In the midst of a massive Black Lives Matter movement, HelloFresh is doing their due diligence by cutting ties with Lea Michele after her former Glee co-star Samantha Marie Ware put her on blast. After Michele took to Twitter to help raise awareness on justice for George Floyd, Ware was quick to call her out. As a result, HelloFresh cut ties with the actress.
“George Floyd did not deserve this,” Michele wrote. “This was not an isolated incident and it must end. #BlackLivesMatter.” However, Ware and other former castmates were quick to respond. “LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISION [sic] GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET,” she wrote. “I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU 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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As a response, HelloFresh made a statement. “HelloFresh does not condone racism nor discrimination of any kind. We are disheartened and disappointed to learn of the recent claims concerning Lea Michele,” the company’s verified accounted tweeted. “We take this very seriously, and have ended our partnership with Lea Michele, effective immediately.” However, Ware wasn’t alone in her statement, Amber Riley and Alex Newell also stepped in to say something. Riley posted several GIFs of herself sipping tea while Newell retweeted Ware’s response with a GIF that said, “Get her, Jade.” Newell later added, “I’m gonna say this one time… when my friends go through something traumatic I also go through it… that’s what friendship is… and if you can’t understand that then you’re part of the problem… and that’s PERIODT! And I mean that for both sides of this coin!”
Michele opened up with an apology after the harsh criticism she received during such a trying time saying. “What matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people,” she wrote, adding in how Black Lives Matters protests have put an additional spotlight on racism, and that it’s crucial for non-black people 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 added that the criticisms she received from her former castmates “have made me also focus specifically on how my own behavior towards fellow cast members was perceived by them” and has “never judged others by their background or color of their skin, that’s not really the point. What matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people.”
