Claire Meade

Claire Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty, portrayed by Judith Light. Light's performance as Claire has resulted in a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, when Claire was a recurring regular in season one. She was updated to a primary castmember in the second season. Background Claire is the late Bradford Meade's ex-wife and the mother of both Daniel and Alexis Meade. In "Sofia's Choice", Claire mentioned she and Bradford were married for 38 years (since 1969). Claire is introduced in the episode "The Lyin', the Watch and the Wardrobe", when Daniel visits her at a rehabilitation clinic recovering from alcoholism. She tells Daniel her drinking was a result of the affair her husband had with Fey Sommers. She also tells him she and Fey went to confront Bradford and force him to choose. Soon after, Fey died, and Claire was admitted into rehab. Although she knew of the affair, she was generally unaware of what Bradford was doing behind her back. After completing rehab, Claire and Bradford finally reconnected as a couple. Bradford planned to do his best to keep his marriage afloat while Claire tries to stay sober for Daniel's sake.