Lea Michele apologized Wednesday after being accused of making the life of her former “Glee” co-star Samantha Ware a “living hell” when they appeared on the TV show.
“One of the most important lessons of the last few weeks is that we need to take the time to listen and learn about other people’s perspectives and any role we have played or anything we can do to help address the injustices that they face,” Michele, 33, began on Instagram.
“When I tweeted the other day, it was meant to be a show of support for our friends and neighbors and communities of color during this really difficult time, but the responses I received to what I posted have made me also focus specifically on how my own behavior towards fellow cast members was perceived by them,” the actress continued.
Last Friday, Michele addressed George Floyd’s death on Twitter, writing: “George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end. #BlackLivesMatter.”
In response, Ware — who played Jane Hayward on the musical series in 2015 — replied: “LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET. I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD ‘S–T IN MY WIG!’ AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGRESSIONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD…”
Ware’s fellow former “Glee” stars Amber Riley and Alex Newell appeared to lend their support on social media with messages of their own.
“I’m gonna say this one time… when my friends goes through something traumatic I also go through it… that’s what friendship is… and if you can’t understand that then you’re part of the problem… and that’s on PERIODT! And I mean that for both sides of this coin!” Newell, 27, tweeted.
Michele, who has since been dropped by HelloFresh amid the accusations, added, “While I don’t remember ever making this specific statement and I have never judged others by their background or color of their skin, that’s not really the point, what matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people.”
She continued, “Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior and for any pain which I have caused.”
Michele said she has also used the last several months to “reflect on [her] own shortcomings.”
“We all can grow and change,” Michele noted, adding she wants to continue to better herself in hopes of being a “real role model” for her baby.
“I am a couple of months from becoming a mother and I know I need to keep working to better myself and take responsibility for my actions, so that I can be a real role model for my child and so I can pass along my lessons and mistakes, so that they can learn from me,” she said.
Michele, who is pregnant with her first child with husband Zandy Reich, said she has “listened to these criticisms” and is “learning.”
“While I am very sorry, I will be better in the future from this experience,” she concluded.