Lea Michele accused of bullying Glee co-star Samantha Ware after sharing Black Lives Matter post

Some of Michele’s fellow cast members have responded with support for Ware
Getty Images

Lea Michele has been accused of bullying co-star Samantha Ware and making her “first television gig a living hell”.

Michele, who played lead role Rachel Berry in all six seasons of Glee, tweeted in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, writing: “George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end. #BlackLivesMatter”.

Co-star Samantha Ware, who played student singer Jane Hayward in the sixth season of Glee, seemingly found this sentiment of allyship ironic, alleging Michele’s treatment of her on-set was full of “traumatic microaggressions”.

(Getty Images )
Getty Images

Michele has since responded and apologised for "my behaviour and for any pain which I have caused." However she claimed that she did not make a "specific statement" about Ware's wig and added that she has "never judged others by their background or colour of their skin."

In a Twitter post, Ware wrote above Michele’s tweet: “LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET.

"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…”

It seems that Ware wasn’t the only actor who allegedly experienced hostility from show lead Michele.

Some of the cast of Glee
AP

Black Lightning actor Dabier Snell, who appeared in a 2014 episode of Glee, tweeted on Monday evening that Michele “wouldn’t let me sit at the table with the other cast members cause ‘I didn’t belong there’”.

He then added a very direct “F**k you Lea”.

Ware’s initial post prompted a wave of support from other entertainers, including many who featured on the show.

Josh Blumenkranz, who played a student at rival school Dalton Academy in one episode of Glee in 2015, responded directly to Ware’s allegation of Michele’s behaviour, writing: “I remember when she yelled out you when she was doing a scene with Chris [Colfer, who played Kurt Hummel]. You legit did not do anything.

“Her apology to you even seemed fake. I’m sorry you had to deal with that. You don’t deserve that kind of treatment”.

Alex Newell, who played Unique Adams on Glee, responded directly to Ware’s tweet with a gif, casting more doubt on Michele.

When a fan questioned the accusations, Newell responded with another gif protesting “we ain’t got a damn thing to lie about”.

Furthermore, when another fan questioned why Newell would return for season six of Glee and work with Michele, Newell responded that he asked to come back to Glee after being dismissed in season five “so I could pay my bills”.

Fans have also pointed out that Michele’s co-star Naya Rivera, who played Santana Lopez in all six seasons of Glee, had already described bad blood on set between the two of them.

In Rivera’s memoir, Sorry Not Sorry, she wrote of her experience with Michele:

Co-stars Amber Riley (L) and Naya Rivera ( Kevin Winter / Getty)
Kevin Winter / Getty

“As Santana moved from a background character to one with bigger plot lines and more screen time. I think Rachel – erm, I mean Lea – didn’t like sharing the spotlight.”

“If I’d complained about anyone or anything, she’d assumed I was bitching about her. Soon, she started to ignore me, and eventually it got to the point where she didn’t say a word to me for all of season 6.”

Amber Riley, who played main cast member Mercedes Jones, also shared a series of gifs seemingly in support of Ware’s original allegation, the most notable of which she sips some tea.

Finally, Riley posted another gif of herself saying “Let’s move on”, with a series of hashtags supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Lea Michele, who is currently expecting her first child with husband Zandy Rich, won two Golden Globe nominations and one Emmy nomination for her role.

Standard Online has contacted representatives for Michele for comment.

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