Fey Sommers (November 15, 1946 - August 28, 2006??) is the name of a presumed-to-be deceased fictitious fashion editor in the American dramedy series
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series created by Silvio Horta, which premiered on The American Broadcasting Company on September 28, 2006. The series revolves around Betty Suarez, an unglamorous and good-natured girl, and her incongruous job at the ultra-chic New York City...
and is believed to be based on
Anna WintourAnna Wintour OBE is an English American fashion editor and the editor-in-chief of American Vogue, a position she has held since 1988. She became interested in fashion as a teenager. Her father, Charles, editor of the Evening Standard, often consulted with her on how to make the newspaper's...
. She is played in some TV clips by
Christine JonesChristine Jones is an American actress.Jones is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Janice Frame on the NBC soap opera Another World from 1978-1980 and again in 1989, but had also appeared as Amy Gifford on the series in 1977...
and in others by another actress, who also appeared as Fey in still photographs, like the one in
Fey's cryptFour Thanksgivings and a Funeral is an episode from the dramedy series Ugly Betty, which November 16, 2006. In the United States, Canada and Australia, it is the eighth episode but it's the ninth overall and was written by Marco Pennette and directed by Sarah Pia Anderson...
. In the second season, series regular
Becki NewtonRebecca Sara "Becki" Newton is an American actress. Newton is currently a regular cast member of Ugly Betty.-Early life:Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Becki Newton was raised in Guilford, Connecticut...
, who plays Fey's daughter
Amanda TanenAmanda Tanen is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Becki Newton. Amanda's character is a combination of Patricia Fernandez and Marcela Valencia, but her appearance is similar to Marcia Villarroel from the Mexican adaptation.-Background:Amanda Tanen is...
, also played Fey in flashback scenes.
Fey Sommers (November 15, 1946 - August 28, 2006??) is the name of a presumed-to-be deceased fictitious fashion editor in the American dramedy series
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series created by Silvio Horta, which premiered on The American Broadcasting Company on September 28, 2006. The series revolves around Betty Suarez, an unglamorous and good-natured girl, and her incongruous job at the ultra-chic New York City...
and is believed to be based on
Anna WintourAnna Wintour OBE is an English American fashion editor and the editor-in-chief of American Vogue, a position she has held since 1988. She became interested in fashion as a teenager. Her father, Charles, editor of the Evening Standard, often consulted with her on how to make the newspaper's...
. She is played in some TV clips by
Christine JonesChristine Jones is an American actress.Jones is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Janice Frame on the NBC soap opera Another World from 1978-1980 and again in 1989, but had also appeared as Amy Gifford on the series in 1977...
and in others by another actress, who also appeared as Fey in still photographs, like the one in
Fey's cryptFour Thanksgivings and a Funeral is an episode from the dramedy series Ugly Betty, which November 16, 2006. In the United States, Canada and Australia, it is the eighth episode but it's the ninth overall and was written by Marco Pennette and directed by Sarah Pia Anderson...
. In the second season, series regular
Becki NewtonRebecca Sara "Becki" Newton is an American actress. Newton is currently a regular cast member of Ugly Betty.-Early life:Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Becki Newton was raised in Guilford, Connecticut...
, who plays Fey's daughter
Amanda TanenAmanda Tanen is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Becki Newton. Amanda's character is a combination of Patricia Fernandez and Marcela Valencia, but her appearance is similar to Marcia Villarroel from the Mexican adaptation.-Background:Amanda Tanen is...
, also played Fey in flashback scenes. On her tomb, there is a French sentence
La Mode ne meurt jamais which could be translated as
Mode never dies. The sentence is also a play on words as "mode" means fashion in French.
Background
Fey Sommers was the previous and much-revered editor-in-chief of
MODE magazine. She died before the series began in a bizarre accident, in which her car was burned in a mysterious hit-and-run.
However, her death raised more questions than answers: When
Bradford MeadeBradford Emerson Meade was a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. He was played by Alan Dale. Bradford's character was equivalent to Roberto Mendoza in the original Betty la fea, Armando's father, with Armando equalling Daniel....
went to her funeral, he said the casket was closed; meanwhile, suspicions were cast over
Wilhelmina SlaterWilhelmina Vivian Slater is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Vanessa Williams, who received a supporting actress award at the 2007 and 2008 NAACP Image Awards, a Best TV Villain award at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards and a supporting actress...
, whose visits to a clinic to see
"The Masked WomanAlexis Meade is a fictional character from the ABC dramedy series Ugly Betty. She was initially played by Elizabeth Penn Payne and is now played by Rebecca Romijn....
," swathed in bandages, fueled speculation Sommers had survived the crash and was plotting to resume control of
MODE Magazine.
When Bradford visited Fey's gravesite, a person who fitted Fey's description showed up. Bradford chased after her, but hours later his private detective, Steve, advised him the camera caught no footage of Fey Sommers and hinted Bradford might be losing his mind.
But Bradford's theory about Fey not being in the casket was proved right -- not only was the casket empty, but Steve was indeed working with the Mysterious Bandaged Woman to confuse Bradford and make him believe he may be going crazy and would pay for it with his life. Bradford believed Fey survived the crash and brought in an associate named Mr. Green to find her at any cost. Mr. Green provided Bradford with a file allegedly proving Fey had died after all and a relative identified the remains, leading to more questions about the mystery woman's true involvement and intentions.
In the episode "I'm Coming Out" Bradford was arrested for Fey's murder, after he was set up by the mysterious bandaged woman, Bradford's own post-op transsexual daughter
Alexis MeadeAlexis Meade is a fictional character from the ABC dramedy series Ugly Betty. She was initially played by Elizabeth Penn Payne and is now played by Rebecca Romijn....
, formerly Alex Meade, who used Fey's murder to get back at her father for disowning her after she told Bradford about wanting to become a woman. But in the episode "Brothers",
Claire MeadeClaire Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Judith Light.Light's performance as Claire has resulted in a nomination for outstanding guest actress in a Comedy series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, when Claire was a recurring regular in season...
, the family matriarch, confessed to
BettyBeatriz "Betty" U. Suarez is a central fictional character and heroine of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is portrayed by America Ferrera, who won a 2007 Golden Globe and 2007 SAG award for her portrayal of the character, as well as the Outstanding Actress in a Comedy award for the role...
she was Fey's actual murderer.
In the episode Icing On the Cake, Claire described Fey as "a conniving and manipulative bitch who got what she deserved." Grace Chin (played by
Lucy LiuLucy Alexis Liu is an American actress. She became known for her role in the television series Ally McBeal as the vicious and ill mannered Ling Woo, and has also appeared in several notable film roles, including Charlie's Angels, Kill Bill and Kung Fu Panda.-Early life:Lucy Liu was born and was...
), formerly the lawyer to defend the Meades, said she could convince the jury and judge Claire believed Fey would have killed her, had Claire not killed her first.
Later, in
Punch OutPunch Out is the nineteenth episode from the dramedy series Ugly Betty, which aired on April 19, 2007...
, trash author Quincy Jones revealed secrets from "Fey Sommers' Diaries", such as the fact Bradford (who she called "B") was a foot fetishist who she kept interested with via daily pedicures,
Dead SeaThe Dead Sea is a salt lake in Jordan to the east and in the West Bank and Israel to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface on dry land. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. It is also one of the world's...
salts and paraffin treatments. The diaries also contained information on Bradford's treatment of Alex(is), and a secret hideaway at MODE called "The Love Dungeon", located in
Christina McKinneyChristina McKinney is a fictional character in the American comedy-drama series Ugly Betty. She is played by Ashley Jensen. Christina is based on Bertha Muñoz de González, only she isn't fat, but both have a great ear for gossip.-Background:...
's workspace, the Mode closet, where she and Bradford carried out their romance.
Marc St. JamesMarcus "Marc" St. James is a fictional character in the American comedy-drama series Ugly Betty. He is played by Michael Urie...
and
Amanda TanenAmanda Tanen is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Becki Newton. Amanda's character is a combination of Patricia Fernandez and Marcela Valencia, but her appearance is similar to Marcia Villarroel from the Mexican adaptation.-Background:Amanda Tanen is...
later stumbled upon the hideaway, where they discover sex toys and fetish gear among goodies Fey left behind.
When Amanda and Christina got locked inside the Love Dungeon, they found Fey's safe. Inside the safe was Fey's missing diaries and photos of Amanda as a child as well as Amanda's birth certificate saying Fey was Amanda's real mother. This revelation led to Amanda trying to discover her real father. She learns from Wilhelmina, who during the early eighties was Fey's assistant (then known by her real name, Wanda), Fey conceived Amanda with a mysterious man with a Tweety Bird tattoo during a drunken party at
Studio 54Studio 54 is a New York City Broadway theater and former discothèque located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan. The disco opened on April 26, 1977 and closed in March 1986 and briefly reopened in 1994 after a multi-million dollar renovation...
. When she found out, Wanda promised to keep it a secret so long as Fey would pay for her transformation into supermodel, Wilhelmina Slater.
A tradition of hers included attending Mode's Black and White Ball in a stunning red gown, remarking, "Black and White Ball? I guess I didn't get the memo!"
In the episode "Odor in the Court", as Claire went to trial for Fey's murder, evidence surfaced in the Love Dungeon, along with a bottle of perfume Claire gave to Betty for safekeeping during the trial. Fey's diary revealed in an attempt to kill Claire, Fey had sent a bottle of poisoned perfume to Bradford to give to Claire as a 'souvenir' that would drive her to madness and kill her. By a stroke of fate, Claire's insanity resulted in Fey's own death instead. Amanda chose to withhold this evidence as she blamed Claire for killing her mother. After Betty nearly killed herself with the perfume, Amanda handed over the evidence and Claire was found not guilty and freed. MODE returned to Claire's control.
The mystery about Fey's death continues to leave a lot of unanswered questions. In a press release, Executive Producer
Silvio HortaSilvio Horta is an American writer and producer most notable for adapting the South American telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea into the current ABC series, Ugly Betty. Horta serves as head writer and executive producer on the series....
announced although Wilhelmina and Alexis were trying to convince Bradford he was going insane, this sub-plot failed. Horta stated, in response to an inquiry made as to whether Fey was truly dead, "Um, no?"
As of 2009, Horta revealed to "Ugly Betty" fans a hint of minor details Fey's "death" might have been staged all along, leading to indications in the upcoming fourth season, her presence will really be felt in more ways than one. In the season 3 finale,
Wilhelmina SlaterWilhelmina Vivian Slater is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Vanessa Williams, who received a supporting actress award at the 2007 and 2008 NAACP Image Awards, a Best TV Villain award at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards and a supporting actress...
dropped her glass and said 'What are you doing here?'. Could that've been Fey Sommers?
Behind the scenes
The actress who played the mysterious bandaged woman and Fey are two different people. The bandaged woman was played by Elizabeth Penn Payne, until she was revealed to be
Alexis MeadeAlexis Meade is a fictional character from the ABC dramedy series Ugly Betty. She was initially played by Elizabeth Penn Payne and is now played by Rebecca Romijn....
, formerly Alex Meade, and
Rebecca RomijnRebecca Alie Romijn is an American actress and former model . She is best known for her role as Mystique in the X-Men films, and for her role as Alexis Meade on the hit show Ugly Betty.-Early life:Romijn was born in Berkeley,...
took over the role. In the second season, Newton started playing Sommers in her earlier years.
Puns
Fey Sommers' appearance in TV clips closely resembled that of real life
VogueVogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine published in 16 countries + Latin America by Condé Nast Publications. Each month, Vogue publishes a magazine addressing topics of fashion, life and design.-Style and influence:...
editor
Anna WintourAnna Wintour OBE is an English American fashion editor and the editor-in-chief of American Vogue, a position she has held since 1988. She became interested in fashion as a teenager. Her father, Charles, editor of the Evening Standard, often consulted with her on how to make the newspaper's...
. Wintour's last name is
homophonousA homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
with 'Winter', while Sommers' is homophonous with 'Summer'.
Fey Sommers shares many similarities with Eisenhower's biographer,
Kay SummersbyKay Summersby was a member of the British Mechanised Transport Corps during World War II, who served as chauffeur to Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force Dwight D. Eisenhower, later as his secretary and, it is alleged, his mistress.-Biography:Summersby was born Kathleen Helen...
.