Matt Hartley

Matt Hartley is a fictional character in the on the ABC television series, Ugly Betty. He is portrayed by Daniel Eric Gold.

Background
Matt belongs to a prominent wealthy family; his parents are socialite Victoria Hartley and business man and philanthropist Cal Hartley (who is currently the "silent" owner of Meade Publications). They are divorced and are bitter to each other.

Matt has a MBA, half a law degree and nearly became a large animal vet. Brought up in prestigious and privilege lifestyle, he attended Yale University and studied piano at the Turtle Bay Music School. He was former sports writer who switched careers frequently, pursuing careers in law, medicine, music and painting. He also has a brown belt in karate, an athlete in running long distances, and is fluent in three languages. He was previously the Managing Director at Mode Magazine, after his father offered him a job at Mode.

Relationship with Betty Suarez
Matt is introduced in the fifteenth episode in season 3 of Ugly Betty as a fellow Young Editors Training Initiative (YETI) student. He tries to introduce himself to Betty by asking whether his jacket was brown or different variants of brown such as mocha, mud and tree bark. Betty dismisses his attempt him until they are paired together as YETI partners, to gain experience in a different magazine industry. Initially Betty is frustrated at Matt who trails her and asks her tedious and annoying questions during the stressful periods of Fashion Week. A stressed out Betty tells Matt that she's not interested in learning about his Sports Magazine industry which Matt tells her she prejudged him as a 'sports guy' and that she fits in the 'shallow' category of the Fashion Industry; however, Betty learns the personal side of Matt's sports career and the two reconcile. At the end of the successful Heinrich closing show produced by Betty, he congratulates her and confides that her was never interested in Fashion, "I was more interested in learning about you."

In Things Fall Apart, Matt asks Betty on a date disguising it to help Betty with magazine budgets with his MBA experience. A clueless Betty turns the offer down, unaware it was a date. She asks him on a date where they go to a bar for drinks to discuss the suspicious inaccuracies of Mode's budget. She also reveals her past with Henry and Matt patiently listens. However Betty decides to leave and tells Matt she's not ready to see someone yet, when Matt was about to tell her he forgot his wallet.

He shows up at Mode the next day to tell Betty she's not over Henry and Betty insists she is, but believes that dating a colleague is a bad idea. However Matt persuades her and Betty agrees.

In Sugar Daddy (Ugly Betty), Matt anonymous donates a check of $10,000 to the Suarez family as they are on the verge of house eviction. Matt and Betty have a date at the bar but Betty notices the signature on the receipt matches that of the check. When Matt returns, Betty confronts him about why he did it. Matt then explains that he comes from a wealthy family and that he doesn't care about his background. Betty was not happy about him helping her family and leaves.

In A Mother of a Problem, Betty meets Matt's mother, Victoria Hartley who mistakes Betty for hired help. After a successful discussion about Opera, Ms Hartley insists Betty should get out of Matt's life. Betty begins to think she should leave the relationship, but Matt stands up to his mother's attitude to Betty and calls Betty his 'girlfriend'. Despite a run-in with Ms Hartley the following day and an exchange of words, Betty meets with Matt.

Matt seems a little shy about taking his romance with Betty to the next level in The Sex Issue. After they share a kiss and she indicates that maybe she will spend the night, he promptly shoves her into a cab. Betty leaves confused. Betty is given tips by Marc and Mandy and she tries to seduce Matt at her former apartment. Matt is clearly uncomfortable and leaves immediately, telling her 'it's not you, it's me'. The following day, Betty sees Matt hugging a woman and assumes the worst. However the woman is Matt's therapist and Matt reveals that he slept with a lot of women and used sex as self destructive behavior. He and his therapist made a contract, for him to only have sex if he was committed to a girl. Betty is freaked out by the idea that he has slept with 'hundreds of women' and she hallucinates at the poetry slam that evening after she sees one hugging Matt and then sees every one of them wearing t-shirts with a number on them. She promptly leaves and outside she tells Matt that they could be friends again and that she wanted to be special. Matt tells her that she's a number, his number one and that the only girl he wants in his life is Betty. The matter is resolved and Betty heads to Matt's apartment to see his 'wallcolor'.

In the double episode season finale, Matt makes an offer for Betty to move in with him and she accepts the offer. However, Betty's former flame, Henry is back in New York City and Betty Facebook stalks him. She accidentally bumps into Henry and they agree on a double date at Daniel's Mets Game. At the game, Betty debates her feelings with Matt and Henry via a Fantasy Jumbotron, which was keeping the score. Matt attempts to encourage Betty to tell Henry the news about moving in together but Betty avoids it by announcing a potential New York Review job offer. Matt also notices that Betty may still be interested in Henry by the way she looks at him. After the game was over, Matt asked Betty why she was afraid to tell Henry about the two moving in together. Betty tells him she forgot and the matter is resolved. However Betty tells Hilda that she may not be over Henry. Betty's job offer at the New York Review is taken by Jodie, her YETI mentor and she is devastated. She sees Henry's Facebook account that reveals Henry to be at City Park. As the two meet up and catch up with old times, the two say their goodbyes and kiss which Matt watches from afar.

In the second part of the finale The Fall Issue, Matt confronts Betty at City Park, where she and Henry kissed. Betty explains that it was mistake and they were just saying goodbye, but Matt doesn't believe her and leaves upset. Betty attempts to make amends by giving him a MAMA ticket. At the awards, Matt tells his father about Betty and his father gives him some advice: to channel his emotion into work. As Betty looks at her office as the new Features Editor, Matt asks her whether she still loves Henry or not. He reveals that Betty was his first love and tells her that the relationship is over, then stuns her with another surprise: he will now be working at Mode as her new boss.

In season four, Matt treats Betty harshly and constantly puts down her ideas. At a shoot in the U.N, Matt asks Betty if she is sleeping with Daniel, which Daniel responds by punching him in the face over the anger that he lost Molly. Later, he becomes friends with Betty. Soon, Amanda Tannen becomes interested in him, and the couple becomes serious in the Bahamas episode. Amanda figures out that he still loves Betty and tells him to go find her. He does and they kiss and spend the night together. In the episode of Be-sure, there is a mix-up between the Suarez sisters over pregnancy tests and Matt walks into the bathroom to see Betty holding a positive pregnancy test. Matt questions Betty on whether she is pregnant, she is not sure because of the mix up and so, both sisters do not know who is actually pregnant. Matt then bursts out saying that he hopes that it is them and so, goes to get another pregnancy test just to make sure. Betty is not pregnant, Hilda is and Matt is a little disappointed but looking forward to his future with Betty and the road that lie ahead of them as a couple. In the end, they both kiss outside the Suarez's house. In Back In Her Place, Matt goes to Africa to help children in Botswana and is never seen again.