Lea Michele's Costars Defend Her After Samantha Ware Accusations

Taking her side. Lea Michele‘s Glee costars Dean Geyer, Iqbal Theba and Marti Noxon are speaking out after the actress received backlash following Samantha Marie Ware‘s allegations.

“Lea is still one of my favorite costars that I have had the pleasure of working with,” Dean, 34, told Daily Mail Australia. “She is extremely hard-working and super fun to be around.”

The actor and singer, who played Brody Weston in 14 episodes of Glee, added, “Her work ethic is so strong, it forces you to always be on top of your game, and that’s something I looked forward to every day on set. I definitely learned a lot.”

Theba, meanwhile, said he was “never mistreated by her,” while Noxon noted there were other “bullies” on set.

However, costars Dabier Snell, Alex Newell, Amber Riley and Heather Morris had a different perspective. “GIRL, YOU WOULDN’T LET ME SIT AT THE TABLE WITH THE OTHER CAST MEMBERS CAUSE ‘I DIDN’T BELONG THERE.’ F–K YOU, LEA,” Snell wrote on Twitter, while Newell and Riley shared memes and Morris alleged she was “very unpleasant” to work with.

Michele, 33, came under fire from Samantha, 28, who also starred on Glee, after she expressed her support for George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

“LMAO remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?” she tweeted on June 1. “‘Cause I’ll never forget. I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity, you would ‘s–t in my wig’ amongst other traumatic microaggressions that made me question a career in Hollywood … ”

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On June 3, Michele apologized. “Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior,” she wrote in a statement on Instagram while adding she didn’t “remember” making the specific remarks Samantha claimed.

Michele has since been dropped from HelloFresh after the company released a statement saying they do “not condone racism nor discrimination of any kind.

Keep scrolling to see Michele’s costars’ full statements.

Dean Geyer

“When jumping onto a hugely successful and established show like Glee, I went into it expecting to be known as the ‘new guy’ for at least a month, but that wasn’t the case at all,” the star said. “I almost immediately felt welcomed, and to be totally honest, out of everyone, Lea was the most friendly to me.”

He continued, “I can only speak for myself and my own experience, but from what I saw during my time on set, there was nothing but professionalism and a genuine sense of community amongst the cast and crew.”

“No one showed any signs of discomfort while Lea was on set. If I’m basing my opinion off my season, there definitely shouldn’t be a reason for backlash.”

Iqbal Theba

“[A] tot of people r [sic] assuming that [Lea Michele] mistreated me. Let me state it clearly that I was never mistreated by her,” the 56-year-old wrote on Twitter in a two-part statement. “And if some of the cast were treated badly then she has apologized for it which is wonderful. But being called a racist is too heavy and unfair a burden for most of us, especially in these troubled times.”

“So, please be compassionate, careful and responsible before we accuse anyone of this horrible thing called racism. I love each and every one of my fellow cast members from our great show. Be safe and be well. Much love.”

Marti Noxon

Noxon weighed in on accusations of Michele’s “tormenting” behavior on set, adding that several male actors also contributed to a bullying culture.

In now-deleted tweets, the Glee producer said she is “all for calling out bad behavior” but felt like others were also a part of the issue. “That said, on Glee, there were LOTS of bad actors. Who were NOT women. People in the industry know who I’m talking about. Why aren’t we calling them out?” she wrote. “It seems to me that women are the first to go under the bus, but a lot of males get away with being the bullies-in-chief. How come we let them get away with it? Maybe it’s because as long as they earn someone money, they get a pass.”