Wild at Heart

From parenting to horse ownership to the healing power of humor, a conversation with Beth Behrs ranges wide with an inviting sense of ease and authenticity. Maybe that’s because the acclaimed actress has spent the past few years revealing to the world her most vulnerable self, opening up about her anxiety, perimenopause, and more. Or maybe it’s because, for her impending 40s, she’s letting joy be her guide. “The catalyst for me has been not only motherhood but also being around horses,” she says. “Horses can read your biofeedback, so you have to show up authentically in order to connect with them. There is just something they do to your soul, and I think that has empowered me to tell my truthful story and not make it seem like my life is perfect, like I was trying to do back in my 20s.” She’s referring to the era after she was suddenly thrust into the spotlight back in 2011, when the pilot episode of 2 Broke Girls debuted on CBS in front of nearly 20 million viewers.

Her character—entitled Upper East Side heiress Caroline Channing, who is suddenly forced to work as a waitress to make ends meet—was a far cry from anything Behr had ever experienced. One thing they had in common? A love of horses. Unlike the fictional Channing, who kept her childhood horse, Chestnut, in the backyard of her shared Brooklyn apartment, Behrs grew up in Virginia without a horse to call her own. She instead satisfied her equine itch with 1990s pop culture phenomena like the Saddle Club book series and the cultclassic movie Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. And it was 2 Broke Girls’ onscreen steed (played by multiple equine actors throughout the show’s run) that helped quell Behrs’ acting anxiety—and helped her fully step into her horse girl era. “I have always suffered from panic and anxiety, but it got really bad when 2 Broke Girls hit, because overnight I went from being obscure to being in the public eye,” says Behrs, who now calls Southern California home. “I noticed whenever the horses were on set, I just felt so calm. Our wrangler, Scott, would actually let me ride around the Warner Bros. lot and gave me little impromptu lessons.” Behrs mentioned her affinity for the on-set equines to show co-creator Whitney Cummings, who introduced the actress to the notion of equine therapy and herself has credited it as “a miracle for the body and brain.” After experiencing that for herself with help from equine-guided educator Cassandra Ogier, Behrs was hooked. The moment she says she officially became a horse girl?

In 2014, when she adopted her paint mare, Belle, from California nonprofit Blue Apple Ranch. (Behrs insists that the BLM mustang-quarter horse cross rescued her, rather than the other way around.) What has followed in the years since then has been a fullon horse-girl fever dream for Behrs, who last year added an Arabian-paint gelding named Blu to her growing family. She has championed equine therapy initiatives for vulnerable groups, such as sexual assault survivors. She has dabbled in the English discipline of dressage, even participating in her first show this summer. She has convinced her husband, Mad Men actor Michael Gladis, to embrace his inner cowboy. All the while, she has continued to tap into equines’ uncanny grounding ability while navigating Hollywood life, including a role in the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood (which recently started filming its eighth and final season). Her latest equine-inspired adventure? A collaboration with fellow horsewoman Cate Havstad-Casad, the owner of regenerative leather goods company Range Revolution. To fully dress the part in her early horse-girl days, Behrs purchased some custom cowboy hats from the maker, and the two soon became bosom buddies.

What began with a farm/studio visit to better understand the hatmaking process evolved into a newfound appreciation for sustainable agriculture for Behrs—and eventually the first-ever collection of Western boots made from regenerative American leather, which just debuted this fall. “We’re trying to redefine what aspiration fashion is,” says Behrs. “What if what we wear could not only be couture, heirloom quality but could also help renew the soil, reduce waste, and heal the earth?” Behrs and Havstad-Casad aim to break the current cycle—in which an estimated 5 million cattle hides end up in U.S. landfills annually—and help promote a more self-sustaining fashion ecosystem that not only honors the earth but creates a brighter future for the next generation, like the actress’ own 3-year-old daughter, Emma. In contrast to the often-extractive industry norm, Range Revolution taps California ranches that employ regenerative practices as part of their land stewardship efforts. “To me, this is not just about beautiful, stylish boots,” Havstad-Casad says. “This is a design project rooted in demonstrating what is possible when we design for change. We can rebuild fashion and fiber supply chains that are regionally focused, are traceable, and are putting dollars back into land stewards’ hands. I hope that the wearers of these boots feel a sense of their place in the natural world, as we all have a role to play in building a future of fashion that is more circular.”

It’s a full-circle moment for selfproclaimed tomboy Behrs, who showed up to her 2 Broke Girls auditions in a denim dress and cowboy boots. It wasn’t until her final screen test that co-showrunner Michael Patrick King—best known for his eternally fashion-forward hit Sex and the City—gently asked Behrs if she owned a pair of high heels that she could don to prove to network execs she could embody the chic Caroline Channing. Although Behrs responded that she did, she in fact didn’t and had to rush out to buy some black pumps to wear for that final audition. That bit of real-life slapstick seems fitting for an actress who has built her career on comedy.

Beth Behrs collaborated with fellow horsewoman Cate Havstad-Casad on a regenerative leather cowboy boot collection.

When it comes to her work, Behrs’ perspective has similarly evolved over time. Where she once thought winning an Emmy or an Oscar with a more serious role would be the ultimate achievement, she now understands the “everywoman” impact of her lighter roles. “Yes, I practiced my Oscar speech in the mirror as a young girl—but now I couldn’t care less about that,” she says earnestly. “I just want to make people laugh and bring people joy during dark times. I’ve had people on the streets come up and tell me that when they were battling cancer or were lying in a hospital bed that watching 2 Broke Girls or The Neighborhood made them laugh at a time when they were usually crying. Tichina Arnold, my costar on The Neighborhood, always says that laughter is our ministry. I truly believe that working as a comedic actress is my calling. This is what I’m meant to be doing.” That, and getting the word out about regenerative, sustainable fashion. As for her next entertainment endeavor after The Neighborhood? She aspires to one day create and executive produce her own show—maybe a playful ranch mockumentary, she confides, like Yellowstone meets Parks and Recreation, with plenty of horsey hijinks. Whether she manifests that into reality like she has other dreams remains to be seen, but Behrs seems certain to continue helping heal the world through her humor, her honesty, and her heart.

From the 2025 November/December Issue

Photographer Olivia Bee