Amber Riley Addresses Lea Michele Backlash
Written by SOURCE on June 5, 2020
Amber Riley begrudgingly discussed the controversy surrounding Lea Michele with journalist Danielle Young on her Real Quick podcast on Instagram Live, per People.
Riley, who played Mercedes Jones on Glee, started off by stating that she didn’t want to get into this “this Lea Michele thing” since there are far more important issues going on in the world.
“I don’t give a shit about this Lea Michele thing,” she said. “I really don’t give a fuck. I don’t. I don’t want to be asked about it — and I’m not talking to you, I’m talking about everyone else. … I don’t give a shit. People are out here dying. Being murdered by police. Trans women are being murdered at the hands of men.”
Riley eventually said a few words on the topic, explaining that, contrary to the narrative recently going around, she wouldn’t categorize Michele as being racist. “I’m not going to say that Lea Michele is racist. That’s not what I’m saying,” she said. “That was the assumption because of what’s going on right now in the world and it happened toward a black person. I’m not going to say that she’s racist.”
Following a tweet from Michele where she condemned the treatment of George Floyd and expressed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement, her Glee co-star Samantha Marie Ware accused her of making her first TV gig on Glee “a living hell.”
Riley limited her commentary on the matter to two GIFs from her time on Glee.
Riley said she hasn’t spoken to Lea in two years, adding, “I wish Lea Michele well. “I hope that she has an amazing pregnancy. I hope that she has grown.” On Wednesday, Michele shared a note on Instagram, acknowledging that she is now focusing on her own behavior towards former Glee cast mates.
