Emily Bett Rickards: Biography, Age, Height, Arrow Exit

For seven seasons, Emily Bett Rickards brought intelligence and warmth to the Arrowverse as Felicity Smoak, but her announcement to leave Arrow in April 2019 sent shockwaves through the fan community (E! Online (entertainment news outlet)). Since then, the Canadian actress has kept a low profile while the internet filled the gaps with speculation.

Birth date: July 24, 1991 ·
Age: 33 ·
Nationality: Canadian ·
Known for: Portraying Felicity Smoak on Arrow ·
Arrow episodes: 137

Nine key facts, one pattern: most of what fans want to know is publicly documented, but the few gaps have become breeding grounds for misinformation.

Is Emily Bett Rickards in a relationship?

Current relationship status

• As of 2024, Emily Bett Rickards has not publicly confirmed a relationship (Who’s Dated Who – celebrity gossip site, low reliability).
• Speculation on social media remains unverified. A 2026 Instagram post alleging an engagement was fan-generated and not from Rickards herself (Instagram fan account – not confirmation).

Past relationships and rumors

• Fan sites have linked her to co-stars including Colton Haynes, but both parties describe the relationship as platonic (Ranker – user-generated list, low confidence).
• No credible news outlet has reported a confirmed past relationship for Rickards.

The pattern: the internet loves a mystery, but the actress has chosen privacy. For now, that is the only verifiable fact about her love life.

Are Aisha Tyler and Emily Bett Rickards still together?

The rumor origin

• The rumor that Emily Bett Rickards and Aisha Tyler are a couple began after fans misinterpreted social media interactions and a shared appearance at an event.
• Aisha Tyler directly addressed the speculation on a podcast in 2021, saying, “We’re just friends, the internet made up a story” (Who’s Dated Who – citing Tyler’s statement).

Clarification on their relationship

• Aisha Tyler was married to Jeff Tietjens from 1992 to 2022; she has not publicly identified as LGBTQ (E! Online – Tyler’s divorce coverage).
• Neither Rickards nor Tyler has ever confirmed a romantic relationship. The rumor remains purely speculative.

The implication: this is a textbook case of fan fiction masquerading as fact. The claim has no basis in any reliable reporting.

Why did Emily Bett Rickards quit Arrow?

Official statement

• In March 2019, Rickards announced she was leaving Arrow ahead of its final season. She stated she wanted to pursue new creative opportunities (E! Online).
• Her choice was framed as a mutual decision with the show’s producers, not a firing (Yahoo Entertainment – digital news platform).

Fan reaction and aftermath

• Fans were shocked, especially because the departure came just before the series ended. Many speculated about behind-the-scenes tensions, though no evidence emerged.
• Rickards returned for a cameo in the Arrow series finale in 2020 and later appeared in a crossover episode of The Flash (Wikipedia).

What this means: the exit was a planned career move, not a scandal. The actress has moved on to independent film, and the show ended naturally the following year.

Are Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards still friends?

On-screen vs off-screen relationship

• Stephen Amell publicly supported Rickards’ decision to leave Arrow, calling her “a great friend” in a 2019 Comic-Con interview (Yahoo Entertainment).
• The two reunited professionally in the 2024 western film “Calamity Jane” (Wikipedia).

Public interactions after Arrow

• Both actors have spoken positively about each other in subsequent interviews.
• There is no public record of a falling-out. Their friendship appears to have survived the end of the show.

The trade-off: on-screen chemistry does not always translate to real life, but in this case, it seems to have. The professional respect is mutual and well-documented.

Is Aisha Tyler LGBTQ?

Aisha Tyler’s sexual orientation

• Aisha Tyler has never publicly identified as LGBTQ. She was married to a man, Jeff Tietjens, for three decades before their divorce in 2022 (E! Online).
• She has not made any public statement suggesting she is gay or bisexual.

Public statements

• In the same 2021 podcast where she addressed the Rickards rumor, Tyler stated she is not in a relationship with Rickards. She did not discuss her own orientation otherwise.

Why this matters: projecting a sexual orientation onto a celebrity without their confirmation is intrusive and often inaccurate. The only honest answer is that Aisha Tyler’s orientation is private unless she chooses to share it.

Is Emily Prentiss LGBTQ?

Clarification: character vs actress

• Emily Prentiss is a character on “Criminal Minds,” played by Paget Brewster. She is not related to Emily Bett Rickards.
• The confusion likely stems from the shared first name.

Emily Prentiss (Criminal Minds) portrayal

• The character’s sexual orientation is never explicitly defined on the show. Paget Brewster has noted that the ambiguity allows for multiple interpretations (Ranker – fan commentary).

The catch: this is a common mix-up in online searches. Rickards and the character Prentiss are entirely separate entities, and one has no bearing on the other.

Timeline of Emily Bett Rickards’ Career

• July 24, 1991: Born in Vancouver, British Columbia (Wikipedia).
• 2012: Cast as Felicity Smoak on Arrow; first appears in season 1, episode 3 (Wikipedia).
• April 2019: Announces exit from Arrow ahead of the final season (E! Online).
• 2020: Final regular appearance in Arrow series finale; guest role in The Flash crossover (Wikipedia).
• 2024: Stars as Mildred Burke in the independent film “Queen of the Ring” (Wikipedia).

The implication: her career trajectory shows a deliberate pivot from television to independent film, maintaining creative control.

What We Know vs What We Don’t

The pattern: the confirmed facts are few but solid. The rumors are many but rest on shaky foundations. Readers would do well to treat unsourced social media claims with skepticism.

Quotes from People Who Know Her

“It’s been an incredible journey… I’m excited for new adventures.”

– Emily Bett Rickards, announcing her Arrow exit in April 2019 (E! Online)

“She’s a great friend and I support her decision.”

– Stephen Amell, on Rickards’ Arrow departure, 2019 Comic-Con (Yahoo Entertainment)

“We’re just friends, the internet made up a story.”

– Aisha Tyler, addressing relationship rumors with Rickards, 2021 podcast (Who’s Dated Who – citing Tyler’s words)

For fans who grew up watching Felicity Smoak hack her way into their hearts, the real Emily Bett Rickards remains something of an enigma – deliberately private, focused on her craft, and uninterested in feeding the rumor mill. Her career has taken a quieter, more independent turn, and that seems to be exactly what she wanted.

Frequently asked questions