Lea Michele Slams Rumor That She Can’t Read: ‘It’s Sad. It Really Is’
Lea Michele is addressing some of her actions from her past that she’s not proud of. And she’s also addressing a rumor that she is illiterate. In a new feature in The New York Times, Michele, 36, reflects on accusations of making “traumatic microaggressions” against Glee co-star Samantha Marie Ware in 2020.
Ware. previously said Michele threatened to get her fired, among other forms of bullying. Another Glee co-star, Heather Morris tweeted that Michele “should be called out” over the “disrespect” she treated others with “for as long as she did.” The tweet has since been deleted.
“I knew from day one when I attempted to introduce myself. There was nothing gradual about it. As soon as she decided that she didn’t like me, it was very evident,” Ware told Variety in a 2020 interview. “It was after I did my first performance, that’s when it started — the silent treatment, the stare-downs, the looks, the comments under her breath, the weird passive aggressiveness. It all built up.”
In the Times feature, Michele says that these accusations prompted an “intense time of reflection” about her conduct. Her behavior resulted on some real consequences: they cost Michele her spokesperson gig with HelloFresh. At the time, the company said it “does not condone racism nor discrimination of any kind.” According to the actress, being able to reflect on her conduct following the accusations equipped her to take on a leading Broadway role in Funny Girl. She takes on the role on September 6.
Michele said that she now understands the value and importance of being a leader. “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.” She added that she does not “feel the need to handle things” through the media about the accusations.
She did clear up another rumor going around on social media that she is illiterate. The rumor first gained traction after Glee co-star Naya Rivera wrote in her 2016 memoir, Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up, that Michelle refused to improvise during a scene. Social media picked up a joke made about Michele not being able to read the memoir and turned it into memes.
“I went to Glee every single day; I knew my lines every single day,” Michele said in response to the memes. “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.”
