20 moments that prove Ugly Betty was ahead of its time

Marc coming out to his mother

Speaking of Marc, he may seem like a heartless, morally-ambiguous man who constantly torments Betty at Mode for everything from her outfits to her weight, but sometimes we did get a glimpse into his heart. On this season 1 episode, we’re confronted with an idea that we never even considered: is Marc… still in the closet?

Marc St. James gives off the impression that he’s a confident, intelligent, proud gay man that everyone would aspire to be (minus his questionable morals). Yet on this episode, we find out that he has never come out of the closet to his mother. His bestie Amanda played the part of his fake girlfriend for years, but his mother started pressuring him about marriage, so he cut the cord on their fake love affair.

While you may be shouting “but how can she not know he’s gay?!” this proves that sometimes, sexuality isn’t as obvious to parents. It also shows that even people you would never expect to have this problem still struggle with their sexuality. It’s not a black and white issue.

Marc ends up hiring Betty as his new beard when his mother comes to town, and Betty has the pair over for a family dinner at the Suarez house. The night is nothing short of a disaster, and his mother is relieved when he says he’s breaking up with Betty. Mrs. Weiner then goes on about how Betty would give her ugly grandchildren, Betty’s father breaking into the country illegally, calling Hilda a slut, and then goes after Betty’s niece Justin, for being too “swishy”.

That’s when Marc snaps, because the Suarez family were nothing but nice to him that night. He tells his mother to open her eyes and look at her own “swishy son” and she doesn’t want to hear it. She says he’s confused, and then says “if this is the life you’ve chosen, I have no interest in knowing the real you” before leaving and presumably never speaking to Marc again.

This isn’t a happy, glamorized coming out scene — it’s realistic. Sometimes, parents don’t react well, but sometimes it’s for the best. Marc has his chosen family, like his best friend Amanda, and even Betty and the Suarez clan, and that’s what really matters.