Sophie Echternach | News Editor
February 24, 2023
More than eight million people have enjoyed the lovable, yet cringe-worthy show, Glee—a tv series following the lives of high school students in Glee Club as they navigate the ups and downs of being a teenager. While much of the cast has continued to make headlines in their respectable careers following the six-season run of the show, cast member, Lea Michele, who played Rachel Berry has made headlines for her notorious reputation as a “difficult to work with” cast member.
In addition to accusations of racism and transphobia, multiple former cast members from Glee have stepped forward claiming Michele to have inflicted “traumatic micro-aggressions,” been “unpleasant to work with” and even that she referred to black backup dancers on the show as “roaches.”
“I really enjoyed watching Glee, so hearing about how her [Michele’s] attitude on the show negatively impacted a lot of other people was really disappointing,” said freshman Ava Echternach.
While racism or any form of harassment, especially in the workplace, is never acceptable, much of Lea Michele’s controversy has only recently been brought up in light of the Black Lives Matter movement and more awareness being brought to the injustice towards black people in our country. Michele initially reached out in support of the BLM movement following George Floyd’s death however former coworkers were quick to speak up about her contradicting actions and how they were treated by her in real life.
Lea Michele has participated in a number of works such as “New Year’s Eve,” “Same Time, Next Christmas,” and “Scream Queens,” while her most notable role has remained Rachel in Glee. That is, until now. As of July 2022, showrunners for the Broadway musical, “Funny Girl” announced that Michele would replace Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice beginning in September. Michele had been open about starring in “Funny Girl” which had always been a dream of hers and that “a dream come true is an understatement.” However, multiple actors raised their eyebrows in response to her new “dream” role questioning how deserving she was of it considering her past in the public eye. Glee co-star Samantha Ware made a statement saying that Michele had made the set “a living hell” for her.
“I think that Lea Michele needs to have some repercussions for her unacceptable attitude towards co-stars and members of the black community,” said senior Tessa Campbell. “She shouldn’t just be able to hop around to various jobs and not acknowledge her wrongdoings.”
Lea Michele may have provided entertainment for Glee fans through the years, however, her unacceptable attitude towards people who were supposedly her “friends” has permanently tarnished her image in the public eye. As a result, Michele has been the source of many rumors, including “not being able to read” and fake crying at the Golden Globes—a unanimous public effort to force her to face her controversial past. Whether the actress will ever admit to her inappropriate actions or not is still the question, however as more awareness is being brought to mistreatment in the workplace and to BLM, she will certainly have a hard time avoiding it.
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