Is Betsy Kelso in That ’90s Show?

Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis) have a teenage son named Jay Kelso in That ’90s Show, but what happened to Kelso’s first-born daughter Betsy Kelso?

Despite being known for his goofiness and general naïveté, Kelso is one of the first members of the gang to have a baby. He gets Shannon Elizabeth’s character Brooke Rockwell pregnant sometime after they graduate from high school.

Brooke kept her pregnancy a secret because she was apprehensive about bringing Kelso into her daughter’s life, but Kelso is surprisingly dedicated to being a good dad. When Brooke gives birth in season 7, Betsy stays with her and Brooke’s mother in Chicago, with Kelso regularly visiting on the weekends. In season 8, Kelso moves to Chicago to be closer to his daughter.

Is Betsy Kelso featured in That ’90s Show?

Surprisingly, no, Betsy Kelso is not present in That ’90s Show. Instead, we meet a different child of Kelso’s, Jay Kelso (Mace Coronel), the son of Kelso and Jackie Burkhart-Kelso. In the years between That ’70s Show and That ’90s Show, Jackie and Kelso get back together and have a son.

What happened to Betsy Kelso?

Even though Kelso now technically has two children and Jay should have a teenage half-sister, Betsy is never mentioned in the spinoff series, which suggests the series has decided to write her out as a character. It seems like a retcon of some kind not to even bring her up at all in the show.

Instead, That ’90s Show favors having Jackie and Kelso together again and now happily married with a kid, which is what many fans wanted from the end of That ’70s Show in the first place. A significant reason for that is likely due to real-life actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher settling down years after the show ended. Kunis and Kutcher have been married since 2015, so this seems like a case of real life dictating the show’s plot.

How do you feel about Betsy Kelso not being part of That ’90s Show or even receiving a mention in the series? Do you think that might change if the show is renewed?