American Housewife

Season 1 M-Net Dec 17:00/ Sat (*101) 18:00 Comedy

Katy Elizabeth Mixon is taking centre stage as suburban mom Katie Otto in sitcom American Housewife (2016-current) and there are two changes from her time as Victoria in Mike & Molly (2010-2016). She’s the lead now – and visibly not as skinny. “I was pregnant right from the start. And it’s the show’s executive producer’s fault!” laughs the 36-year-old Florida native.

Katy says that “when we did the 1

upfront [preview] for the show, they told me, ‘You know, it’s totally cool for you to have a baby,’ so we did!” She’s been engaged to former Olympic javelin thrower Breaux Greer since October 2016 after four years of dating and should pop this month.

Katy grew up in Pensacola, Florida 2

and laughs that her thick accent made it “interesting” in her first stage play, as Calpurnia in a 2001 festival production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

She earned her Bachelors degree 3

in Fine Art from Carnegie Mellon School Of Drama in Pittsburgh but says that she’s always wanted to dance. “My hidden talent is singing,” adds Katy. “I love Dolly Parton tunes. Although my lungs don’t match hers.”

What drew her to her new role is 4

that “I’m the complete opposite of her. She worries about her weight – I don’t care; I’ve been a size 2,4, 8, 12. She wears make-up, I hardly ever do. She covers up… me not so much!”

And now that her show’s getting 5

a 22-episode second season, she’s hoping to get her Mike & Molly co-star Melissa McCarthy to visit. “I miss working with her. It would be super fun to work with Melissa again,” says Katy.