‘Glee’ Alum Lea Michele Has ‘Little Support’ in the TV Business: Hollywood Has No Room for ‘Divas’

Lea Michele‘s Broadway run in the hit musical Chess is coming to an end on June 21, but she failed to score a Tony nomination. Now sources tell Star that the 39-year-old is hoping to return to Hollywood.

The Glee alum may not get the warmest welcome. “Lea has star quality, she has real, measurable talent as an actress and a singer, but she has very little support within the television business,” explains an insider. “With TV and streaming now, Hollywood doesn’t have a lot of room for old-school divas anymore.”

Back in 2020, the mom of two, with husband Zandy Reich, got into hot water when several of her Glee castmates came forward with troubling accusations. Samantha Ware, for one, accused the star of bullying. In a tweet, she said Lea made her first TV gig “a living hell,” writing, per Variety, “I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would ‘s**t in my wig!'” A former Broadway costar from the 1990s alleged she demeaned the cast and crew.

Lea, who lost an endorsement deal after the claims, is seen as too “intense,” says the source. “The lead actors who are thriving on TV right now are people like Noah Wyle, who is down-to-earth and famously easy to work with.”