HelloFresh Ends Their Partnership with Lea Michelle After Former Co-stars Speak Out
Lea Michele has been officially dropped by HelloFresh in the wake of racism allegations. Michele was called out on Twitter by several co-stars who accused the Glee star of microaggressions and blatant racism. Samantha Marie Ware, who joined the cast during the later seasons of the series, was the first to call Michele out for her behavior. She was quickly joined by a chorus of other actors who backed up Ware’s claims. Ware’s allegations were not the first time Michele had been accused of poor behavior on set.
Samantha Ware accused Lea Michele of making her life a “living hell” on the set of Glee
Michele shared her support of the Black Lives Matter movement on social media on May 29. The tweet, which joined a bevy of other celebrity tweets on the subject of George Floyd’s death, was called out by Ware. Ware, who appeared on Glee in 2015, accused Michele of making her first acting job “a living hell.” She noted that a series of microaggressions from Michele made her consider leaving Hollywood entirely.
RELATED: ‘Glee’ Actor Samantha Ware Says Lea Michele Made Her Time On the Show ‘a Living H*ll’
Several other members of the Glee cast weighed in. According to Variety, Amber Riley, who portrayed Mercedes Jones for six seasons, shared gifs suggesting she agreed with Ware’s assessment of Michele. Alex Newell, Melissa Benoist, and Yvette Nicole Brown all weighed in on the situation, too. Newell and Benoist both appeared in Glee. Brown worked with Michele on The Mayor. Michele later issued a public apology.
HelloFresh has ended their partnership with Lea Michele
Shortly after Ware tweeted about her experience with Michele, HelloFresh issued a public statement. The company, who had been partnering with the Scream Queens actress, informed their followers that they had ended their partnership with Michele, effective immediately.
The company went on to state that they do not condone racism and were standing with the community. HelloFresh, in a later tweet, announced that they had made a donation to the Brooklyn NAACP, and invited their followers to do the same. HelloFresh is a meal delivery service that allows consumers to craft high-quality meals while eliminating food waste.
Lea Michele’s public apology fell flat
Michele took to Instagram to make a public statement about Ware’s allegation. The public apology, however, seemed to fall flat. Michele, who is expecting her first child in the coming months, stated that she hopes to be a role model for her child. She went on to apologize for any behavior that was perceived as aggressive, but she also stated that she has no recollection of the actions that Ware outlined in her tweet.
Michele’s apology is now being criticized. Many feel the apology aimed to discredit Ware’s experience. Ware isn’t the only star who has accused Michele of poor behavior on set. Naya Rivera, who starred alongside Michele in Glee, has accused her co-star of poor on-set behavior in the past. Rivera admitted that Michele refused to utter a word to her during the show’s sixth season. The tension had been building for years before, though.
