Lindsay Lohan has signed a deal to appear on "Ugly Betty," beginning with this season's finale.

Rumors that the "Mean Girls" star and tabloid fixture would be joining the ABC series have been circulating since last fall, and a deal finally came together over the past few days. She reported to work on the show, which is rushing to finish its strike-shortened season, on Saturday, Variety reports.

Lohan is scheduled to appear in the May 22 season finale and return for five episodes next season. It will be her first TV series work since she guested on an episode of "That '70s Show" in 2004.

She'll reportedly be playing a former classmate of Betty's (America Ferrera), a popular girl who was less than kind to the bespectacled and fashion-challenged Betty. When their paths cross again, though, their status is reversed, with Betty entrenched at Mode and Lohan's character in a rough patch.

Lohan's career has been, to put it mildly, a bit of a rollercoaster of late. Recent films like "I Know Who Killed Me" and "Georgia Rule" have flopped, and she attracted further controversy this spring first by re-creating a Marilyn Monroe photo shoot for New York magazine and, more recently, being photographed sleeping in a car, apparently after a long night out.

A lobbying group for liquor sellers also used an image of her mugshot in a USA Today ad this week. The ad, which argues against installing "ignition interlocks" that help prevent drunk driving in all new cars, drew complaints from her lawyers.