Chiming in. Glee alum Heather Morris issued a statement acknowledging how her former costar Lea Michele was “very unpleasant” to work with on Wednesday, June 3, as several other stars speak out about Michele’s unacceptable behavior on set.
“Let me be very clear, Hate is a disease in America that we are trying to cure, so I would never wish for hate to be spread to anyone else,” she wrote. Morris admitted she does have some grievances with the way Michele acted in the past.
“For Lea to treat others with the disrespect that she did for as long as she did, I believe she SHOULD be called out,” the performer, 33, continued. “And yet, it’s also on us because to allow it to go on for so long without speaking out is something else we’re learning along with the rest of society. But, at the current moment, it’s implied that she is a racist and although I cannot comment on her beliefs, I think we’re assuming, and you know what happens when we all assume.”
— heather (@HeatherMorrisTV) June 3, 2020
Michele’s other castmate Samantha Ware made headlines when she accused the expectant star, 33, of mistreating her in the comment section of a recent Instagram post. “George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end. #BlackLivesMatter,” Michele wrote on May 29.
“LMAO remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?” Ware later replied, expressing her frustrations. “Cause I’ll never forget. I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would ‘s–t in my wig’ amongst other traumatic microaggressions that made me question a career in Hollywood.”
Since then, other celebrities like Yvette Nicole Brown, Alex Newell and Abigail Breslin have opened up about their own less than pleasant experiences with Michele. Their comments came after former Glee star Naya Rivera detailed her strained relationship with the star in her 2016 book, Sorry Not Sorry.
On June 3, the Scream Queens actress responded to the claims made against her, writing she didn’t “remember” making those remarks and noted she “never judged” others by their “background or color of their skin.”
“Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior,” Michele wrote.
It looks like the fallout isn’t over yet.