Lea Michele has been accused of mocking trans model Plastic Martyr for using the women’s bathroom at the 2010 Emmy Awards.
The Glee star, 33, has faced numerous accusations from colleagues about her behaviour – for which she has since apologised – after her co-star Samantha Ware branded her time on the show ‘a living hell.’
Plastic claimed Lea made her feel ‘like a circus freak’ by questioning her decision to use the women’s bathroom, when she was still in the early stages of her transition.
Brutal: Lea Michele has been accused of mocking trans model Plastic Martyr for using the women’s bathroom at the 2010 Emmy Awards (pictured at the time)
Plastic told The Sun she didn’t know Lea before they crossed paths in the bathroom at the awards show, but recalled her being there with a group of pals.
She said: ‘I was just trying to get out of there. I said, ”Excuse me,” and she’s standing there blocking my reach.
‘She goes, ”Excuse me?” and she looks at her friends, looks at me again, and says, ”Excuse you, you’re in the woman’s bathroom”.’
Adding that Lea brushed off the incident and carried on laughing with her friends, Plastic it knocked her confidence hugely, especially as she was still in the midst of her transition.
Accused: Trans model Plastic Martyr claimed Lea made her feel ‘like a circus freak’ by questioning her decision to use the women’s bathroom, when she was still transitioning
She added: ‘I was dressed, I felt glamorous, and to hear that from somebody who I thought was so beautiful … I went from feeling like I was on cloud nine to feeling like a circus freak.’
Many former colleagues have been sharing their experience working with Lea, after Samantha Ware became the first to speak out on Monday.
Hours earlier, Lea’s former Glee co-star Iqbal Theba insisted he did not share the same experiences suffered by other co-stars.
The Pakistani-American actor, 56, portrayed Principal Figgins throughout the highly-popular Fox show’s entire run from 2009 to 2015.
Interesting: Hours earlier, Lea’s former Glee co-star Iqbal Theba insisted he did not share the same experiences suffered by other co-stars
Iqbal took to Twitter to write: ‘Lot of people r assuming that @LeaMichele mistreated me. Let me state it clearly that I was never mistreated by her.
‘And if some of the cast were treated badly then she has apologised for it which is wonderful. But being called a racist is too heavy & unfair a burden 4 most of us, specially in these troubled times.’
He went on to say he would like others to use more discretion when accusing others of being racist.
‘I was never mistreated by her’: The talented actor took to Twitter to clarify his experience working with the actress
He said: ‘So, please be compassionate, careful & responsible before we accuse anyone of this horrible thing called racism. I love each & everyone of my fellow cast members from our great show @OfficialGLEEtv Be safe & be well. Much love.’
This came after one of Lea’s former understudies took to Twitter to explain how bad the Glee actress has treated people, even as a child.
Self-care coach Elizabeth Aldrich said it was ‘terrifying’ to work with Lea, who was only 12 at the time.
‘I was [Lea’s understudy] in Ragtime,’ she explained. ‘She was absolutely awful to me and ensemble.’
‘She demeaned the crew and threatened to have people fired if she was in anyway displeased. I used to cry every night from the mean and manipulative things she would do. She was 12. She was terrifying.’
People flocked to the thread to express their sympathy.
Starts young: Lea Michele’s former understudy also recently tweeted about working with the actress as a child, calling her ‘awful’ and ‘terrifying’
Elizabeth replied to one person who was shocked that the production team even let Lea treat people like that, saying: ‘Absolutely agreed. Of course, I was only 10, but even my friends who worked with her on [Spring Awakening] felt intimidated coming forward.
‘Actors are often silenced but I’m glad her abuse has been brought to light and hope that she takes a real hard look at herself and ameliorates her ways.’
Another person asked if Lea’s parents encouraged her diva behaviour.
‘No, they were actually really lovely. I think they were scared of her too,’ Aldrich shared.
Just 12: ‘She demeaned the crew and threatened to have people fired if she was in anyway displeased. I used to cry every night from the mean and manipulative things she would do. She was 12. She was terrifying’ Elizabeth wrote
Interesting…: Elizabeth did say that Lea’s parents were ‘lovely’ but she thought they were also ‘scared of her’ (pictured in December 2019)
Lea first came under fire on Monday after one of her social media posts showing support for Black Lives Matter was skewered by former cast-mate Samantha Marie Ware.
Samantha, who appeared as Jane Hayward on the show’s sixth season in 2015, swiftly hit back: ‘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.’
People were quick to co-sign the message. Fellow Glee alum Amber Riley, who played Mercedes Jones in the through all six seasons, shared two GIFs of herself, one raising her hand, while the other sipping tea, caused a stir among fans who saw it as a subtle way of the actress chiming in.
Speaking out: Lea first came under fire on Monday after one of her social media posts showing support for Black Lives Matter was skewered by former castmate Samantha Marie Ware, above
Not so subtle: Glee’s Amber Riley posted this GIF of her raising her hand, amid rumors that Lea Michele was less than kind to work with on the Ryan Murphy show
Not happy: Community star Yvette Nicole Brown, who did not appear on Glee, also voiced her opinion
In agreement: Alex Newell, who starred as Unique Adams on series for four seasons, wasn’t so subtle – and began replying to fans about the drama.
Meanwhile, Alex Newell, who starred as Unique Adams on series for four seasons, wasn’t so subtle – and began replying to fans about the drama.
‘We ain’t got not a damn thing to lie about 6 years later!’ he replied to one fan who suggested they were making false accusations about Michele’s behaviour.
Lea took to social media to offer up an apology early Wednesday, telling fans and critics: ‘While I don’t remember ever making this specific statement and I have never judged others by their background or colour of their skin, that’s not really the point, what matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people…
Hitting out: The actress admitted her ‘privileged position and immaturity’ had contributed to causing pain to Samantha in an apologetic statement posted to Instagram on Wednesday
‘Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me just being unnecessarily difficult.’
But people weren’t impressed by her wishy-washy words and instead raced to the comments to give Lea a piece of their mind.
One comment left under Michele’s post said: ‘Saying you didn’t do it is the worst apology I’ve ever heard.’
Another said: ‘This is a non-apology. You apologise for their ‘perception’ of your behaviour? There are multiple people speaking out about your racist micro-aggressions.’
All the stars that have spoken out against Lea Michele
Samantha Ware
Glee actress Samantha re-ignited rumors of Lea Michele’s alleged bad behavior on-set, when she responded to Michele’s post regarding the death of George Floyd earlier this week. Ware, 33, said: ‘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.’
Kicking off: Samantha Ware made claims about Lea Michele earlier this week.
Alex Newell
Alex – who starred as Unique Adams on series for four seasons – promptly aired his feelings on Twitter. ‘We ain’t got not a damn thing to lie about 6 years later!’ he replied to one fan who suggested they were making false accusations about Michele’s behavior.
Dabier Snell
Actor Dabier Snell, who appeared in one episode of Glee, claimed he wasn’t allowed to sit with Michele on set, saying: ‘GIRL YOU WOULDNT LET ME SIT AT THE TABLE WITH THE OTHER CAST MEMBERS CAUSE ‘I DIDNT BELONG THERE’ F–K YOU LEA.’
Bad memories: Lea on Glee with Chris Colfer and Heather Morris
Heather Morris
Morris, 33, who played cheerleader Brittany S. Pierce on the Ryan Murphy show, claims Michele was ‘very’ unpleasant to work with, saying: ”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.’
Melissa Benoist
Supergirl star Melissa Benoist, who appeared on Glee with Lea Michele, liked a series of posts describing star’s bullying and abusive behavior toward castmates. Benoist appeared on Glee’s fourth season playing a character named Marley Rose. She sang a duet with Michele on the series. She also pressed the heart button on tweets from Glee’s Alex Newell and Amber Riley that essentially endorsed the spirit of Ware’s sentiments
Amber Riley
Riley, who played Mercedes Jones in the through all six seasons, shared two GIFs of herself following the allegations, one raising her hand, while the other sipping tea. The response caused a stir among fans who saw it as a subtle way of the actress chiming in. Later, she made clear she wasn’t focused on the controversy amid the turbulent times of social unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, and would only speak on the topic once while appearing on Instagram Live. She said, ‘I don’t give a s*** about this Lea Michele thing – I really don’t give a f*** … people are out here dying and being murdered by police. I don’t give a s*** about this Lea Michele thing – I wish her well, I hope she has an amazing pregnancy, I hope that she has grown.’
RHONY’s Aviva Drescher
Even Real Housewives of New York star Aviva Drescher had a story to tell, commenting: ‘You were once very unkind to me so I am not surprised by your behavior. You shouldn’t judge others before looking in the mirror.’ Michele made disparaging remarks about Drescher during an episode of Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live.
Awkward: Lea slated Aviva on a 2014 appearance on Watch What Happens Live!
Abigail Breslin
Scream Queens actress Breslin, 24, was another former co-star who was caught ‘liking’ a smattering of tweets about the controversy. Including one that read: “not everyone agreeing that something felt off about Lea Michele… where have y’all been i’ve BEEN saying this FOR YEARS??? i thought i was alone.’
Yvette Nicole Brown
Actress Yvette Nicole Brown also gave her support to Ware. ‘I felt every one of those capital letters,’ the Community actress tweeted ‘EVERY person on a set matters. EVERY person on a set deserves respect. And it is the RESPONSIBILITY of every series regular to make EVERY person who visits their home feel welcome. This dismissive attitude is what’s wrong in Hollywood AND the world.’
Marcel Spears
The Mayor actor reacted to an array of replies to Ware’s initial tweet, including one directly asking Yvette Nicole Brown: ‘I assume u feel the same since u worked with her?’
Under fire: Lea Michele in
Gerard Canonico
Broadway actor Gerard Canonico, 30, was an understudy in the original Broadway cast of Spring Awakening starring Michele and her BFF Jonathan Groff. ‘You were nothing but a nightmare to me and fellow understudy cast members. You made us feel like we didn’t belong there,’ Canonico wrote in a comment on her Instagram apology, which he had re-posted after claiming it had initially been deleted.
Elizabeth Aldrich
Actress Elizabeth Aldrich – who was Michele’s understudy in Ragtime – claimed on Twitter: ‘She was absolutely awful to me and ensemble. She demeaned the crew and threatened to have people fired if she was in anyway displeased. I used to cry every night from the mean and manipulative things she would do. She was 12. She was terrifying.’
Iqbal Theba
Glee co-star Iqbal Theba said he was not mistreated by the star and took to Twitter to write: ‘Lot of people r assuming that @LeaMichele mistreated me. Let me state it clearly that I was never mistreated by her. And if some of the cast were treated badly then she has apologized for it which is wonderful. But being called a racist is too heavy & unfair a burden 4 most of us, specially in these troubled times.’
Plastic Martyr
Trans model Plastic recalled an incident with Lea in the women’s bathroom at the 2010 Emmy Awards. She told The Sun: ‘She goes, ”Excuse me?” and she looks at her friends, looks at me again, and says, ”Excuse you, you’re in the woman’s bathroom”. I went from feeling like I was on cloud nine to feeling like a circus freak.’
Dean Geyer
Dean Geyer – who played Brody Weston, the boyfriend of Michele’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.