Lea Michele shuts down yearslong rumor she can't read — by reading on video

Yahoo

08-05-2025

Lea Michele is attempting to close the chapter on the viral online theory that she can't read.
The "Glee" actress appeared on the "Therapuss with Jake Shane" podcast on May 7 where she dispelled the theory and, at one point, even recited Shane's cue cards out loud to prove it.
The rumor that Michele secretly can't read, which dates back to 2017, has run rampant on the internet.
While she's briefly addressed it several times over the years, her latest response offers the most solid evidence yet to quiet the conspiracy theorists once and for all.
While talking about her experience on the debate team growing up, Michele brought up the viral rumor about whether she can read.
"For everyone who thinks that I can't (expletive) read — like I was on the debate team, I mean I would write speeches," she said.
As for whether she finds the theory funny, Michele said "it depends on the day."
"That someone has so little to do in their life and their day that they would waste it on me is hilarious to me," she said. "And then there are moments where I (expletive) get so frustrated by it because I'm one of the only women in my whole family to get accepted to college."
She added, "for someone to minimize that, it's so sad and so frustrating."
Michele also said "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy was the first person to tell her about the viral theory.
"Ryan Murphy called me and he was like 'Have you heard this rumor?' And I was like 'No what's going on?' And yeah, the fact that we are here all these years later," she said.
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The rumor started in 2017 when podcasters Jaye Hunt and Robert Ackerman posted a video to social media presenting their theory that Michele can't read or write.
They later told Jezebel that it originated from late "Glee" actor Naya Rivera's memoir "Sorry Not Sorry," which includes a story about Michele allegedly refusing to improvise scenes on the show.
Michele has poked fun at the rumors before, including in a 2022 TikTok video where she said she was "calling Jonathan to read me the comments."
She also told The New York Times in 2022 that she finds the rumor to be sad.
'I went to 'Glee' every single day; I knew my lines every single day,' she said.
Michele also read some of the cue cards during her appearance on "Therapuss," seemingly squashing the long-standing rumors.
"Jonathan is not here to read me this (expletive)" she said.
The podcast shared a clip from the interview on social media. The TikTok cuts off before Michele begins reading, but the full, hourlong episode is available on YouTube.
She also acknowledged that her recitation may not satisfy everyone online.
"The theories are going to be like, 'Jake called her in advance, this doesn't prove anything,'" she said.
Melina Khan is a trending reporter covering national news for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Lea Michele read? Watch her prove it after years of rumors