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Glee actors Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz recently revealed what it was like to have one A-lister visit the set: Taylor Swift. The singer was friends with Glee star Dianna Agron and rumored to have dated Chord Overstreet and the late Cory Monteith. 

Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz reveal what it was like when Taylor Swift visited the ‘Glee’ set

The Glee cast poses for a promo photo
The cast of ‘Glee’ | Brian Bowen Smith/Fox Image Collection

Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz host the And That’s What You REALLY Missed podcast, where the two share behind-the-scenes stories about what it was like to work on Glee. In a recent episode, McHale, who played Artie Abrams, revealed what it was like the day Taylor Swift visited the set. 

“Taylor was around [Glee] because her and Dianna were friends,” McHale and Ushkowitz explained. Agron played the cheerleader Quinn Fabray on the show. 

That day, McHale was “in this really gross, ugly, hot sweater” while he and the cast members who played “the girls [Artie] was hooking up with at the time” shot a musical number for “Tested,” the 16th episode of season 5. 

One of Glee’s crew members approached McHale to tell him they had a famous guest. “[He] says, ‘Um, Taylor Swift is here?’ And he was whispering,” McHale laughed. “I was like, ‘Well, where is she?’ He’s like, ‘Right here.’ He turns around, and she’s just right there, like, ‘Hey!’”

McHale and Ushkowitz cracked up over Swift’s surprise visit. He said her presence made him feel “very famous” among the rest of the cast. “I was like, ‘Don’t worry, guys. We’re friends. It’s fine,’” the actor laughed. 

Taylor Swift and ‘Glee’ star Dianna Agron formed a friendship

Though many assumed Swift was on set to visit Agron, some Glee fans have pointed out in the comments section of a TikTok video about the story that she wasn’t featured in that episode. 

Swift and Agron became friends in 2011. According to E! News, the singer threw Agron a circus-themed 26th birthday party and even shouted her out in the liner notes to her 2012 ode to her friends, “22.” Some fans have even hypothesized the two were romantically involved, but neither has confirmed nor denied the rumors. They haven’t been seen hanging out publicly in years, but it’s assumed Swift and Agron are still on good terms. 

The singer was also rumored to have dated actors Cory Monteith and Chord Overstreet

Cory Monteith and Taylor Swift, who allegedly wrote a song for the "Glee" star, smile and pose for the camera while seated together at an event.
Cory Monteith and Taylor Swift | Rick Diamond/WireImage
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Agron wasn’t the only Glee cast member with whom Swift was close. In 2010, it was rumored that she and star Cory Monteith were dating. The two were rumored to have spent time together at a Grammys afterparty and were photographed on a bowling date with friends. However, Monteith denied the dating rumors, saying he and Swift were “just friends.” 

A year later, Swift attended an LA Kings game with Chord Overstreet. It was another rumored relationship, as the pair was not publicly seen together again after that date. 

‘Glee’ showrunner Ryan Murphy calls Taylor Swift ‘the 1 that got away’

Swift’s other connections to Glee were through her music. The show covered two of her singles — “Mean” in season 3 and “Mine” in season 4. On And That’s What You REALLY Missed, Glee showrunner Ryan Murphy revealed he wished they could have done more of her songs. 

“I really wanted to do a Taylor Swift tribute episode,” Murphy said. “We kind of tried a little bit. We certainly did Taylor songs. I think she’s so amazing, and those songs would’ve worked so well on Glee. Taylor Swift was kind of the one that got away.”

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