Amber Riley is not interested in bringing up past Glee drama. The 34-year-old actress, singer, and activist appeared on Real Quick With Danielle Young to talk about the Black Lives Matter movement and the recent protests across the country and around the world.
When the topic of the controversy surrounding her former Glee co-star, Michele, came up, Riley was clear she had no time for that.
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"I don't give a s**t about this Lea Michele thing. I really don't give a f**k. 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 s**t," she told Young. "People are out here dying, being murdered by police. Trans women are being murdered by the hands of men who are upset about being trans attracted."
Proving she has no ill will towards Michele, who is expecting her first child with husband Zandy Reich, Riley added, "I wish Lea Michele well. I hope that she has an amazing pregnancy. I hope that she has grown."
Riley noted that she hadn't read Michele's statement of apology, which has been criticized, but said the actress has "reached out" to her.
"I responded to her and that's where it ends for me. I ain't talked to that girl in two years," she continued. "I have no hatred or ill will on that end. I want to make that very clear. My life and what I talk about is not going to be about that. This is the first and last time I'm gonna say something."
Riley played Mercedes Jones while Michele portrayed Rachel Berry on all six seasons of Ryan Murphy's Glee.
Michele came under fire earlier this week after she posted a tweet in favor of Black Lives Matter and was subsequently called out by her former Glee co-star, Samantha Marie Ware, for making her time on set "a living hell."
"LMAO, REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISION GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE I'LL NEVER FORGET. I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD 'S**T IN MY WIG!' AMONG OTHER TRAUMATIC MICRO AGGRESSIONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD..." Ware wrote.
Several other co-stars chimed in, sharing their own stories, and Riley even posted a few GIFs that some fans thought were meant to throw shade at Michele.
On Wednesday, Heather Morris, who played Brittany Pierce on the musical comedy, tweeted about her experience with Michele on set, writing in part, "Was she unpleasant to work with? Very much so; for Lea to treat others with the disrespect that she did for as long as she did, I believe she SHOULD be called out."
— heather (@HeatherMorrisTV) June 3, 2020
Prior to Morris' tweet, Michele issued an apology in response to Ware's accusations, which read in part, "While I don't remember ever making this specific statement and I have never judged others by their background or color of their skin, that's not really the point, what matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people."
Ware responded to this apology by telling Michele to "open your purse" and donate to a GoFundMe for the family of James Scurlock, a 22-year-old black man who was shot and killed while protesting in Omaha.
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