Heather Morris reflects on why no one spoke to Fox bosses about Glee costar Lea Michele

Glee alum Heather Morris is looking back (through a 2021 lens) at why she didn't speak out about her costar Lea Michele's controversial behavior on the set of the hit Fox series.

Morris was a guest on the most recent episode of the Everything Iconic With Danny Pellegrino podcast, and the host brought up the story that broke last summer involving several Glee alums accusing Michele of not being the nicest during their time working together. The comments were first sparked by actress Samantha Ware tweeting that Michele made her time on set a "living hell."

Pellegrino specifically asked Morris to elaborate on her comments from 2020, when she said in a tweet that Michele, in her experience, was unpleasant to work with, but also took responsibility for not addressing the situation at the time.

Morris, who played Brittany S. Pierce on the musical drama, said she got "shade" over her 2020 remarks.

"People were like, 'This is so f---ing cryptic,' like, 'Why don't you just go and say it?'" she told Pellegrino. "I'm like, 'Guys, she's pregnant, and all this stuff is going around, and… it's true'—and I don't know if maybe we were victims of bullying and that's a typical victim thing to do is to blame yourself… But it also is very true, and the only person who was honest about it was Naya [Rivera]. And it was something that was very hush-hush on set."

Morris also reflected on the changing culture, noting that things are different now and she didn't feel comfortable enough to speak out at the time.

"We absolutely could have stepped up and gone to the Fox execs and said how we felt about the situation, and nobody really did," Morris said. "And so now we are living in a culture where it's acceptable to go do things like that, whereas I think many people were very scared. I know, genuinely, I didn't feel like it was my place. And I don't know why, because I was a cast member just like everybody else, and we all deserve to feel comfortable on a set."

Asked if there was "a specific instance" or just an "elephant in the room," Morris said it was the latter.

"I think it was the elephant in the room, you know like, we all got close with Lea at certain points, and then we all weren't as close with her," she said. "And so there's a human element to it to understanding who this person is, growing with that person, seeing her try to become better. And, you know, taking care of herself after Corey [Monteith] passed. You know, it was just the elephant in the room."

Morris told Pellegrino she hadn't heard from Michele but wished her "the best of luck," and mentioned Michele being mom to "a little one at home." (Michele welcomed a son with husband Zandy Reich last year.)

Representatives for Michele weren't immediately available for comment after hours, but last summer the actress addressed the controversy on Instagram, apologizing to those she hurt and promising to "be better in the future."

"One of the most important lessons of the last few weeks is that we need to take the time to listen and learn about other people's perspectives and any role we have played or anything we can do to help address the injustices that they face," she wrote.

"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 just being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior and for any pain which I have caused," Michele continued. "We all can grow and change and I have definitely used these past several months to reflect on my own shortcomings."

A representative for Morris didn't immediately respond to EW's after-hours request for comment.

Related content:

• Glee star Samantha Marie Ware says Lea Michele's apology shows 'she hasn't learned anything'
• Heather Morris says Glee costar Lea Michele was very 'unpleasant to work with'
• Lea Michele apologizes after accusations from former Glee costar: 'I will be better'