Lea MichelePhoto: Astrid Stawiarz (Getty Images)
There’s always a point when little internet jokes about a celebrity reach that celebrity’s ears, at which point the joke, more often than not, falls flat. By simply acknowledging our commoner giggles, the celebrity manages to spread the magic. And heaven forbid they try to play along, as the joke tends to become too corny to survive. (The main exception to this was the Morbius debacle, in which Morbius’ team trying to be in on the prank failed so gloriously that Morbin’ Time became immortal.)
Unfortunately, the years-long “Lea Michele Can’t Read” conspiracy theory has reached critical mass, forcing Michele herself to address it in her big New York Times profile. Michele supposedly doesn’t want to “fuel the fire” of her online criticism, but she couldn’t help but correct the record in the Journal of Record. “I went to Glee every day; I knew my lines every day,” protests the future Funny Girl. “And then there’s a rumor online that I can’t read or write? It’s sad. It really is. I think a lot of times if I were a man, a lot of things wouldn’t be like that .
Michele’s illiteracy was less of a “rumor” than simply a fun moment for the kids at home. And as pervasive as sexism is, no Glee cast member is really safe from memeification. Even before Matthew Morrison was in the news for questionable behavior, TikTok was dragging him over the coals for his craziest moments as Mr. Schue.
Anyway, there are real and genuine criticisms of Michele’s behavior for her to answer, but on this issue, she doesn’t “feel the need to run things” through the media. Instead, he alludes to accusations of harassment and racism on the Glee set, saying, “I really understand the importance and value of being a leader now. It means not just going and doing a good job when the camera is on. on, but also when it’s not. And that wasn’t always the most important thing to me.” What’s important now is that you know Michele can read, so send him to the meme graveyard, the internet.