Glee star Amber Riley says she ‘doesn’t give a s***’ about Lea Michele drama amid protests

Amber Riley said she ‘didn’t give a s***’ about reports of Lea Michele’s allegedly abusive and bullying behavior on the set of Glee.

Instead, the 34-year-old actress wanted to keep the focus on the death of George Floyd and protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement across the country in a Twitter video posted Wednesday.

Despite not wanting to talk about Michele, she joined a growing chorus of cast and crew members criticizing the Glee star for her treatment toward them by shading her throughout the clip.

Amber made it clear in the impassioned video chat that she didn’t want to distract from the much more important stories about systemic racism, police violence and the death of George Floyd.

‘I don’t give a s***, [about this],’ she said. ‘People are out here dying and being murdered by police…’

She also offered some faint words of good will, though her tone didn’t suggest any warmth toward Lea. 

‘I wish her well, I hope she has an amazing pregnancy, I hope that she has grown….’

In addition to the current protests, Amber mentioned the plight of black transgender women who were ‘murdered at the hands of men who are upset about being trans attracted.’

She also said she didn’t read Michele’s statement responding to allegations about her behavior ‘because I don’t give a s***.’

She revealed that the Mayor star contacted her following the reports from other cast members.

‘She reached out to me. I responded to her, and that’s where it ends for me. 

‘I ain’t talked to that girl in two years,’ she added, before mention that she had no ‘hatred or ill will’ toward Lea.

Riley previously posted a gif of herself sipping tea, presumably in response to criticisms of Michele from others. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Australian actor Dean Geyer defended Lea Michele amid the growing backlash against her, after playing her boyfriend on Glee’s fourth season in 2012.

The 34-year-old is the first former co-star of Lea’s to publicly support her as she faces multiple accusations of on-set bullying.

Dean said the 33-year-old actress was the ‘most welcoming’ cast member when he joined the hit Fox show, and that he never witnessed anybody being uncomfortable around her.

His comments come after Heather Morris said Lea had been ‘very unpleasant’ to work with on Glee, and Samantha Ware claimed she had made her life ‘a living hell’.   

Dean – who played Brody Weston, the boyfriend of Lea’s character Rachel Berry, for 14 episodes – had nothing but nice things to say about her.

‘Lea is still one of my favourite co-stars that I have had the pleasure of working with. She is extremely hard working and super fun to be around,’ he said.

‘Her work ethic is so strong it forces you to always be on top of your game, and that’s something I looked forward to everyday on set. I definitely learned a lot.’

Dean added: ‘When jumping onto a hugely successful and established show like Glee, I went into it expecting to be known as the “new guy” for at least a month, but that wasn’t the case at all. I almost immediately felt welcomed, and to be totally honest, out of everyone, Lea was the most friendly to me.’

Dean went on to say that he didn’t agree with the backlash against Lea.  

‘I can only speak for myself and my own experience, but from what I saw during my time on set, there was nothing but professionalism and a genuine sense of community amongst the cast and crew,’ he said. 

‘No one showed any signs of discomfort while Lea was on set. If I’m basing my opinion off my season, there definitely shouldn’t be a reason for a backlash.’

The former Australian Idol star, who recently released new music on iTunes and Spotify, concluded by saying he was ‘grateful for the experience and opportunity to be involved with such an iconic show’ alongside Lea and the rest of the cast.

On Wednesday, Heather Morris, who played Brittany S. Pierce on Glee, became the latest person to slam Lea’s behaviour during filming.

The backlash had started earlier this week after Samantha Ware, who played Jane Hayward on the show’s sixth season in 2015, tweeted that Lea had made her life a ‘living hell’ on set. 

Heather tweeted: ‘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. With that said, was she unpleasant to work with? Very much so. For Lea to treat others with the disrespect that she did for as long as she did, I believe she should be called out.

‘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 its 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…’

The bullying allegations came to light after Lea took to social media on Friday to pay tribute to George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man who died in custody in Minneapolis earlier that week after being forcefully restrained by a white officer.

‘George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end,’ she tweeted.

Samantha quoted Lea’s tweet several days later, writing: ‘Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?! Cause I’ll never forget. 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.’

In response, Lea apologised for her behaviour on Wednesday. 

She insisted she had ‘never judged others by their background or colour of their skin’ but acknowledged she had made mistakes.

The Broadway star also vowed to learn from her past behaviour so she ‘can be a real role model for my child’ when she gives birth in a couple of months. 

Other stars, including Glee’s Amber Riley, have also spoken out against Lea, who was recently dropped by the food delivery company Hello Fresh over the controversy.