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Amber Riley Says She ‘Doesn’t Give a S–t’ About Lea Michele Controversy Amid Protests
The final word. Amber Riley “doesn’t give a s—t” about the controversy surrounding her former Glee costar Lea Michele. “I really don’t give a f—k. I don’t. I don’t want to be asked about it. … People are out here dying [and] being murdered by police.”
Amber, 34, pointed to larger issues — including police brutality and trans rights — that she’s focusing her attention toward instead of the drama surrounding the Scream Queens actress, 33. The Nobody’s Fool actress told Danielle Young during an Instagram Live she’s “very proud” of Samantha Ware after she publicly called out Lea on Twitter. “I’m proud of her for not being fearful and speaking her truth,” Amber said.
However, the California native acknowledged she’s not a “vindictive and petty person” before coming to the Broadway stars defense. “I’m not going to say Lea Michele is racist, that is not what I’m saying,” Amber explained. “That was the assumption because of what’s going on in the world, and it happened toward a black person. I’m not going to say she’s racist. She’s also pregnant and I think that everyone needs to kind of chill. Y’all dragged her for a couple of days.”
Samantha slammed Lea with bullying accusations after she spoke out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and Amber seemingly responded using images of herself. First, the photo showed herself raising one finger, as if she was about to say something. The second was her sipping a cup of coffee. Finally, she wrote, “Let’s move on,” and directed the conversation back toward racial issues.
“My response to it on Twitter was literally because I’m a clown and I thought it was funny. We’ve already seen other people say it wasn’t the most comfortable environment,” she divulged. Amber added there are “a lot black actors and actresses in [her] inbox,” who have “dealt with the same thing.” Sadly, their stories were not surprising because Amber said black people are commonly portrayed as “the sidekick” in movies and TV.
Amber isn’t the only person who shares this sentiment. Riverdale star Vanessa Morgan said she is “tired of how black people are portrayed in the media” in an emotional written statement on May 31. Her costar Lili Reinhart rallied to support her. “We love you, V. And support you 10000 [percent],” the Hustlers actress, 23, tweeted on June 2. “Love you,” the Shannara Chronicles star, 28, responded with a red heart emoji.
Amber, Vanessa and more are keeping their sights set on change.
