Celebrity - News
LEA MICHELE'S FORMER CO-STARS ARE FUMING OVER THE STAR'S HUGE NEW ROLE
By AUDREY WILLIAMS
The following story contains discussion of racist bullying.
Content Warning
After actor Beanie Feldstein departed from the Broadway musical "Funny Girl," her replacement as the star of the show was confirmed to be Lea Michele, a former cast member of the hit show "Glee." Michele wrote on Instagram, "A dream come true is an understatement," but for some of her former co-stars and fans, the news felt more like a nightmare.
In 2020, "Glee" star Samantha Ware blasted Michele for racism and hypocrisy after the latter tweeted in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. "Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?!" Ware replied. "I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would 's*** in my wig!' amongst other traumatic microaggressions."
Other Black members of the "Glee" cast were quick to support Ware, and now that the "Funny Girl" news is out, Michele's former co-stars are expressing their distaste. Yvette Nicole Brown, who worked with Michele on "The Mayor," wrote simply, "The Broadway news" with a puke emoji; later, Ware posted a reaction of her own.
Ware tweeted in part, "Yes, I'm Black. Yes, I was abused. Yes, my dreams were tainted. Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness. Yes, Hollywood does the same." Meanwhile, a fan commented that the thought of Michele replacing Feldstein was "insulting," and another said, "We are living in a glee episode and as someone who actually watched all of glee through the end, I'm scared."