Jane Lynch Explains Early ‘Funny Girl’ Exit And Addresses Lea Michele Drama: ‘I’m Thrilled For Her’
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Casting drama is not the reason Jane Lynch is leaving the Broadway production of Funny Girl early.
Talking to Playbill, the actress explained why she decided to bump up her last performance in the musical to this Friday, when she’d originally been scheduled to appear until Sep. 4.
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“I have a vacation August 14th, and then I had just like five shows after that, and it’s a six-hour flight, so I thought, ‘let’s end it now,’” she said.
The announcement of Lynch’s early departure had some speculating whether the decision had anything to do with former “Glee” castmate Lea Michele joining the production on Sep. 6.
“It has nothing to do with not wanting to see Lea,” Lynch said. “I text with Lea. She and I are fine. I’m thrilled for her. I love working with Julie. I loved working with Beanie. There’s no drama here. None.”
Michele is replacing Beanie Feldstein as the lead in the play. Feldstein had received poor reviews for her performance.
The news also came nearly two years after actress Samantha Marie Ware accused Michele of being rude and toxic to work with on season 6 of “Glee”.
“Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?!” Ware tweeted at the time.
Other former castmates, including Heather Morris, Alex Newell, Melissa Benoist and Amber Riley, also criticized Michele’s behaviour on the “Glee” set.
Michele publicly apologized, writing on social media, “We all can grow and change and I have definitely used these past several months to reflect on my own shortcomings.”
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In her statement announcing her early exit from Funny Girl, Lynch said, “As I embark upon my last week in Funny Girl, my heart is filled with gratitude for this wildly talented company led by Beanie Feldstein and our wonderful audiences for keeping theater alive! I offer a special thanks to my current scene partner Julie Benko and will be back to see my friend Lea Michele light up the lights.”
