UPDATE: Glee's Samantha Marie Ware to Lea Michele: "You made my first TV gig a living hell"
As we enter week 2 of global protests against police brutality, public figures and brands (and, in more than a few cases, their PR) are beginning to recognize the need to take a firm public stance—one that is preferably on the right side of history. Most of the statements tend to skate by with little more than a temporary wave of public acknowledgement. Then there are cases like that of Glee’s Lea Michele, whose statements might strike somewhat of a, ahem, sour note. (“Please let that be the only Glee pun,” you plea? IT WON’T BE.)
Like many others, Michele took a moment to acknowledge the murder of George Floyd in a very brief tweet, ending the note with #BlackLivesMatter:
All of that is nice and somewhat better than not recognizing it at all, sure. However, if the sentiment doesn’t come from a genuine place—more specifically, if you aren’t elevating the voices of Black figures speaking on the matter, or even treating the Black people in your personal and professional life with basic kindness—then the effort is always going to fall, uh, flat. Case in point: As Michele’s tweet gained steam, fellow Glee alum Samantha Marie Ware was quick to call her out, claiming that leading woman treated her horrifically on set, outwardly wishing to “shit in [Ware’s] wig” and spouting other microaggressions that made her first major job in television “a living hell.”
As of now, no other former cast members have come forward to sing Michele’s praises (last one, we promise) or solidly confirm Ware’s claims. However, co-stars Amber Riley and Alex Newell tweeted vague responses shortly after Ware’s.