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It’s crunch time for Lea Michele, who will begin her controversial Funny Girl stint on Broadway right after the long weekend. Though there’s certainly been plenty of drama surrounding former star Beanie Feldstein’s exit in the show, there’s a bigger problem Michele faces as she takes the Broadway stage: her likability.
A handful of folks are clearly devoted to Michele—the skyrocketing ticket prices for Funny Girl beginning Sept. 6 is evidence—but the actress still faces a boatload of allegations against her. In 2020, a handful of her Glee co-stars spoke out against Michele, reporting racist and transphobic behavior on set.
There’s reportedly a much more complex history of Lea Michele traumatizing her co-stars—it’s not all Glee-related—but the key allegation comes from co-star Samantha Ware. In June 2020, after Michele tweeted about Black Lives Matter, Ware responded with, “I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would ‘shit in my wig!’” Another offense: transphobia towards model Plastic Martyr, who claimed Michele once tried to eject her from the women’s bathroom.