Idina Menzel Explains Why Her Glee Role "Wasn't Great"

Fox's Glee boasted a pretty eclectic ensemble cast, including Tony winner Idina Menzel as Shelby Corcoran, the birth mother of Rachel Berry (Lea Michele). Menzel became a recurring staple of the long-running series since debuting in the show's first season — but it sounds like she has a unique outlook on her role in hindsight. In a recent interview with Stellar Magazine, Menzel looked back on (and to an extent, lamented about) being cast as Michele's mom on Glee, despite only being sixteen years older than her.

"You're worried you're not going to work again, and then people hire you to be someone's mother when you probably should be their older sister," Menzel explained. "It just wasn't great for the ego."  

Will There Be a Glee Reboot?

In recent years, fans have wondered if a continuation of the show could be in the cards in some way, especially after Murphy took to Instagram in 2020 to suggest the idea of reimagining the pilot with Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein, neither of whom starred on the original show.

"Imagine it's 2009, and I lived in a world where I knew Lea Michele, Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein (Ben and Beanie, I believe, were in high school then...and I think they dressed up as Glee characters once for Halloween?) If I had access to that talent, here's the new pilot: Lea and Ben are frenemies who fight for the heart and soul of Glee Club," Murphy wrote on social media in 2020. "Ben is also on the football team, and pretty much sleeps with the entire school and is the heartthrob of McKinley. Beanie is their mutual best friend, and torn. Suddenly, Beanie joins forces with Sue Sylvester, joins Glee Club and becomes the main soloist and the ruthless star of the club. Lea and Ben have to then join forces to dethrone her. I WANT TO SHOOT THIS DO OVER PILOT. Maybe I will?"

Additionally, Fox Entertainment President Michael Thorn addressed the possibility of Glee returning while in a 2021 interview. 

"We always welcome celebrating our iconic shows and revisiting those with surprising takes and new approaches so, especially in this crowded market, we're always open to reinventing our best IP with some of our favorite partners," Thorn explained at the time.

Where Is Glee Streaming?

Last year, Glee moved from its previous streaming home of Netflix to both Disney+ and Hulu, allowing a whole new audience to experience the series.

Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan, Glee followed the lives of the members of a show choir in Lima, Ohio. The series starred Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch, Chris Colfer, Naya Rivera, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Dianna Agron, Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, Mark Salling, Heather Morris, Harry Shum Jr., Chord Overstreet, Darren Criss, and Melissa Benoist. The series also had an array of guest stars and recurring cast members, including (but not limited to) Gwyneth Paltrow, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Kristin Chenoweth, Demi Lovato, and Cheyenne Jackson.

What do you think of Idina Menzel's new comments about her time on Glee? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!