By Jessica Wedemeyer
1:47pm PDT, Apr 8, 2024
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Nobody may have predicted the popular culture power that “Glee” would change into after it debuted on FOX in Might 2009. The approaching-of-age musical dramedy — which centered across the disparate members of a highschool glee membership, together with their classmates, rivals, academics and households — received numerous followers throughout the globe, racked up a tidy sum of Emmy nominations and launched a number of members of its forged to worldwide superstardom. However within the years since “Glee” got here to an finish in 2015 following six seasons on the air, many former stars of the present have been stricken by numerous tragedies, scandals and drama, prompting whispers that there is a “Glee” curse. We’re having a look again at each troublesome second the forged has publicly confronted over time…
Preserve studying for all the things it’s essential know in regards to the “Glee” curse…
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In 2011, Cory Monteith — who portrayed McKinley Excessive’s star quarterback and glee membership co-captain Finn Hudson on “Glee” — publicly revealed he had “a major problem” with medication throughout his teen years: He was “uncontrolled” and did “something and all the things, as a lot as attainable,” he instructed Parade, including that he dropped out of highschool at 16 and went to rehab for the primary time at 19. In March 2013, he landed again in rehab for “substance habit.” The comely Canadian checked out of rehab following a month of therapy and seemed to be in good well being all through mid-2013, although he in the end relapsed and suffered an overdose of heroin and alcohol that claimed his life on July 13, 2013. He was 31.
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In January 2013, Playboy mannequin Roxanne Gorzela sued Mark Salling — who portrayed unhealthy boy soccer participant and glee membership member Noah “Puck” Puckerman on “Glee” — for sexual battery. Based on TMZ, the model-DJ alleged that the actor pressured himself on her sans contraception after they attached in March 2011. Mark fired again by suing his ex for trespassing, assault and battery, alleging that she broke into his residence, attacked him after which vandalized his automobile. Sadly, it was solely the start of Mark’s troubles…
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In December 2015, police arrested Mark Salling for possession of kid pornography. An ex-girlfriend reportedly tipped off the cops, who discovered greater than 50,000 pornographic photographs involving youngsters on the actor’s pc. He was indicted in mid-2016, and in September 2017, he pleaded responsible to possession of kid pornography involving a prepubescent minor. As a part of his plea deal, prosecutors reportedly agreed to suggest a four-to-seven-year sentence with 20 years of supervised launch. However Mark by no means made it to sentencing: On Jan. 30, 2018, he died by suicide close to a park within the Los Angeles space. He was 35.
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In June 2020 — a few month after Lea Michele introduced that she was pregnant together with her first youngster — Samantha Marie Ware, who portrayed glee membership member Jane Hayward on the sixth season of “Glee,” took to Twitter to accuse the previous Broadway star of creating her “first tv gig a residing hell.” Samantha alleged that Lea — who headlined “Glee” as star soloist Rachel Berry — made abusive, racially charged feedback about her and dedicated “different traumatic microaggressions” that made the youthful actress “query a profession in Hollywood.” The tweet kicked off a wave of accusations about Lea’s allegedly abusive habits on the set of “Glee.”
Tweeted Heather Morris, who starred alongside Lea on all six seasons of “Glee” as Brittany Pierce, “Was [Lea] disagreeable to work with? Very a lot so. For Lea to deal with others with the disrespect that she did for so long as she did, I imagine she SHOULD be referred to as out.” (Heather stopped wanting calling her former co-star racist.) Actor-musician Dabier, who appeared on a 2014 episode of “Glee,” tweeted that Lea “would not let me sit on the desk with the opposite forged members trigger ‘I did not belong there.'” Actress Monica Moskatow — who was forged to play a Lea look-alike at a 2009 “Glee” social gathering — claimed that Lea referred to as her ugly to her face. Craig Ramsay, who co-starred with Lea within the 2004 Broadway revival of “Fiddler on the Roof,” referred to as her “a despicable, horrible human being” who “has misplaced contact with actuality.” He added that “the entitlement simply took over her physique” after she left Broadway to star on “Glee.”
Lea ultimately issued an especially tone-deaf and poorly worded public apology by which she didn’t take duty for her actions or apologize to her former co-stars particularly by title. As a substitute, she wrote that she was merely “perceived as insensitive or inappropriate.” She misplaced out on a number of enterprise offers because of this.
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In July 2014 — virtually precisely a 12 months after Cory Monteith died in a Toronto lodge room — Becca Tobin’s boyfriend, Matt Bendik, was discovered lifeless in a Philadelphia lodge room. The nightlife entrepreneur, who was 35, reportedly died from a coronary heart assault introduced on by stress associated to his work commitments. “Matt was probably the most extraordinary man I knew and he’ll dwell in my coronary heart endlessly,” the actress — who starred as youthful cheerleader and glee membership member Kitty Wilde on the final three seasons of “Glee” — captioned a photograph of her late love on Instagram. (Two years later, she married Zach Martin.)
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In Might 2022, Matthew Morrison — who portrayed Spanish trainer and glee membership director Will Schuester on “Glee” — acquired the boot from his gig judging season 17 of “So You Assume You Can Dance” as a result of, in response to a Folks journal supply, he developed “an inappropriate relationship with a feminine contestant.” Defined the supply, “They did not have intercourse, however he reached out to her via flirty direct messages on social media. She felt uncomfortable along with his line of feedback and went to producers, who then acquired FOX concerned. He was fired after they did their very own investigation.” The feminine contestant and the “Glee” alum — who’s been married to Renee Puente since 2014 — “by no means met up off set,” clarified the insider, including that he merely despatched “messages that crossed the road.” An Us Weekly supply echoed that “the messages contained sexual innuendos and had been flirty to the extent he was overstepping boundaries.” Matthew later launched a video calling the allegations about his exit from the long-running actuality present “blatantly unfaithful.” The daddy of two insisted that he solely despatched one harmless message to the contestant asking for her telephone quantity “to assist her get a job as a choreographer” on a special present. However the query stays: If that is all he did, then why did FOX fireplace him?
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On July 8, 2020, Naya Rivera — who portrayed cheerleader and glee membership member Santana Lopez on “Glee” — drowned saving her then-4-year-old son, Josey Dorsey, when the water instantly turned tough whereas they had been swimming at Lake Piru within the Los Padres Nationwide Forest about an hour exterior of Los Angeles. The triple-threat actress reportedly “mustered the vitality” to push her little boy onto the pontoon boat they’d rented for the day earlier than the present swept her away. A search and rescue workforce recovered her physique six days later. She was 33.
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Naya Rivera additionally made headlines for her tumultuous love life. In April 2013, she and Massive Sean made their crimson carpet debut as a pair. They acquired engaged simply six months later, but it surely wasn’t meant to be: In April 2014, they referred to as it quits amid rumors he cheated with Ariana Grande. Simply three months later, the “Glee” actress shocked followers when she married longtime pal Ryan Dorsey, prompting rumors that she carried out her unique marriage ceremony plans after swapping grooms. To make issues worse, the rumor mill has lengthy maintained that Massive Sean wrote his hit dis observe “I Do not F*** with You” about her.
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In late 2016 — slightly greater than a 12 months after Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey welcomed son Josey collectively — she filed for divorce. Although they briefly reconciled in late 2017, they had been over once more earlier than the New 12 months. Naya’s second divorce submitting adopted a tragic authorized drama over Thanksgiving that 12 months: The “Glee” alum was arrested for misdemeanor home battery for allegedly attacking Ryan throughout an argument relating to their son. “My spouse’s uncontrolled,” the “Justified” and “Massive Sky” actor instructed police throughout a 911 name, including that she was “getting bodily” with him. In the end, he didn’t pursue the case, and the fees in opposition to Naya had been dropped.
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It was a whirlwind, rollercoaster romance for Melissa Benoist and Blake Jenner — who portrayed youthful glee membership members Marley Rose and Ryder Lynn on the fourth and fifth seasons of “Glee.” The duo acquired engaged in mid-2013, tied within the knot in March 2015, separated in late 2016 and divorced in late 2017. In late 2019 — just a few months after Melissa married her “Supergirl” co-star Chris Wooden — she launched a prolonged video detailing the bodily abuse she allegedly suffered by the hands of a former accomplice. Though she didn’t name out Blake by title, the timeline of the abusive relationship matches the timeline of her romance together with her “Glee” co-star. The next 12 months, Blake launched an announcement — which didn’t point out Melissa by title — taking duty for his actions, although he additionally claimed there was “psychological, emotional and bodily abuse inflicted from each ends.”
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In July 2022, Blake Jenner was arrested and charged with DUI after he didn’t cease at a crimson mild within the Los Angeles space. Based on a police report obtained by NBC Information, the “Glee” alum exhibited “the target indicators and signs of alcohol intoxication” and consented to a area sobriety check, which he failed. “Mr. Jenner didn’t carry out the assessments as demonstrated and instructed,” mentioned authorities. He is set to seem in courtroom at a later date.
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In 2010, Dianna Agron — who starred as cheerleader and glee membership member Quinn Fabray on “Glee” — took her relationship with “I Am Quantity 4” co-star Alex Pettyfer to the subsequent degree. However simply weeks after the comely couple of a few 12 months shot down engagement rumors, they instantly referred to as it quits. An Us Weekly supply later alleged that Dianna was “terrified” of the “Magic Mike” star, whom the insider described as “a psycho unfastened cannon” who allegedly threatened her when she gave him the boot. Within the wake of the breakup, she reportedly hid from him by checking right into a lodge beneath an alias. (Dianna later romanced Sebastian Stan and Bradley Cooper and was briefly married to Mumford & Sons guitarist Winston Marshall.)
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In early 2010, Jane Lynch — who starred as ruthless cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on “Glee” — acquired engaged to psychologist Dr. Lara Embry. They tied the knot later that 12 months, but it surely wasn’t meant to be: They break up in mid-2013. The actress reportedly misplaced thousands and thousands within the divorce, which was finalized in October 2014. She later defined to TV host Billy Bush that as a result of she and Lara had been married throughout her time on “Glee,” she was on the hook to separate the payout from her “highest incomes years” together with her ex. (In 2021, Jane married second spouse Jennifer Cheyne.)
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One other damaged “Glee” engagement… In late 2020, Amber Riley — who starred as glee membership member Mercedes Jones on “Glee” — introduced that she’d accepted a wedding proposal from Desean Black. However they by no means made it to the altar: In early 2022, they quietly referred to as it quits.
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Arguably the most important drama to rock “Glee” whereas the present was nonetheless on the air? Within the spring of 2014, there have been rumors that Naya Rivera acquired the boot from “Glee” for feuding behind the scenes with on-screen rival Lea Michele. “They’re at all times icy to one another. Naya is jealous that Lea is the present’s major star. … There may be a number of sighing and eye-rolling between them,” mentioned an Us Weekly supply. “They speak behind one another’s backs — rather a lot,” added a second insider. Naya shared her aspect of the story in her 2016 memoir: “One of many ‘Glee’ writers as soon as mentioned that Lea and I had been like two sides of the identical battery and that about sums us up. We’re each robust willed and aggressive — not simply with one another however with everybody — and that is not combination,” she wrote, in response to E! Information.
She added that their “friendship began to interrupt down” when “Santana moved from a background character to 1 with larger plot strains and extra display time.” Wrote Naya, “I feel Rachel — erm, I imply Lea — did not like sharing the highlight. On prime of that, she had a tough time separating work from our exterior friendship, whereas it was rather a lot simpler for me. I am not offended when folks provide suggestions or criticism, and if issues get heated on set, I attempt to maintain perspective. We’re all burdened, sure, however we’re all working towards the identical purpose, so snort it off and maintain it movin’. Lea was much more delicate, although, and it appeared like she blamed me for something and all the things that went incorrect. If I might complained about anybody or something, she’d assumed I used to be b******* about her. Quickly, she began to disregard me, and ultimately it acquired to the purpose the place she did not say a phrase to me for all of season 6.” Nonetheless, whereas Naya acknowledged that she and Lea “positively weren’t the perfect of pals,” she insisted that the rumors about their feud had been “blown out of proportion.”