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Lea Michele finally addresses conspiracy theory that claims she is illiterate

Lea Michele finally addresses conspiracy theory that claims she is illiterate

The Glee star has finally spoken out about the bizarre suggestion that she can't actually read or write.

Rachel Lang

Rachel Lang

Glee star Lea Michele has commented on the bizarre conspiracy theory that she is illiterate.

Speaking to the New York Times, Michele lashed out at one of the internet's weirdest theories that claims that she cannot read or write.

"I went to Glee every single day; I knew my lines every single day," the Funny Girl star said, as per the New York Times.

"And then there’s a rumour online that I can’t read or write? It’s sad. It really is."

The 36-year-old then claimed that the rumour boiled down to a case of everyday sexism in Hollywood.

She added: "I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn’t be the case."

So, there you have it.

Michele on the set of Glee, 2009.
Cinematic Collection / Alamy

The rumour first took off in 2017, when fellow Glee star Naya Rivera wrote in her memoir that Michele refused to improvise during a scene.

The memoir was picked apart on the One More Thing podcast, with hosts Jaye Hunt and Robert Ackerman joking that Michele must not be able to read since she had never commented on Rivera’s claims in her book.

That then spawned a 40-minute long Facebook Live chat by the pair, which has since been taken down, in which the duo presented 'evidence' proving the theory that Michele was illiterate.

The rumour made its way to social media and thus the conspiracy theory was born.

Michele previously called the theory 'bizarre', and seemingly commented on the rumour in a now-deleted tweet from 2018.

She said: "Loved READING this tweet and wanted to WRITE you back. Literally laughing out loud at all this."

Michele and the cast of Glee.
Maximum Film / Alamy

But it still seems to strike a nerve for the actor, who is set to star in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl after replacing Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice.

The 36-year-old also addressed previous claims that she is difficult to work with.

"I have an edge to me. I work really hard. I leave no room for mistakes," Michele told the New York Times.

"That level of perfectionism, or that pressure of perfectionism, left me with a lot of blind spots."

The most prominent accusations against Michele were levied against her by fellow Glee star Samantha Ware.

Ware accused Michele of committing 'traumatic microaggressions' against her as they filmed the sixth season of Glee.

Michele has since apologised to Ware and her fellow Glee cast members, who came forward after Ware went public with her claims, Vulture reports.

Featured Image Credit: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy. Steve Bukley / Alamy.

Topics: Celebrity, Conspiracy Theory, TV and Film, News

Rachel Lang is a Digital Journalist at LADbible. During her career, she has interviewed Aussie PM Malcolm Turnbull in the lead up to the 2016 federal election, ran an editorial campaign on the war in Yemen, and reported on homelessness in the lead-up to Harry and Meghan’s wedding in Windsor. She also once wrote a yarn on the cheese and wine version of Fyre Festival.

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@rlangjournalist