It’s been seven years since Glee ended, but it certainly is a television show that keeps on giving.
On Monday, the Broadway world exploded with the news that Lea Michele will replace Beanie Feldstein in the role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl come September. Former Glee actress Jane Lynch will also be departing the show before Michele takes over. The announcement isn’t a surprising one as Michele, most known for her time in Glee and in Spring Awakening, has vocally coveted the role for years.
And that’s not an understatement either. As a former Glee fan myself, I am absolutely convinced the entire show was a psyop to eventually land Michele the role on Broadway one day. Not only did she sing “Don’t Rain On My Parade” in a pivotal moment in Glee‘s first season.
Michele also sang it at the Tony Awards in 2010.
So yeah, to say this news has been a long time coming would be… an understatement.
Emmy Award-nominee LEA MICHELE and Tony Award-nominee TOVAH FELDSHUH join #FUNNYGIRL beginning September 6!
Don’t miss Beanie Feldstein until July 31 only, followed by @JujujulieBee through September 4.
See you at the August Wilson, gorgeous!⭐️ pic.twitter.com/bvqArWoMJa
— Funny Girl on Broadway (@FunnyGirlBwy) July 11, 2022
Of course, this casting news isn’t without controversy either. As talented as Michele may be, she’s also been accused of making one former Glee cast member’s life “a living hell” while on the show. While Michele apologized for her behavior, this is seemingly not an isolated incident, as other former coworkers have also spoken out on her conduct as well.
As a result of this casting, Glee fans past and present took to Twitter to make jokes about how the show predicted all of this years ago in a weird, surreal moment.