Lea Michele is setting the record straight—and stirring the pot—on the latest episode of Therapuss, the hit podcast hosted by Jake Shane.
In a revealing and surprisingly candid conversation, the Glee alum opened up about her strained relationships with her co-stars, the emotional fallout after the death of boyfriend and castmate Cory Monteith, and, yes, that long-running internet rumor claiming she can’t read.
A Not-So-Glee-ful Bond
When asked whether the Glee cast banded together after Monteith’s 2013 death, Michele didn’t sugarcoat it.
“I think, in some ways, it did for certain people,” she told Shane. “But for me, it was so hard. I just completely broke.”
Michele, now 38, said she was in “a one-track mind of just doing my job” during that traumatic period. While she acknowledged the support she felt from crew members and cast—even if they didn’t realize it—she made it clear the grief process isolated her.
Lea Michele revealed Cory Monteith’s death hurt her relationship with the “Glee” cast. 🎥: Therapuss pic.twitter.com/7oMqnSL1cN
— Page Six (@PageSix) May 8, 2025
Over the years, former castmates have been vocal about tension on set. Samantha Ware, who joined during the final season, famously accused Michele of making her first TV job “a living hell,” even alleging Michele threatened to defecate in her wig. Meanwhile, Heather Morris (Brittany S. Pierce) called Michele “very unpleasant to work with,” adding that the behavior should have been addressed sooner.
That Time Ryan Murphy Called
As if reliving Glee drama wasn’t enough, Michele also used the podcast to take another swing at debunking one of the internet’s weirdest conspiracy theories: that she can’t read.
“Ryan Murphy called me and said, ‘Have you heard this rumor?’ And I was like, ‘No, what’s going on?’” she recalled, laughing.
To shut it down once and for all, Michele cheekily reached across the podcast table to read Shane’s notes out loud—casual, confident, and literate. Case closed.
Teaser of Lea Michele proving she can read on Jake Shane’s ‘Therapuss’ podcast out tonight. pic.twitter.com/dZEYwevvTT
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 7, 2025
She’s previously tackled the rumor head-on, telling The New York Times in 2022 that the speculation is “sad” and likely tied to sexist double standards. “If I were a man, a lot of this wouldn’t be the case,” she said at the time.
Embracing the Mess and the Humor
Michele’s relationship with her internet persona has evolved, and she’s even poked fun at herself. In one viral TikTok, she called longtime friend and Spring Awakening co-star Jonathan Groff and asked him to “read me the comments on my first TikTok.”
Despite the past drama, Michele seems determined to own her narrative—with a wink, a shrug, and a sharp sense of humor.
You can listen to the full episode of Therapuss now wherever podcasts are streamed.
