Is Lea Michele illiterate? Conspiracy theory explained
CAST your mind back to the late noughties and fans of Glee will well remember actress, Lea Michele.
However, since the show ended, her career has been blighted by controversy, and in 2022 she was trending on Twitter for being "illiterate."
What are the Lea Michele illiterate rumors?
Rumors about Lea Michele’s supposed inability to read and write all started following a live session on Facebook in 2017 by podcasters Jaye Hunt and Robert Ackerman.
In an episode titled LEA MICHELE IS ILLITERATE, the duo came up with a theory to try and prove the statement was true.
They further released what they thought was “evidence” in a video, which has now been taken down.
It apparently started off as a joke due to an excerpt from the late Naya Rivera's book, Sorry Not Sorry.
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In the book, Naya detailed how Lea would refuse to improvise her lines.
And, according to Jaye and Robert, Lea never shared her thoughts about what Naya wrote, but when asked about the rumors, Naya would just tell people to read her book.
Other rumors claim that because Lea was a child star she never went to school and didn't get the chance to learn to read or write.
Another one of the theories pointed out how the actress uses more emojis than words in her social media posts.
Others see her long-going appearance in the musical, Spring Awakening, as further proof of her inability to read as she only had to memorize the show once.
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What are people saying about the rumors?
The conspiracy theory was rife in 2018 and re-emerged in April 2022, thanks to TikTok.
One fan said: “The 'Lea Michele is illiterate' conspiracy theory is the only thing keeping me going."
While this one tweeted: “Lea Michele being illiterate is the friggin’ funniest celebrity conspiracy theory out there right now. I have no idea how it started and I don’t care. Keep it going.”
Another said: “The theory that Lea Michele is illiterate is so funny to me JFJEJ and I choose to believe it.”
However, Hunt and Ackerman clarified in a follow-up video that the remarks about Lea weren’t “mean-spirited."
They said: “We’re huge Lea fans. Every word we say about her is said with love.”
What has Lea Michele said about the illiterate rumors?
In a now-deleted tweet shared in 2018, Lea wrote: “Loved READING this tweet and wanted to WRITE you back.
"Literally laughing out loud at all this. Love you!!!”
However, in a September 2022, interview with , she opened up about how the rumors really made her feel.
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“I went to ‘Glee’ every single day; I knew my lines every single day,” she told the outlet.
“And then there’s a rumor online that I can’t read or write? It’s sad. It really is. I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn’t be the case.”