Lea Michele had ‘a real wake-up call,’ and she might have ‘behavioral issues’

Lea Michele at a public appearance for L...

Last week, everyone finally decided that they had enough of Lea Michele’s bullsh-t. A stream of former co-stars and co-workers all came out to tell their stories about how awful she is and how she bullied people, threatened people and how she was just a completely horrendous individual. I’m sure some people will be like “hey, give her a break, she’s pregnant right now.” And I get that, I’m not trying to wish ill on any pregnant woman. But good lord, Lea did not make it easy when she issued a completely stupid word-salad apology, one of the worst celeb apologies I’ve ever read. So what’s happening now? Page Six says Lea is “desperately trying to make amends.” Mm-hm.

Lea Michele has been called a mean girl by Hollywood gossips ever since finding fame on “Glee.” But now, at seven months pregnant and caught up in a storm of incredibly damning headlines over her behavior, Michele, 33, has spent the past few days desperately trying to make amends.

“She’s had a real wake-up call,” a Michele friend told The Post. “It’s never easy to hear people speak about you this way. It’s a total shock.”

“Lea was a bitch to a lot of people who are now taking the opportunity to come forward,” said one industry source who has worked with her. “She may not be the nicest person, but she’s not racist, sexist or transphobic. I would say she has behavioral issues that she’s dealing with. She is listening, she hears what everyone says and wants to apologize. This is her past and she wants to handle things responsibly.”

Gerard Canonico branded Michele a “nightmare” behind the scenes of the 2006 Broadway show “Spring Awakening,” while Heather Morris called her “very unpleasant” to work with on “Glee,” and Elizabeth Aldrich — Michele’s understudy for “Ragtime” on Broadway all the way back in 1998 — said: “I used to cry every night from the mean and manipulative things she would do. She was 12. She was terrifying.”

Actor Dabier Snell, who won a guest spot on “Glee,” told The Post how she had him banished from lunch on set. “I was invited to sit down with the rest of the cast members by Darren Criss, and made to feel welcome. I also knew Chris Colfer as well, so he was like, ‘Go ahead, come sit with us and chat!’ . . . Five to 10 minutes after we sat down and had a conversation, I was pulled [aside by an assistant director] and told one of the cast members did not want me to sit there, because she felt I don’t belong. I later found out it was [Michele] who said that. Everybody else was cool. I couldn’t tell Darren or Chris because they work with her and she has a lot of power. It felt like . . . if I said something, I probably wasn’t going to be on the show. I just zipped my mouth. I went back to my trailer and cried a bit, I won’t lie.”

Asked whether Michele’s behavior was racially motivated or just plain rude, Snell, who is black, replied: “I feel like it’s both, I feel like it’s status, too, somebody who’s like ‘I’m a lead, I’m big time, I have the power to say anything I want to my other cast members.’”

[From Page Six]

Page Six compiled a lot of the complaints and stories about Lea from the past week, which we’ve mostly covered in other posts, but I wanted to include Dabier Snell because I think his story got to the heart of it – some of what Lea did was motivated by racism. As for that industry source explaining it with “she has behavioral issues that she’s dealing with,” again, it’s a combination of many things. It would not shock me if she had “behavioral issues.” It would not shock me if she’s just an entitled brat who thinks everyone is beneath her, but she only bullies the people of color because she thinks she can “get away with it.”

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84 Responses to “Lea Michele had ‘a real wake-up call,’ and she might have ‘behavioral issues’”

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  1. Seraphina says:

    I call bull shit on the behavioral issues excuse. Then everyone can use that excuse, men who beat their wives have behavior issues. No shit. But that doesn’t cut it.
    I agree with another commenter on CB who said Lea is an equal opportunity employer as far as being a mean girl is concerned. And yes, she was the alpha star, it went to her head and manifested in a very negative way.

    • Mira says:

      Behavioral issues = shit, I got caught.

    • Erinn says:

      That’s just it. You can recognize that behavioral issues have been a big part of why you are the way you are – but unless you’re ACTUALLY addressing them, and putting in the work to change, it’s nothing more than an excuse and an attempt at gaining pity.

      I had undiagnosed ADHD until I was like…22. Sometimes I think about all the things I could have accomplished had I recognized that earlier in life and treated it. I did really well in school, but put no effort in. My mom said she could count on one hand how many times she saw me actually doing homework late because I’d hyper focus my way through it and I’m good at BSing. I didn’t develop any study habits, or focus techniques and by the time I hit University I was in over my head. But I’m also not sitting here saying “meh, I ignored what other people were saying and developed no helpful skills for this condition, oh well. All my failings are tied to that”. I actively try to improve myself, and I just don’t see Lea doing that.

      • missskitttin says:

        ADHD doesn’t make you racist, transphobic and outright malevolent and cruel. As Lea.

      • NoWords says:

        Hi, are you me? Because you described my university, high school, and studying experience down to a T.

    • damejudi says:

      ITA.

      Yes, you have behavioral issues b/c your behavior (the way you treat others) is BAD.
      Don’t try to seek shelter by using/misusing a mental health diagnosis.

      I think LM felt entitled to be awful, or as my dad would say, a case of a**hole-itis.

    • Andrew’s Nemesis says:

      My ex used that one all the time. ‘You make me lose my temper. No wonder I beat you.’
      Didn’t work with him, doesn’t work with LM. Own your shit, rather than hiding behind ‘behavioural’ issues. Your issue is that you suck at being a human.

      • MsDiMeanOur says:

        Gosh
        I was married for 3 months last year (sep to Dec)
        And he used the same rotten excuses
        It’s your fault I lose my temper
        It’s your fault I relapsed (he’s 40 with a 20 year old drug habit)
        It’s your fault I’m depressed
        It’s your fault that I hit you

        Behavioural issues? Na uh.
        You are an abuser. There’s no debate here – looking at you Lea

      • Lady D says:

        @Andrew’s Nemesis, I hope he’s the one you had in mind while choosing your CB handle:)

    • kimberlu says:

      she’s just butthurt that nobody likes her when she thought we all did….her “behavior issues” was that her mother raised an entitled biatch and nobody likes her or wants to watch her on TV. She isn’t an good actress, which is why she plays various aspects of herself on shows, and doesn’t have anything going for her. She probably should have been a nicer person..maybe then she wouldnot have to be her own source for stories?

    • Va Va Kaboom says:

      I read “behavioral issues” as possible personality disorder. The more stories that came out the more it appears her “behavior” is almost pathological.

      • SomeChick says:

        Sounds pretty typical narcissist/socio spectrum to me. No empathy. Lords it over others. Is especially cruel when she thinks she has more power or otherwise feels superior to someone. Then blames them.

  2. Izzy says:

    Yeah, no. If she was like this when she was TWELVE, it’s more than just a behavior issue. This is who she is. Whether she really changes now… maybe in public, but IMO that kind of rotten often goes to the core.

    • StartupSpouse says:

      Agree. She has to do a public mea culpa to bring her endorsement money back, but she won’t change. Hopefully this is the end of her Hollywood career.

    • Ash says:

      What the hell were her parents doing to make her such a demon at only 12 years old??

      • Izzy says:

        Well, kids learn their behavior somewhere, usually at home.

      • Mumbles says:

        According to the woman who was her understudy, her parents seemed terrified of her too. But they were the parents and it fell on them to deal with their little nightmare. They may have seen her as a future meal ticket and might have been disinclined to say no to her or step in. Huge mess.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        If a child has power in the entertainment industry, it can be very hard for parents to set limits. Other adults will indulge them even if the parents say “no”.

      • Deering24 says:

        She suffers from Baby Jane Hudson syndrome, sounds like. Parents center their entire lives and finances around a talented kid, who then gets to call the shots.

      • Jules says:

        Her dad is apparently a character and she joked that she used to annoy her mom. Her Dad ran a deli but then made lots of money in real estate. I don’t think they saw her as a meal ticket but definitely spoiled her. Apparently, her Dad even offered Jonathan Geoff money if he’d marry Lea…it was framed as a jokey way because they were so fond of him. I think it was in the NYT even. This was probably before he was out during their they’re days. I think she’s just has only only child syndrome. I think her mom’s side of the family is much bigger though and that side spoils her as well.

  3. Chica1971 says:

    There were reports yesterday that she behaved bad with her endorsementa too. It was so bad with Loreal she was replaced by Blake Lively.

    • minx says:

      She’s going to end up with no career at all. Why would people put up with her?

    • Deering24 says:

      Yeesh, she’s an idiot as well as awful. Endorsements are actors’ insurance for when the roles stop coming, age, or for when your star falls.

  4. Alissa says:

    I’m sure she’s also a bit racist, but it feels like she’s mainly just a truly horrible person who perhaps has a personality disorder or something. also, being pregnant doesn’t excuse you from being called out for being a total shit bag of a person. she’s not some delicate flower for Christ’s sake. I hate that people keep bringing up that she’s pregnant like that’s some sort of defense for being awful to people for decades. if anything, that’s more alarming that she’s going to be teaching a kid how to act that way and potentially treating her own kid that way.

    • Carobell says:

      Yup, what I have learned from all this is she’s equal opportunity terrible to anyone she thinks is either a. Beneath her b. Can’t benefit her in some way.

      Is being an asshole a behavior problem?

  5. Genevieve says:

    Yeah, I tend to think that she can be a hugely terrible person to nearly everyone she encounters, but that doesn’t negate the possibility that she’s also racist.

  6. bub244 says:

    I agree it’s probably both. She’s racist and also thinks everyone is beneath her massive talent. But the two things certainly interact. She’s an intersectional b***h.

  7. grabbyhands says:

    Wake up call, my ass.

    That’s a PR cover for “I never thought my behavior would be exposed, let alone called out so now I have to do a better job of covering my tracks”. What is going to follow are a lot of planted stories about how her pregnancy is making her stop and reflect on life, and how it’s giving her a spiritual awakening or something like that and how she’s just so sorry and she’s meditating to improve her “behavioral issues” no doubt caused by some personal trauma she’s never talked about before. Blah, blah,blah. People like her never change.

    And yeah, I believe she’s racist too.

  8. milliemollie says:

    Nah, she didn’t have a wake up moment. She has always been a garbage person and she she had the confidence that her victims would shut up. But they spoke up and she’s losing face and money. It looked like Hello fresh had been the only thing she had going on and now that’s gone.
    I wonder if Ryan Murphy will save her? He has been awfully quiet.

    • smcollins says:

      “I wonder if Ryan Murphy will save her? He has been awfully quiet.”

      Indeed he has. It’s interesting that he hasn’t come to her defense, or said anything at all. Not hat he’s responsible or owes anyone an explanation for her behavior, that falls squarely on her, but as someone who has steadily employed her over the years I have a hard time believing that he wasn’t aware on some level of her horrible treatment of others on *his* sets. I mean it’s not like it was some huge secret that she was a major diva with a superiority complex. Glad she’s finally getting her comeuppance (it is kind of unfortunate, though, that shit is hitting the fan while she’s heavily pregnant but she brought it on herself so I can only kinda sorta feel bad for her in that regard).

      • tifzlan says:

        In a way, Ryan Murphy /is/ responsible for Lea Michele’s behavior on set, especially given pervasive rumors that he knew and sheltered her because she was his star. He deserves to be called out too.

      • Izzy says:

        @tifzlan, you’re right, and if Ryan Murphy is smart he’ll keep his mouth shut about this. I think he knows that if he says anything now, he’ll be called out as her enabler.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Employers absolutely have a responsibility to stop abusive behavior in the workplace.

    • MissMarierose says:

      Ryan Murphy really should say something. That was his set. He was in charge.
      All these people felt bullied and terrorized and he. did. nothing.
      He enabled that woman for so long by allowing her terrible behavior to continue.
      He really should answer for that.

  9. Robyn says:

    I believe every ugly thing people have said about Lea Michele (and would pay some amount of money, or do chores, to hear what Jonathan Groff has to say) — but can we direct some of the attack to Ryan Murphy? Lea didn’t run the set; he did. He certainly knew about her behavior and at least condoned and possibly empowered it, and hired her multiple times on multiple shows. She’s not innocent. But she was not the boss. Can we talk about the boss?

    • Ash says:

      Agreed. In addition to re-hiring Lea, he also hired Emma Roberts who’s a renowned a-hole. So clearly he loves his shows to have really positive working atmospheres for everyone on set.

    • lucy2 says:

      Absolutely – he knew it was a hostile work environment because of her, and did NOTHING. Actually, not nothing, he rehired her again for another show. He’s an enabler, and a terrible boss (and a shitty writer but that’s besides the point).

    • MissMarierose says:

      Yes! Thank you. Some media outlet really should call him up and get him on the record.
      Because he’s never gonna say anything on his own. He’ll just wait for this furor to die down.

  10. Diana says:

    She is horrid. She deserves the backlash and should be banned from working in the industry.

  11. JaneDoesWerk says:

    “Behavioral issues” sounds a lot like they’re trying to imply that it isn’t Lea’s fault she’s an asshole, she just needs help. That’s bullshit. You go out of your way to make people feel small who you perceive or assume cannot further your own ambitions. You don’t have a behavioral issue, you’re just a selfish, spoiled asshole. Stop putting other people down and making them feel small because it makes you feel better. Stop assuming that people of color are beneath you and that they cannot further your own ambitions. Stop focusing on status, you were a lead on a show Playing an irritating teenager YEARS ago, you never even won an Emmy for it, and if it weren’t for Ryan Murphy you wouldn’t have had anything worthy of mentioning since. You’re not our generation’s Barbra Streisand, or any generations Barbra Streisand. get over yourself.

  12. JOANN TONER says:

    What a bitch.

  13. Pat says:

    Thoughts & prayers.

  14. Ariel says:

    Am I wrong? “Behavioral issues” is not a chemical imbalance/ it’s a lack of proper behavior usually brought on my negligent and/or shitty parenting.
    How does that qualify as an excuse for anyone over the age of 7?

    And just an opinion but I feel like the racist part of this is that she treated African American co-workers worse, because she knew she could get away with it.
    She Consciously used institutional racism as part of her terrorism as a mean girl with power.
    How did she get hired and not fired for so long?

  15. Alexandria says:

    Just stop Lea. We see you. Hope you don’t bully your unborn child too because you can’t see beyond yourself.

  16. MegJ says:

    Ryan Murphy is suspiciously quiet, not jumping to her defense at all, which tells me he knows she’s a nightmare too and did nothing to protect his cast.

  17. SJR says:

    Behavioral issues?
    Nah, just an old fashioned run of the mill Bitch.

  18. Isadora says:

    One of the Glee producers also came out recently saying that it wasn’t just Lea but also some men who were obnoxious to others on set. She didn’t name any names. In any case it seems that it was a toxic environment that that Lea felt right at home at.

    • Original Jenns says:

      That made me angry, like they were trying to say, Lea wasn’t that bad, everyone was bad. No, Lea was The Mega Bitch, and other people were also toxic, terrible or unhealthy. Corey had his addiction problems (which doesn’t make him a terrible person at all but maybe had him behaving badly), and “Puck” had his child p—. I’m sure there were diva fits between other cast members, but no one else’s name is getting brought up, so Lea, you must have been a special kind of awful.

  19. Feedmechips says:

    Assholeitis is an incurable disease, dont ya know?

  20. ItReallyIsYou,NotMe says:

    Ryan Murphy needs to get off his ass and apologize for letting this happen to his cast and crew, and pledge to do better in the future.

    • Lwt00 says:

      This. His show, his hand-picked cast, his responsibility.

      The fact that he continually rehired both Emma Roberts and Lea Michele across shows tells me how poorly he handles his responsibilities as a show creator.

  21. Nicole says:

    I find it interesting that Darren Criss hasn’t spoken up now that his name has been dropped. He’s arguably the most successful cast member and has a well documented friendship with Lea. He’s also spoken out about how he wasn’t exactly warmly welcomed into the cast.

  22. Kat says:

    The constant vain Instagram throwbacks of her wedding, do you guys think that was a sign of how awful she is? Or is that just normal now? I find people like that so annoying but maybe it’s my own issue

    • schmootc says:

      Oh, she definitely took it to the nth degree. I don’t think it was normal at all.

  23. jenjamTX says:

    I just cannot shake the feeling that right now Leah Michelle is thinking, ” These people are just jealous of ME!”. She seems like someone who would never be able to self-reflect.

    • KBeth says:

      My thoughts exactly, completely incapable of self reflection.
      I think she’s just a self absorbed asshole w/ delusions of grandeur. I mean is she really even a big deal? I only know her from Glee, lovely voice but I can’t imagine her being any more than B list.

  24. Starbuck says:

    This sorry excuse for a human has been empowered by the people in Hollywood that continue to enable her. They are complicit in her treatment of their other cast and crew and should be called out. If you are hiring her for your projects you are giving her power to be sh!tty to other people. People need to take responsibility for their hiring practices, it’s not like her reputation was a secret.

  25. Valiantly Varnished says:

    Is that what we’re calling racism now?? “Behavioral issues”?? Kinda sounds like the same excuses given for racist white dudes who shoot up black churches …

  26. Nola says:

    It really frustrates me that some people seem to want to protect her because she’s pregnant. As though … the fetus will be put in jeopardy if Lea Michelle finally hears what an asshole she’s been. Or worse, that her emotions are too heightened from pregnancy hormones that she can’t handle being told she’s an asshole. She’s a grown woman. If she can dish it out, she can take it.

    • ME says:

      I agree. Plus now’s a great time to learn to be a better human BEFORE you bring a new human into this world. We don’t need her passing that horribleness on to another living being that she will raise.

      • K says:

        Yeah, you don’t get a free pass for years of assholery just for being knocked up. People feel kinda bad for adding more stress to her life (fair–as some of us are totally maxed out on stress) right now, but we’re in a dismantling phase right now. Dismantling toxic institutions and holding people accountable.

        Lea clearly needs some intervention with her behavior. For the sake of her child’s future she should take some time NOW to reflect on how quickly the tide has turned against her with no friends seemingly eager to come to her defense. I hope she gets some therapy before an innocent child is in her face, testing her patience and demanding all the compassion as she can muster.

  27. ME says:

    I wonder what she was like in middle school and high school? A mean girl bully or was she the one getting bullied? I can’t figure it out. Either one would make sense. This girl needs help. Just awful. Like damn what is her problem? Who taught her racism was ok?

  28. AmyB says:

    I really loathe when people try to blame their horrid behavior on legitimate mental health issues like a Harvey Weinsten claiming a sexual addiction or this bulls**t with Lea Michelle. People with mental health issues do not deserve to be lumped into the category of people who are just straight up abusive, selfish assholes! Sorry! I mean if she has some legitimate “personality” disorder (which I highly doubt) – get some help and go away. But this is just some PR spin to make her look better and hopefully try to salvage her image. IMO, she is simply a complete bitch who got finally got called out!

  29. lobstah says:

    “behavioral issues” are to assholes what “sex addiction” is to cheating spouses.

  30. Jane Wilson says:

    I see pathological narcissism – very Trumpy behaviour. She can only act like a “normal” person…in her heart she believes everyone else is just acting too, so it’s one of those “get your licks in, establish dominance before anyone else can and never let go”.
    People like LM and Trump think their behaviours are highly justified; they fear they are in danger…at risk of destruction (be it their career, their money, their home etc) if they don’t claim and keep their top spot on the totem pole.
    Those who are shocked by her are just acting…virtue signaling, playing the victim card, pretending to be nice so they can sneak under your radar and REALLY destroy you.
    It’s a pathetic, sad and lonely life – but it’s her reality, the only one she knows.
    She’ll say anything now to make this threat stop…to act up a storm (like she believes everyone else does) playing the confused, misunderstood victim until people get bored and stop caring and it all fades away.
    It’s painful for her though as she truly believes she’s just living the way everyone would if they could.
    Introspection, self-examination are impossible…everything is an inch deep and a mile wide and provides no answers except, “yup…no problem here.”

  31. lizardqueen says:

    This is not a behavioral issue, this is a behavioral choice.

  32. margedebarge says:

    Idk why people are acting like racism vs “behavior issues” is an either/or thing. It can be both! She almost certainly has some kind of personality disorder, and it’s completely logical to assume that black people would experience the worst of it because, like all white people, there’s a certain amount of racism and privilege baked in. She doesn’t strike me as someone willing to do the work to move past her inherent biases.

    • bub244 says:

      I don’t think there’s any evidence that she has a personality disorder and I think it’s irresponsible to even suggest it because people with that diagnosis already face so much stigma.

  33. B. says:

    She’s this way due to her behavior consistently being reinforced by others. Behavior: Ask for a cast member to be kicked out of the table. Consequence: cast member is kicked out of the table. No one has said no to her.again, what’s her motivation? To be the best?

  34. Aimee says:

    I have zero sympathy for her. We have all heard the horror stories about her over the years and one simple apology isn’t enough to make up for her awful behavior towards others. She needs to eat this and just go away for awhile. I’m not even sure her reputation can recover. (Ha – that’s a joke)

  35. Jane Doe says:

    Trying to label your racism as a behavioural issue is ableism.

  36. MsDiMeanOur says:

    Zero sympathy

    White privilege because everything is deemed mental or psychological issues

    If she was a WOC who even attempted to treat anyone like this
    She would have been vilified and deported into a different planet

    Go away Lea. No one wants your apology

  37. L. Simpson says:

    Her behavior is basic mean girl tactics. I had a similar experience with a women at work. She never liked me because I knew more about the company and had made friends at work already. She was completely devoid of empathy and manipulated every situation to her favor.
    Lea always seems thirty for attention and IMO had eyes without any warmth, but now she seems straight up scary. My sympathy to all that work with her, that’s a horrible and scaring experience no one need to go through.

  38. My3cents says:

    She is a terrible person and should be canceled.
    Someone else I wish the cancel karma would visit is Mark Wahlberg.
    He’s the very definition of white male privilege, while never being held accountable for the numerous hate crimes he committed.

  39. Shannon Brown says:

    She was outclassed on Scream Queens. Though, I would love to hear any tea KeKe Palmer has to spill….

  40. Naddie says:

    Why is it written on her face?