Actors would like to think that when they book their first major gig, their fellow entertainers will welcome them with open arms. Yet, when Samantha Ware was cast in Glee, she didn’t think that one of the show’s stars would make life on set difficult. At least, that’s what the black actress claims happened to her when she joined the cast in 2015. Recently, Lea Michele tweeted support to Black Lives Matter with the message, “George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end.” Samantha was made aware of the tweet at responded with a scathing message.
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“Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?! Cause I’ll never forget,” Samantha Ware wrote. “I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would ‘s— in my wig!’ amongst other traumatic microaggressions that made me question a career in Hollywood.” Fellow Glee actress Amber Riley didn’t directly address the accusation, but she did share a GIF of herself giving a side-eye while sipping tea. Lea Michele quickly began trending on Twitter and company HelloFresh quickly severed ties with the actress.
“HelloFresh does not condone racism nor discrimination of any kind. We are disheartened and disappointed to learn of the recent claims concerning Lea Michele,” the company tweeted. Then, Lea resurfaced with an apology and explanation of her first tweet in support of George Floyd and all Black Lives Matter efforts.
“One of the most important lessons of the last few weeks is that we need to take the time to listen and learn about other people’s perspectives and any role we have played or anything we can do to help address the injustices that they face,” Lea Michele shared. “When I tweeted the other day, it was meant to be a show of support for our friends and neighbors and communities of color during this really difficult time. But the responses I received to what I posted have made me also focus specifically on how my own behavior towards fellow cast members was perceived by them.” Swipe below to read her statement in its entirety.
