Amber Riley Doesn’t Want To Be Asked About Lea Michele Accusations & Says They Haven’t Spoken In Years
Amber Riley believes there are more important things to discuss than her former Glee co-star Lea Michele’s past.
According to Us Weekly, Riley joined journalist Danielle Young for an Instagram live session. During their conversation, the controversy surrounding Michele this week came up. As The Inquisitr previously shared, Michele has been in the news after several of her former co-stars accused her of being racially insensitive and cruel while on set.
While Riley did join in on the conversation regarding Michele, she wanted the followers that tuned into the live show to know that she had other concerns on her mind. The actress has been sharing on social media that she’s been protesting following the death of George Floyd. She told Young that fighting for him and the other people who have been allegedly killed or attacked due to police brutality or violence is the only thing she wants to focus on.
“I don’t give a sh*t about this Lea Michele thing. I really don’t give a f*ck,” Riley said. “People are out here dying, being [killed] by police. Trans women are being [killed] at the hands of men who are upset about being trans attracted.”
On Monday, June 1, Hamilton actress Samantha Marie Ware tweeted in response to Michele’s social media tribute to Floyd. Ware said that Michele made her time on Glee miserable by allegedly spewing “traumatic microaggressions.” At the time, Ware was new to the entertainment industry and shared that the experience with Michele made her want to quit her acting career for good. Following Ware’s tweet, more of her Glee co-stars, including Alex Newell and Kevin McHale, also added remarks about her behavior on their social media platforms.
Since the ordeal, Michele released a statement on Wednesday, June 3. The statement came one day after she was dropped from her partnership with HelloFresh. When asked about the statement, Riley said she didn’t read it. She continued to say that while Michele did reach out to her this week, they haven’t had a close relationship in years.
“She reached out to me, I responded to her. That’s where it ends for me,” Riley added. “I ain’t talked to that girl in two years. I have no hatred or ill-will on that end. … This is the first and last time I’m gonna say something.”
Although Riley isn’t interested in speaking about her former co-star’s mishaps, she did express how her alleged comments made other black actors feel. Riley said she received multiple direct messages from actors who’ve experienced similar issues with their white co-stars. Throughout her career, Riley said she’s had several injustices on set, including being told she was “expendable” while working on a project.
