Matthew Morrison has broken his silence in regards to the recent backlash that's been unleashed upon his former "Glee" co-star Lea Michele.
During an interview with FUBAR Radio's "All Access Areas," the singer-actor was asked to weigh in on allegations that Lea was difficult to work with. He managed to tiptoe around the question, neither defending nor supporting her.
"I honestly think it's a distraction of the bigger issues that are going on right now," he said. "I don't really want to comment too much on it, but it's, um … yeah, going back to what I was saying, you want to be a pleasant person to work [with and] be around."
He added, "Yeah, that's about all I'm going to say on that."
Lea has had a rough few weeks. The trouble started on June 1 when the actress tweeted her outrage over the death of George Floyd. Samantha Marie Ware, who starred alongside Lea on "Glee," then called out the mom-to-be for making her time on set "a living hell."
Afterward, others in the spotlight, including actor-musician Dabier, piled on. "GIRL YOU WOULDNT LET ME SIT AT THE TABLE WITH THE OTHER CAST MEMBERS CAUSE 'I DIDNT BELONG THERE,'" he tweeted. Heather Morris said Lea was "unpleasant" to work with on "Glee." Lea's "Spring Awakening" co-star Gerard Canonico said she was "nothing but a nightmare" to work with, saying the actress made him feel like he "didn't belong there."
"The Real Housewives of New York City" alum Aviva Drescher wasn't surprised by the negativity, saying Lea was once "very unkind" to her.
Amid the allegations, Hello Fresh dropped Lea as a spokesperson.
Lea responded to the claims in a June 3 Instagram post, saying she's now realized her actions hurt people.
"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 just being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior and for any pain which I have caused," she wrote. "We all can grow and change and I have definitely used these past several months to reflect on my own shortcomings."
The apology didn't work — many branded it a "non-apology," noting Lea's use of the word "perceived." In fact, Lea's Instagram post only helped stoke the fury for some, as multiple people used the comments section to share negative experiences they've had with her over the years.