Kitty Wilde is a fictional character from the
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
musical comedy-drama series ''
Glee
Glee means delight, a form of happiness.
Glee may also refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...
''. The character is portrayed by actress
Becca Tobin
Rebecca Grace Tobin (born January 18, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is known for her role as Kitty Wilde on the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''.
Early life
Tobin grew up in Marietta, Georgia, the younger of two ...
, and appeared for the first time during the first episode of the
fourth season, "
The New Rachel
"The New Rachel" is the premiere episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series '' Glee'', and the sixty-seventh episode overall. Written by Ryan Murphy and directed by Brad Falchuk, it aired on Fox in the United States ...
", first broadcast on September 13, 2012. Kitty was introduced as a bully and a member of the McKinley High cheerleader squad who
slushies the newest members of the
Glee club
A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...
,
Marley Rose
Marley Rose is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Melissa Benoist, and has appeared in ''Glee'' since the premiere of the fourth season, " The New Rachel", first broa ...
and
Wade "Unique" Adams
Unique Adams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee'' who first appeared in "Saturday Night Glee-ver", the sixteenth episode of the show's third season. Portrayed by actor Alex Newell, Unique is notable for b ...
, and serves as the new teen antagonist for the season, as well as serving as a parallel to an early
Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray is a fictional character from the TV series '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Dianna Agron, and has appeared in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. She is the cheerleading captain at the ...
. As the season progressed, she joins the glee club and becomes Marley's worst enemy, but, it is later shown that Kitty also has a soft side. Her harshness and cruelty seems to be greatly lessened during the
fifth and
sixth season, as she is seen becoming a better person, though she still acts rudely in general most of the time.
Kitty was a recurring character in the
fourth season, but was promoted to the main cast during the
fifth season before being demoted to the recurring cast again in
the sixth and final seasonthe only cast member introduced in the fourth season to have a significant presence (nine episodes) in the final season.
Storylines
Season 4
At the beginning the fourth season, Kitty is initially friendly to members of the school's
glee club
A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...
, New Directions, because they were popular. Once the glee club recruits
Marley Rose
Marley Rose is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Melissa Benoist, and has appeared in ''Glee'' since the premiere of the fourth season, " The New Rachel", first broa ...
(
Melissa Benoist
Melissa Marie Benoist ( ; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress, singer and producer. Her first major role was Marley Rose on the Fox musical comedy drama ''Glee'' (2012–2014), where she was a series regular during the fifth season. S ...
) and
Wade "Unique" Adams
Unique Adams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee'' who first appeared in "Saturday Night Glee-ver", the sixteenth episode of the show's third season. Portrayed by actor Alex Newell, Unique is notable for b ...
(
Alex Newell
Alex Eugene Newell (born August 20, 1992) is an American actor and singer. They are known for their role as Unique Adams on the Fox musical series ''Glee'' and Mo on ''Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist''. Newell also starred as Asaka in the Broadway ...
), however, Kitty is less welcoming to the newcomers. Marley tells the glee club she is not comfortable with Kitty, and the cheerleader says that the feeling is mutual. She starts a relationship with Marley's love interest and brother of
former glee club member Puck,
Jake Puckerman
'' Glee'' is a musical comedy-drama television series that aired on Fox in the United States for six seasons from 2009 to 2015. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing in the show choir competition circuit, while its me ...
(
Jacob Artist
Jacob Artist (born October 17, 1992) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for his roles as Jake Puckerman on the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee'' and as Brandon Fletcher on the ABC drama-thriller series '' Quantico'' ...
). The two of them break up during the fourth episode of the season, "
The Break-Up
''The Break-Up'' is a 2006 American Romance film, romantic comedy-drama film directed by Peyton Reed, starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. It was written by Jay Lavender and Jeremy Garelick from a story by them and Vaughn, and produced by U ...
", because he becomes angry at her for insulting his friend, Marley, which in turn angers Kitty.
Kitty later competes with Marley for the female lead role in the school musical, ''
Grease''. Marley wins the role, leaving Kitty angry and with the part of Patty Simcox. During the production of the school musical, Kitty manipulates Marley's costumes, and makes them tighter because she wants Marley to believe that she is gaining weight, which contributes to Marley having an
eating disorder
An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. Only one eating disorder can be diagnosed at a given time. Types of eating disorders include binge eating d ...
. During the season's eighth episode, "
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
", Kitty meets her idol, who is a former Cheerio and glee club member,
Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray is a fictional character from the TV series '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Dianna Agron, and has appeared in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. She is the cheerleading captain at the ...
(
Dianna Agron
Dianna Elise Agron ( ; born April 30, 1986) is an American actress and singer. After primarily dancing and starring in small musical theater productions in her youth, Agron made her screen debut in 2006, and in 2007, she played recurring charac ...
), and tell her lies about Jake pressuring Marley into sex which Quinn believes due to her experience with his brother Puck (
Mark Salling
Mark Wayne Salling (; August 17, 1982 – January 30, 2018) was an American actor and musician known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series ''Glee''.
Salling studied at the Los Angeles College of Music before work ...
) back in the first season.
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character was portrayed by Naya Rivera, and has appeared in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by ...
(
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera (; January 12, 1987July 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and model. Recognized for her work on the popular musical comedy-drama series ''Glee'', she received various awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and ...
) is the only alumna who is aware of Kitty's manipulative nature. After failing to get Jake back, Kitty dates Puck instead. Kitty initially pretends to be Marley's friend, but as the season progress, she ends up liking her. Later in the year,
two gun shots are heard and the school goes into lockdown. Fearing that she and everyone else in the glee club won't get out alive, Kitty admits to Marley that she altered her costumes and apologizes to her and Unique. When Kitty and Puck break-up, she develops a crush on her friend
Ryder Lynn
Ryder Lynn is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actor Blake Jenner, and has appeared in ''Glee'' since its fifth episode of the fourth season, "The Role You Were Born to Pla ...
(
Blake Jenner
Blake Alexander Jenner (born August 27, 1992) is an American actor. Jenner won the second season of Oxygen's ''The Glee Project'' and, as a result, portrayed Ryder Lynn on the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. He has since had starring a ...
), after he and Kitty connect over their shared experiences of sexual abuse. They go on one date and when Kitty wants to go on another he blows her off, which leads to awkwardness between them. She was sadly denied.
Near the season finale, Kitty helps
Artie Abrams
Arthur "Artie" Abrams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee'' portrayed as the "glue" of the glee club. The character is portrayed by actor Kevin McHale, and appeared in ''Glee'' since its pilot episode, fir ...
(
Kevin McHale) to attend to the college of his dreams and also becomes a friend of everyone of the glee club.
Season 5
Kitty starts a relationship with Artie, but they initially keep it a secret because she is afraid that it will ruin her popularity. When
Tina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz and has appeared in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina wa ...
(
Jenna Ushkowitz) finds out, she tells the glee club members about it. Kitty then makes the relationship official and public. During the second episode of the season, "
Tina in the Sky with Diamonds
"Tina in the Sky with Diamonds" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series '' Glee'', and the ninetieth episode overall. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Ian Brennan and first ai ...
", Tina and Kitty are both nominated for prom queen. Kitty, a sophomore, strongly supports Tina because she is a senior and feels it is her time to shine, but a new cheerleader, Bree (Erinn Westbrook), insists that Kitty wins the crown because she believes that a Cheerio should win. Bree posts campaign posters of Kitty, though everyone thinks that Kitty did so. When Tina wins at the prom, only to be struck with a bucketful of slushie moments afterward, thanks to Bree's connivance, Kitty lets Tina use her prom dress for the remainder of the evening.
Kitty's final appearance of the season is at the end of school year in the episode "
New Directions", after school principal
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Rodham Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and appears in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009, through ...
(
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series '' Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recog ...
) disbands the glee club for failing to win the national championship. The remaining seven episodes of the season all took place in New York City only, during which it is mentioned that Artie and Kitty have broken up.
Season 6
In the episode "
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
", while the New Directions alumni are trying to recruit new students to join the revamped glee club led by
Rachel Berry (
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati (; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway (theatre), Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérab ...
) and
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Elizabeth Hummel is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied ...
(
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul Colfer (born May 27, 1990) is an American actor, singer, and author. He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television musical '' Glee'' (2009–2015). Colfer's portrayal of Kurt received cr ...
), Kitty—bitter over her and Artie's breakup and Rachel failing to know the names of the glee club members who had joined after her graduation despite having met them—slams Quinn, Santana, Brittany, and especially Artie, for how the past members treated the members who joined when she did, and discourages the new Cheerios from joining. Later, in the episode "
The Hurt Locker, Part Two
"The Hurt Locker, Part Two" is the fifth episode of the Glee (season 6), sixth season of the American musical television series ''Glee (TV series), Glee'', and the 113th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan (writer), I ...
", Rachel tries to recruit Kitty to rejoin the glee club. Kitty reveals that the reason she is so against rejoining the club is because of how she was so invested in the club before but was heartbroken when her friends stopped talking to her once they got transferred away from McKinley High after the club was disbanded. After Rachel convinces her she will make sure the club is back permanently, Kitty has a change of heart and rejoins. She now has a nicer attitude towards Rachel and seems to mingle with the new newbies, and as the one with the most experience in the club, becomes something of a leader to them. She also attends the double wedding of Brittany & Santana and Kurt & Blaine, and befriends the new tween member of the Glee Club, Myron, who is interested in her. In the series finale "
Dreams Come True", after winning Nationals with the glee club, she graduates (offscreen) and later moves to New York, where she watches Rachel winning a Tony award on TV with her friends. She appears in the final performance of the episode.
Musical performances
Samantha Highfill of ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave a "B+" grade to Kitty's performance with
Marley Rose
Marley Rose is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Melissa Benoist, and has appeared in ''Glee'' since the premiere of the fourth season, " The New Rachel", first broa ...
,
Wade "Unique" Adams
Unique Adams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee'' who first appeared in "Saturday Night Glee-ver", the sixteenth episode of the show's third season. Portrayed by actor Alex Newell, Unique is notable for b ...
,
Brittany S. Pierce
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and first appeared in the show's second episode, "Showmance". Brittany was developed by ''Gle ...
, and
Tina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz and has appeared in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina wa ...
of the
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...
' "
Wannabe
"Wannabe" is the debut single by English girl group the Spice Girls. Written and composed by the group members in collaboration with Matt Rowe and Richard "Biff" Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produ ...
" in the episode
Guilty Pleasures", and wrote, "The vocals were good, the vibe was fun, but I wasn't too impressed with the costumes, probably because I've done better. Yes, I won a costume contest as one-fifth of the Spice Girls in college. So what?".
Erin Strecker of ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave a "B+" grade to Kitty's duet with Marley Rose of
Bonnie Tyler
Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...
's "
Holding Out for a Hero
"Holding Out for a Hero" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for the soundtrack to the 1984 film '' Footloose''. It later featured on her sixth studio album, '' Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire'' (1986). The track was produced by Jim ...
" in the "
Dynamic Duets" episode, and wrote, "I've said it before: I may not like her character, but I really enjoy Kitty's performances. This high-energy choir room duet with Marley was a superhero treat".
Sandra Gonzalez of ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave a "B" grade to Kitty's rendition of
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
's "
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" is a soul song, by American musician Stevie Wonder, released in June 1970 as a single on Motown's Tamla label. It spent six weeks at number one on the U.S. R&B chart and peaked at number three on the U.S ...
" in the "
Wonder-ful
"Wonder-ful" is the twenty-first episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series '' Glee'', and the eighty-seventh episode overall. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 2, 2013, and features the introduction of spec ...
" episode, and wrote, "Kitty, Jake and Ryder have their choir room fun in this Wonder classic, but I have to agree with Mercedes – they never really took it to the next level."
Michael Slezak gave the number a "C+".
L'Oreal Thompson of ''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' called it a "rather spirited rendition".
Reception
Reviews for Kitty's role has received mixed opinions from critics.
Kitty's role in earlier episodes — specifically in the episode "
Glease" — has been received negatively by Lesley Goldberg of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', as she pointed out her bullying nature. She says "While Kitty's zingers can be funny, her attempt to win Jake back over by meddling with Marley makes little sense considering the limited time (and chemistry) the Cheerio had with the younger Puckerman."
When Kitty was first introduced, she received extremely negative reviews from fans because
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Rodham Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and appears in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009, through ...
(
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series '' Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recog ...
) described her as a "new
Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray is a fictional character from the TV series '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Dianna Agron, and has appeared in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. She is the cheerleading captain at the ...
" on Kitty's first appearance, "
The New Rachel
"The New Rachel" is the premiere episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series '' Glee'', and the sixty-seventh episode overall. Written by Ryan Murphy and directed by Brad Falchuk, it aired on Fox in the United States ...
". Tobin said they are very different because: "Quinn was more mysterious about her motives, and Kitty has no filter and whatever she thinks, she says out loud, and she doesn't make it too secretive what her motives are." But she also admitted that they have their similarities, "Kitty really looks up to Quinn because she's the original mean girl and original head Cheerio queen-bee type", she explained.
'Glee' Star Dianna Agron Talks Quinn's Thanksgiving Return, Kitty and Catfights With Santana (Q&A)
/ref>
Erin Strecker of ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' gave Kitty's role in the fourth season a mixed review, saying:
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilde, Kitty
Glee (TV series) characters
Fictional characters from Ohio
Television characters introduced in 2012
Fictional cheerleaders
American female characters in television
Fictional bullies
Fictional dancers
Fictional singers
Teenage characters in television
Female characters in television