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One of the biggest stories in entertainment this week has been the official announcement of Glee star Lea Michele's long-rumored replacement of actor Beanie Feldstein in the Broadway revival of the classic musical Funny Girl.
But Michele's notorious reputation for being difficult to work with--and even downright abusive--has followed her ever since Glee went off the air, and it's now adding more controversy to the already dramatic Funny Girl situation.
And it's not just fans criticizing the choice.
Michele's former Glee colleague, actor Samantha Ware, made huge waves in 2020 when she exposed the bullying she says Michele subjected her to on the set of the show.
And now, Ware has taken to social media to slam Michele's casting with a cryptic tweet obviously referencing the Funny Girl news, seen below.
\u201cYes, I\u2019m online today. Yes, I see y\u2019all. Yes, I care. Yes, im affected. Yes, I\u2019m human. Yes, I\u2019m Black. Yes, I was abused. Yes, my dreams were tainted. Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness. Yes, Hollywood does the same. Yes, silence is complicity. Yes, I\u2019m loud. Yes, I\u2019d do it again.\u201d— SAMEYA (@SAMEYA) 1657563903
Ware tweeted:
"Yes, I’m online today. Yes, I see y’all. Yes, I care. Yes, im affected. Yes, I’m human. Yes, I’m Black. Yes, I was abused."
"Yes, my dreams were tainted."
"Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness. Yes, Hollywood does the same. Yes, silence is complicity."
"Yes, I’m loud. Yes, I’d do it again."
That last line is likely in reference to her 2020 comments about Michele, in which she called out the star on social media for racist abuse on the Glee set after Michele tweeted words of solidarity with the Black community following the murder of George Floyd.
In a since-deleted tweet, Ware tweeted at Michele:
"LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET."
"I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD 'SH*T IN MY WIG'!"
"AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGRESSIONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD"
Ware went on to detail Michele's racist and abusive behavior in an exposé in Variety, and her allegations led fellow Glee stars Amber Riley and Alex Newell, as well as actors who've worked with Michele on other projects like Yvette Nicole Brown, to share their own stories of her toxic mistreatment.
The allegations reached such a fever pitch that meal-kit company Hello Fresh dropped Michele as its celebrity pitchwoman and Michele took to social media to issue an apology in which she claimed not to remember Ware's accusations.
In addition to her tweet about the Funny Girl news, Ware also retweeted a pointed post from writer Ryan Ken that also seems likely to be in reference to Michele's casting in the show.
\u201cIt\u2019s wild that the decision to tell the truth about the people who tormented you at work is a career risk, but you can stay booked and busy as one of the tormentors\u201d— Ryan Ken (@Ryan Ken) 1657567831
Many on Twitter applauded Ware for speaking out and voiced their support for her.
\u201c@Sammie_Ware We won\u2019t forget what she did to you. It\u2019s a damn shame that so many apparently have (or pretend to).\u201d— SAMEYA (@SAMEYA) 1657563903
\u201c@Sammie_Ware i\u2019m so sorry you\u2019re having to go through this! it\u2019s unfair, unjust and disrespectful. we see you and hold space for you! i hope you are surrounded by the love and support you need \ud83e\udd0d\u201d— SAMEYA (@SAMEYA) 1657563903
\u201c@Sammie_Ware Everyone who gives a damn is with you. And hasn\u2019t forgotten \u2764\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f\u201d— SAMEYA (@SAMEYA) 1657563903
And Ware is definitely not alone in her distaste for Michele's casting--the news has inspired countless memes and derisive jokes.
\u201cLea Michele is proof that if you don\u2019t change or learn even a single thing when faced with your reprehensible behavior, all of your wildest dreams can come true!! Stay the course!!\u201d— Cody Wimmer (@Cody Wimmer) 1657559101
\u201cfor those of you outside the glee world, the lea michele replacing beanie is our infinity war but specifically when thanos looks up and says you should have gone for the head\u201d— sifu hotman (@sifu hotman) 1657561158
\u201cAs I reel from the news that Lea Michele is set to play Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, I couldn\u2019t help but wonder\u2026Did my 1 million streams of Rachel Berry\u2019s version of \u2018Don\u2019t Rain On My Parade\u2019 help bring this travesty to fruition? If it did, I am truly, deeply sorry.\u201d— Aaliyah Sloan (@Aaliyah Sloan) 1657563437
\u201cThe Broadway news: \ud83e\udd2e\u201d— yvette nicole brown (@yvette nicole brown) 1657563479
\u201ci need to get tickets to lea michele\u2019s first performance of funny girl so i can walk out halfway through just like sue did in s5, ep17\u201d— madeleine (@madeleine) 1657559166
\u201clea michele when she inevitably joins funny girl on broadway now\u201d— brie. (@brie.) 1657504360
\u201cIf Lea Michele proves anything is that:\n\nCancel culture is not real\n\nBeing white and racist means you can still achieve your dreams!\u201d— Valerie Complex (@Valerie Complex) 1657560092
\u201cif lea michele has a million haters i\u2019m one of them. if she has 1 hater it\u2019s me. if she has 0 haters it means i have left this earth. if she has 1 hater after I died then I crawled out of hell through fire & brimstone to hate again.\u201d— ibuprofen goddess (@ibuprofen goddess) 1657560479
Michele will take over the role of Fanny Brice beginning September 6, with Broadway icon Tovah Feldshuh taking over the role of Mrs. Brice for Michele's Glee castmate Jane Lynch on the same night.