The former Dexter star recently revealed that fans still stop her on the street and yell at her over one spicy Season 4 scene.
2026 marks 17 years since the release of Dexter Season 4, widely regarded as one of the strongest seasons of the entire series, and arguably the most beloved by fans.
What made the fourth season so memorable, of course, was its devastating ending. After Dexter Morgan finally killed Arthur Mitchell, the Trinity Killer, he returned home only to discover that Arthur had already killed his wife, Rita.
But before that tragic moment, Dexter and Rita's relationship actually went through many ups and downs as Dexter struggled to balance his secret life with being a devoted husband and father.
And one of the most surprising moments in their relationship came in Season 4, Episode 9, "Hungry Man," an episode that remains one of the most memorable in the franchise.
Fans Still Haven't Forgiven Rita for One Season 4 Moment
In the episode, Rita's new neighbor, Elliot Larson, are both in his kitchen after he was invited to Thanksgiving dinner. Then, Elliot suddenly kisses Rita on the mouth.
At first, Rita opens her mouth and appears to accept the kiss, but she quickly pulls away in panic and reminds him that she is married and that she loves Dexter. While it was ultimately just a kiss and nothing more came from it, apparently some fans have never forgotten what happened.
Even 17 years later, Julie Benz still gets confronted about the scene when fans recognize her in public.
Julie Benz Defends Rita After 17 Years
During her recent appearance in Season 3, Episode 4 of Dexter's Kill Room, the YouTube series where Dexter actors revisit and react to episodes from the show, Benz revealed to Erik King that fans still give her a hard time over the moment.
When King jokingly referred to Elliot as "the affair guy," Benz immediately defended Rita.
"To this day, people yell at me about this guy." King then joked, "Oh, this is the affair guy." But Benz was quick to correct him. "It wasn't an affair! He kissed me! I didn't kiss him."
She then pointed out that Dexter had slept with Lila multiple times, while Rita's moment with Elliot was nothing more than a single kiss: "Dexter slept with Lila multiple times, and everybody got upset about this one moment. I'm sorry. I didn't write it. Rita was pure heart."
Benz actually continued defending her character, explaining that Dexter's secret life had taken over so much of his time that Rita was often left feeling neglected. "It was just a kiss. It was nothing."
And, after all these years, she revealed that fans still continue to yell at her about it. "I still to this day get yelled at for this from fans and rightfully so. I didn't write it. Rita was pure heart."
Julie Benz Still Has a Lot of Love for Rita
The whole situation is a pretty funny example of just how fans can connect with their favorite television characters. Even after all these years, some Dexter fans apparently still see Julie Benz as Rita Morgan rahter than simply the actress who played her.
More importantly, it's actually nice to see that Benz still has so much love for the character she played for 49 episodes of Dexter. Over the years, the actress has spoken openly about how emotional Rita's death was for her, even revealing in previous interviews that she mourned the character's death more than anyone else.
While Benz has occasionally been critical of how Rita was handled during Seasons 3 and 4, she has always continued to support her character. And 17 years later, she is still defending Rita, even when some fans come looking for answers about just one... unforgettable kiss.