Less than gleeful relationships. Lea Michele made headlines in June 2020 when Samantha Marie Ware, who played Jane Hayward on season 6 of Glee, accused her of bullying.
“LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISION GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET,” the Margot vs. Lily alum wrote via Twitter at the time alongside comments Michele had posted in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Ware continued: “I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, YOU WOULD ’S—T IN MY WIG!’ AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGRESSIONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD.”
Amber Riley, who played Mercedes on the musical comedy series, reacted to the post with a gif of her drinking from a mug. Michele, for her part, responded to the comments two days later.
“While I don’t remember ever making this specific statement and I have never judged others by their background or color of their skin, that’s not really the point. What matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people.”
She continued, “Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me just being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior and for any pain which I have caused.”
While some of the New Year’s Eve actress’ Glee costars, including Heather Morris, later condemned her behavior on the set of the Fox TV series, others defended her.
“[A] lot of people are assuming that @LeaMichele mistreated me. Let me state it clearly that I was never mistreated by her,” Iqbal Theba, who played Principal Figgins, wrote via Instagram in June 2020. ”And if some of the cast were treated badly, then she has apologized for it, which is wonderful. But being called a racist is too heavy and unfair a burden for most of us, especially in these troubled times. So, please be compassionate, careful & responsible before we accuse anyone of this horrible thing called racism. I love each & every one of my fellow cast members from our great show.”
Matthew Morrison, whose character Will Schuester was the leader of the Glee Club, said that the controversy was a “distraction” from “bigger issues” during a June 2022 interview on FUBAR Radio’s Access All Areas. “You want to be a good, pleasant person to be around. That’s about all I’m going to say on that,” he added.
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Scroll through to see where Michele stands with each of her Glee costars now:
The Almost Famous alum portrayed Michele’s character’s college professor during Glee season 4. While Rachel and Hudson’s Cassandra July were bitter rivals, their real-life counterparts are on much better terms. “Kate, you are a true angel on this earth. So special having you at @funnygirlbwy last night! Love you dearly. ❤️,” Michele wrote via Instagram in February 2023, sharing a backstage pic with Hudson. Courtesy of Lea Michele/Instagram
The Oscar winner played teacher Holly Holiday and eventually married executive producer Brad Falchuck. The couple supported Michele at Funny Girl in February 2023. "Love you both so much @gwynethpaltrow & @bradfalchuk thank you for coming to @funnygirlbwy last night. ❤️," Michele captioned a snap from the New York City theater via Instagram. Paltrow commented, "We are still speechless over your brilliant performance ❤️." Courtesy of Lea Michele/Instagram
Before he guest starred as Jean Baptiste on Glee, Astin was Michele's Spring Awakening costar on Broadway. They've remained close and he supported her at Funny Girl in November 2022. "My dear friend of a million years @skylarastin came to @funnygirlbwy last night. ❤️," Michele wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of the two. "Chills!! You were incredible!" Astin commented. Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Explaining that he makes an effort to see his former Glee costars "anytime we're in the same vicinity ... to connect for a little bit if we can," Overstreet teased plans to see Funny Girl on Broadway during an October 2022 interview with Us Weekly. "I'm gonna go to New York in November to do press for [Falling for Christmas]," he said. "And if I have time, I'm gonna definitely try to show up." Stewart Cook/Shutterstock
During an October 2022 appearance on The Michelle Collins Show, Colfer revealed whether he’d be seeing his former costar in Funny Girl. “No, I can be trigged at home,” he told Michelle Collins. David Buchan/Shutterstock
The former boy band member told E! News he didn’t “have any plans” to see Michele play Fanny Brice on Broadway during a September 2022 conversation. “I haven’t talked to her in a while, to be honest,” he said, adding, “I’m sure she’s f—king phenomenal in it.” AFF-USA/Shutterstock
Groff, who played Jesse St. James on Glee, penned a tribute to his Spring Awakening costar for Variety in October 2022. “When her undeniable star power lit up the stage in Funny Girl last month, the musical became the fifth-highest grossing show on Broadway. By bringing big business back to Broadway, Lea isn’t just making audiences happy, she’s helping support the restaurants and hotels that thrive when Broadway draws a huge crowd,” he wrote of his longtime friend. Evan Agostini/AP/Shutterstock
The Georgia native, who played Kitty on Glee, went to support Michele's Broadway engagement in September 2022. "I love you so much @becca 💓 made me so happy you were here tonight!!!" the Scream Queens alum captioned a photo of her and Tobin in front of the Funny Girl stage. Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
In September 2022, Entertainment Weekly asked the Tony winner if she’d reached out to Michele ahead of her Broadway run. “I have not. I will leave it at that,” she replied. Ray Tamarra/Soul B Photos/Shutterstock
Shortly after Michele’s July 2022 addition to the Broadway cast of Funny Girl, Lynch’s departure date from the musical was moved up. Although some fans speculated that the Best in Show actress wanted to avoid working with the Spring Awakening performer again, she stated that her early exit was unrelated. “It has nothing to do with not wanting to see Lea. I text with Lea. She and I are fine. I'm thrilled for her,” Lynch said during an August 2022 interview with Playbill. Rob Latour/Shutterstock
After sharing a cheeky gif reaction to Ware’s allegations that Michele mistreated her, Riley clarified that she didn’t “give a s—t” about the controversy. “I’m not going to say she’s racist. … I wish Lea Michele well, I hope that she has an amazing pregnancy. I hope that she is grown and that she understands,” the Dancing With the Stars alum said via Instagram Live in June 2020. “The apology she put out, I didn’t read it because I told y’all, I don’t give a s–t about it. She reached out to me, I responded to her. That’s where it ends for me. I ain’t talked to that girl in two years. I have no hatred or ill will on that end.” Ray Tamarra/Soul B Photos/Shutterstock
After Ware accused Michele of “traumatic microaggressions,” Morris spoke out via Twitter. “Was she unpleasant to work with? Very much so. For Lea to treat others with the disrespect that she did for as long as she did, I believe [that] she SHOULD be called out. And yet, it’s also on us, because to allow it to go on for so long without speaking out is something else we’re learning along with the rest of society,” she wrote in June 2020. The following May, the California native said her costar’s behavior was “very hush-hush on set” during an appearance on the “Everything Iconic” podcast. "We absolutely could have stepped up and gone to the Fox execs and said how we felt about the situation, but no one did. I think many people were very scared, and I know, genuinely, I felt like it wasn't my place, and I don't know why because I was a cast member,” she said. Morris added that the “only person honest” about the New York native’s attitude on Glee was the late Naya Rivera. Mediapunch/Shutterstock
The Pakistan native came to Michele’s defense amid backlash to Ware’s allegations in June 2020. “Let me state it clearly that I was never mistreated [Michele],” Theba wrote via Twitter at the time. “And if some of the cast were treated badly then she has apologized for it which is wonderful.” Valerie Macon/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
In a June 2020 appearance on FUBAR Radio's Access All Areas, the Broadway alum said he “didn’t want to comment too much” on Michele’s alleged treatment of Ware. "I honestly think it's a distraction of, you know, the bigger issues that are going on right now," he said. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Agron and Michele were close while filming Glee and even lived together for a bit in 2009. The two women haven’t spoken publicly about their relationship recently, however, Agron still follows her former costar on Instagram. The Georgia native remained silent when some of her other former cast mates spoke out about Michele’s behavior on the series. Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
While promoting her film Disenchanted in September 2022, the Trial & Error alum gave The Hollywood Reporter her thoughts on Michele’s Funny Girl casting. “It’s really exciting for her and I’m not surprised. She’s born to play this role. … I wish her well. Sounds like I don’t need to wish her well, sounds like she’s doing amazing,” Mays said. Rob Latour/Shutterstock
"The amount of times this guy has heard me sing 'Don’t Rain On My Parade' 😂 I love you @darrencriss and @miavoncriss ❤️," Michele wrote via Instagram in October 2022 alongside a photo of her with her fellow Glee alum and his wife at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City. Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Ware reacted to Michele’s Funny Girl casting announcement via Twitter in July “Yes, I’m online today. Yes, I see y’all. Yes, I care. Yes, I’m affected. Yes, I’m human. Yes, I’m Black. Yes, I was abused. Yes, my dreams were tainted. Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness. Yes, Hollywood does the same. Yes, silence is complicity. Yes, I’m loud. Yes, I’d do it again,” she wrote at the time. Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
The Glee creator went to support Michele in the biographical musical. "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world🎶," the Funny Girl star captioned a carousel of Instagram photos in September 2022, including snaps with Murphy, Groff and Spring Awakening director Michael Mayer. MBB Images/BEI/Shutterstock
The Broadway veteran, who played April Rhodes on Glee, saw Michele in Funny Girl. "I’ve looked up to you for as long as I can remember," the former Rachel Berry actress captioned a backstage snap with Chenoweth via Instagram in October 2022. "But the greatest gift of all is being able to call you a friend. I love and admire you so much @kchenoweth thank you for always being there for me.💓" Courtesy of Lea Michele/Instagram
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