Lea Michele is addressing accusations of bullying made by her former Glee costars, as well as recent rumors surrounding whether or not she knows how to read. The comments came in a recent profile of Michele in The New York Times, which celebrates her upcoming role starring as Fanny Brice in the Broadway production of Funny Girl. The rumor surrounding Michele’s reading abilities first stemmed from the memoir of her late co-star, Naya Rivera, who recounted a story of the actress refusing to improvise a scene while on the set of Glee. It was subsequently popularized by the podcast One More Thing in 2017, with the hosts creating a viral presentation arguing that Michele had not been shown reading or writing in public, and possibly had not prioritized the skills during her tenure as a child actor.
While Michele’s comments to The New York Times don’t actually confirm or deny the accusations, she called the rumor “sad,” and argued that a male actor would not be given a similar treatment.
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“I went to Glee every single day; I knew my lines every single day,” Michele said. “And then there’s a rumor online that I can’t read or write? It’s sad. It really is. I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn’t be the case.”
Michele also touched on the bullying accusations, which were initially made by co-star Samantha Marie Ware in 2020. At the time, Ware alleged that Michele threatened to have her fired to the show, and also made multiple “traumatic microaggressions”, including threatening to “sh-t in her wig.” The claims were then supported by fellow Glee star Heather Morris, who said that Michele “should be called out” for her behavior.
“I have an edge to me. I work really hard. I leave no room for mistakes,” Michele said in the interview. “That level of perfectionism, or that pressure of perfectionism, left me with a lot of blind spots.”
“I really understand the importance and value now of being a leader,” she said. “It means not only going and doing a good job when the camera’s rolling, but also when it’s not. And that wasn’t always the most important thing for me.”
What do you think of Michele’s comments regarding the recent accusations and rumors? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
