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'Broadway upholds whiteness': Samantha Ware blasts 'Glee' co-star Lea Michele's 'Funny Girl' casting

'Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness. Yes, Hollywood does the same. Yes, silence is complicity. Yes, I'm loud. Yes, I'd do it again,' tweeted Ware

BY MEENAL CHATHLI

PUBLISHED JUL 12, 2022

In June 2020, Lea Michele (R) was criticized for her on-set behavior after she was called out by Samantha Ware (L) and other co-stars (Gregg DeGuire and Jared Siskin/Getty Images)

The animosity between former 'Glee' co-stars Samantha Ware and Lea Michele is hardly a secret. In June 2020, Michele was criticized for her on-set behavior after she was called out by Ware and many of her co-stars from different projects.

With the latest news of Michele replacing Beanie Feldstein in Broadway's 'Funny Girl,' Ware has fired shots at the 35-year-old actress again. "Yes, I'm online today. Yes, I see y'all. Yes, I care. Yes, I'm affected. Yes, I'm human. Yes, I'm Black. Yes, I was abused. Yes, my dreams were tainted. Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness. Yes, Hollywood does the same. Yes, silence is complicity. Yes, I'm loud. Yes, I'd do it again," the 30-year-old tweeted.

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Yes, I’m online today. Yes, I see y’all. Yes, I care. Yes, im affected. Yes, I’m human. Yes, I’m Black. Yes, I was abused. Yes, my dreams were tainted. Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness. Yes, Hollywood does the same. Yes, silence is complicity. Yes, I’m loud. Yes, I’d do it again.
— SAMEYA (@Sammie_Ware) July 11, 2022

"Also. My name is not Amber Riley or Alex Newell. Their experience was not mine and mine was not theirs," Ware continued, referring to her other Black co-stars from 'Glee.' "Violence is an act of love and I'll kick and scream for the bitch I ride for the most, ME!!! Some of y'all's silence is deafening and a lot of you are going to learn to stop playing with a bitch who walks on the ocean floor," she captioned a screenshot of her tweets on Instagram.

Ware had taken to Twitter to accuse Michele of making her life "a living hell" on the sets of 'Glee.' Ware also revealed that Michele told everyone that if she had the opportunity, she would sh*t in Ware's wig. Things took a turn after Ware replied to a tweet Michele sent out in response to George Floyd's killing. Michele had tweeted, "George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end #BlackLivesMatter."

Also. My name is not Amber Riley or Alex Newell. Their experience was not mine and mines was not theirs.
— SAMEYA (@Sammie_Ware) July 11, 2022

Ware responded in all caps, "Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?! Cause I'll never forget. I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would 'sh*t in my wig!' amongst other traumatic microaggressions that made me question a career in Hollywood."

"I knew from day one when I attempted to introduce myself. There was nothing gradual about it. As soon as she decided that she didn’t like me, it was very evident. It was after I did my first performance, that's when it started – the silent treatment, the stare-downs, the looks, the comments under her breath, the weird passive-aggressiveness. It all built up," Ware told Variety in 2020.

"Lea's actions were nothing new, so I guess since it was such a common thing, my case didn’t seem like that big of a deal. I remember the first day I actually spoke up and unfortunately no one did anything. They just shrugged it off, like 'That’s her.' No one was stopping these things, which is an issue because the environment was helping perpetuate this abuse," she continued.

"When I tried to speak up for myself, she told me to shut my mouth. She said I don't deserve to have that job. She talked about how she has reign. And here's the thing: I completely understood that, and I was ready to be like, 'This is your show. I'm not here to be disrespectful.' But at that point, we were already past the respect and she was just abusing her power," Ware added.

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Meanwhile, I’m working on one of the most safest & inclusive sets I’ve ever been on. I finally feel seen from the moment I step into the hair&makeup trailer to the last line of the day. Ness is back tomorrow night. Tune in. #AllRise https://t.co/yHm0ORZ4oX
— SAMEYA (@Sammie_Ware) July 11, 2022

In another tweet on July 11, Ware praised the work environment in 'All Rise,' the CBS legal drama she currently recurs in. She wrote, "Meanwhile, I'm working on one of the most safest & inclusive sets I've ever been on. I finally feel seen from the moment I step into the hair & makeup trailer to the last line of the day. Ness is back tomorrow night. Tune in. #AllRise."