’s special.

Michael, since you mentioned it, are there any specifics that come to mind with something that has made you laugh both times around?

URIE: I’ll never forget the episode where, for some reason, Betty is summoned to the roof of mode and the roof is littered with broken mannequins — it’s where Wilhelmina goes to let off steam. It’s just like dead mannequin detritus. And there’s like ominous music and then there’s thunder, but it’s a bright, sunny day. And she looks around and she’s like, “Why is it thundering?” And she looks over at Marc and I’m there with a thunder sheet. Like a literal thunder sheet making thunder sounds just to scare her, intimidate her.

I see Ugly Betty as almost a posture corrector but in terms of kindness and empathy. Do you find that as you’ve been rewatching, you have those reminders to put more good out there? Or are you two good people 100 percent of the time?

NEWTON: Before we even answer that, the thing I also respond to with this show, not only to be kinder, what I love about Betty is she’s a little like, “f off if you’re not, I’m still fabulous.” So there’s two messages: there’s the kindness toward each other, but also to zip yourself into your own bubble of awesomeness wherever you go, because people aren’t gonna be kind and people are going to be judgmental. It’s sort of like, how can we harness our own strength and beauty without it constantly being about what other people think of us? So I didn’t answer your question at all, but I did what I wanted to.

URIE: And that’s another thing, I don’t think this has come up today in this interview, but obviously, we always talk about a reboot and we’re asked about reboots all the time. Obviously, like, we would love to get back together. We would love to make the show again. We would like to be together and find out where these characters are. But I am very curious to think about what to hear about what Betty thinks of the world today and how Betty would navigate 2025. Sure, it’d be fun to see where Marc’s at and where Amanda’s at. But what’s Betty’s take?

All four seasons of Ugly Betty are currently streaming on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. You can listen to the Still Ugly podcast anywhere podcasts are available.