Lea Michele Sets the Record Straight: I Can Read! Will the Internet Believe Her?

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Previously speculated that she struggled with reading, Lea Michele, a former cast member of “Glee,” has faced accusations since 2018. A video titled “Lea Michele is Illiterate” sparked these theories, suggesting that the American actress was unable to read due to her co-star Naya Rivera’s memoir claims that she refused to ad-lib lines on “Glee” and other apparent evidence. The video gained significant traction on TikTok five years later, leading to its continued popularity as a meme. However, Michele herself has now addressed these outlandish rumors, but it remains uncertain whether the internet will move past this topic.

Previously, Lea Michele has openly addressed internet gossip regarding her illiteracy. She clarified that she memorized her lines for Glee, a show available on Hulu, each day without fail. During an episode of Therapuss with Jake Shane, the Emmy-nominated actress voiced her astonishment at the fact that this rumor is still circulating “even after all these years” and emphasized that it was completely unfounded: she is not illiterate.

For those who might doubt my reading abilities, I should clarify that I was part of the debate team and wrote speeches. Moreover, I am one of the few women in my entire family to have been accepted into college. My mother and her extended family, originally from the Bronx, were economically disadvantaged and less educated. In an effort to provide me with a quality education and help me succeed, my parents relocated us from the Bronx to New Jersey, and I managed to flourish as a result.

It’s hard to imagine that those outrageous rumors about Lea Michele not being able to read were true. In reality, the accomplished actress attributes her “photographic memory” for her ability to effectively memorize her lines for her role as Rachel Berry. It seems implausible that a grown, working television and Broadway star wouldn’t be able to read their scripts or sheet music. Although Michele was homeschooled around the age of 11 while performing in “Ragtime,” she did receive a high school education at Tenafly High School, where she participated in volleyball, choir, and debate teams, as she herself stated.

It’s regrettable that despite Lea Michele clearly reading flashcards on-screen, many internet users seem unwilling to accept her literacy. Instead, they prefer to believe TikTok rumors over the actress herself or assume she had insider help. However, when Michele read the cards flawlessly without a stutter, some still speculated that Shane had given her advance notice to memorize them.

As a devoted movie enthusiast, I can’t help but feel disheartened when rumors about Lea Michele’s literacy skills surface. Yet, she’s faced similar speculation in the past and managed to navigate those stormy waters gracefully. For instance, remember the time Ok! Magazine spread false claims about her eating habits in 2016? She handled it with a dash of humor and a dramatic reading of the article.

Moreover, she found herself in hot water when Samantha Ware, one of her Glee co-stars, accused Michele of making the set an uncomfortable place to be. This sparked a wave of reactions from other performers on the show about their experiences with Michele as the lead in Funny Girl. She chose to address these allegations by returning to Instagram, expressing regret for her shortcomings and promising to reflect upon any pain her actions during the Ryan Murphy show may have caused.

Lea Michele shouldn’t have needed to demonstrate her reading skills on “Therapuss with Jake Shane,” but now that she has, perhaps the internet will finally lay this illiteracy rumor to rest. However, if internet users persist in concocting “evidence-based” conspiracy theories about Lea Michele’s literacy despite this, at least she can regain some control over the story and laugh off the absurd rumor.

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2025-05-08 19:01