In a June 1 tweet, Samantha Ware alleged that Glee co-star and fellow Broadway alum Lea Michele had committed several acts of microaggressions against her and other cast members while filming the Fox series. In response, Michele issued a statement on Instagram June 3; read below.
Multiple cast members from the show reacted to Ware’s tweet, with Broadway alum Alex Newell (Once on This Island) responding to the post directly. Olivier winner Amber Riley (Dreamgirls) posted her own reaction GIF around the time that the tweet spread.
In addition to playing Jane Hayward in Season 6 of Glee, Ware starred in the Chicago production of Hamilton as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds. More recently, she appeared in This Ain’t No Disco at Atlantic Theater Company. Other theatre credits include the Broadway and U.S. national tour productions of The Book of Mormon.
Michele posted support June 1 for #BlackLivesMatter, referencing the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests around America. In response the same day, Ware wrote, “LMAO, Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?! Cause I’ll never forget. I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would ‘shit in my wig!’ Amongst other traumatic microaggressions that made me question a career in Hollywood…”In light of the allegations, HelloFresh dropped its partnership with Michele.
Click/scroll through below to read Michele’s three-part statement.