8 Behind-the-Scenes Bombshells from “Glee”
8 Behind-the-Scenes Bombshells from “Glee”
Joelle Goldstein, Carson BlackwelderMon, March 23, 2026 at 5:38 PM UTC
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The cast of 'Glee'Credit: FOX Image Collection via Getty -
Glee ran for six seasons on Fox between 2009 and 2015, catapulting its cast to instant stardom
The Price of Glee, an Investigation Discovery three-part docuseries, aired in 2023 and examined the show's behind-the-scenes drama and the untimely deaths of stars Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera and Mark Salling
To mark the anniversary of Glee's series finale on March 20, 2015, here are the biggest bombshells covered on The Price of Glee
While the hit teen show Glee struck a chord with audiences, behind the scenes, the cast and crew sang a different tune.
Co-created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, Glee ran for six seasons between 2009 and 2015. Investigation Discovery's The Price of Glee docuseries, which aired on Jan. 16, 2023, pulled back the curtain on the controversies and scandals plaguing the Fox musical dramedy.
In addition to the ups and downs on set, the three-part documentary examined the shocking and sudden deaths of stars Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera and Mark Salling.
Key art for the 2023 Investigation Discovery docuseries 'The Price of Glee,' depicting 'Glee' cast members Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera and Mark SallingCredit: ID
Despite Glee having ended over a decade ago, it remains a highly discussed topic thanks to streaming and its devoted fans. ID's The Price of Glee attempted to shed a new light on the ongoing conversation by interviewing relatives, friends and publicists of Glee cast members, as well as former crew members who worked on the show and journalists who covered the TV phenomenon.
Notably missing were many of the show's stars — some of whom voiced their dissatisfaction with the project.
Kevin McHale, who played Artie Abrams, said his fellow castmates purposely chose to "have nothing to do" with the docuseries. Chord Overstreet, who played Sam Evans, was less diplomatic, calling The Price of Glee "bulls---," adding, "I think anybody that knows anything about that show and experienced it doesn't have anything to do with [the docuseries], from what I know."
To mark the anniversary of Glee's series finale on March 20, 2015, here are eight of the biggest takeaways from The Price of Glee.
Cory Monteith's addiction struggles began in his teenage years — and he purposely hid it from the public until the end of season 2
Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson on season 5 of 'Glee'Credit: FOX
During Glee's early days, Monteith, who played Finn Hudson, was concerned about maintaining a clean image, according to his friend Frederic Robinson.
"When he got the part, he was supposed to be this good kid playing this role. He didn't want his past getting out," Robinson said. "The beginning of his success with Glee, we were really being told, 'Don't let it out that he's got the drugs and alcohol problem.' "
However, while it may have been a secret to the public, Monteith had no problem disclosing it to his close friends, including his former roommate Justin Neill.
"When Cory moved in, it was New Year's Eve 2008. The next day, he said it in such a flippant manner, something about drug use, and he wanted us to know right away that he had a past, he's sober now, and that this is a big part of his life," Neill recalled.
According to the docuseries, Monteith started skipping school to use drugs at age 13, just a few years after his parents got divorced. He went on to attend a dozen schools, including programs for troubled teens, and often stole "large sums of cash" from his family. At age 19, his mother and friends staged an intervention, leading him to enter a drug rehab program in 2001.
It wasn't until the end of Glee's second season that Monteith went public with his struggles, admitting in an interview that he wanted to share his past so people didn't assume he was exactly like his TV character.
"You see this young, all-American quarterback-looking dude on the show, and you just immediately make assumptions. I think people really started identifying me with those assumptions," Monteith told CBC in November 2011. "But at the same time, I felt like I had to step in at some point and relate to people my experience. Relate to people the truth of my life and where I come from."
"If I can, through my experience, shed light on the way out of a difficult situation that I know many kids are experiencing just like I did when I was a teenager, I mean, that's huge," he added.
Monteith's publicist Lesley Diana also said he wanted to go public to help others: "Cory wanted to help others who perhaps were in that same situation to show them that you can come out on the other side and do well in life."
Multiple people "didn't understand" Cory Monteith and Lea Michele dating
Lea Michele and Cory Monteith attend the Do Something Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., on Aug. 19, 2012Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images
Just as Lea Michele and Monteith's characters dated on-screen, the pair also developed an off-screen connection — but not everyone supported the romance.
"I did not understand the two of them together," said Garrett Greer, an assistant to the executive producer of Glee. "I had friends who lived in New York and grew up with Lea, so I was very aware of her reputation. She had a rep for being a little bit difficult."
Barbara Much, who served as set decorator for seasons 1 and 2, added, "I found that interesting that they ended up together. I was really very surprised."
Cory Monteith once said he "wouldn't wish fame on my worst enemy"
From left: Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel, Lea Michele as Rachel Berry, Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones, Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson and Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang on season 1 of 'Glee'Credit: EVERETT
Former roommate Neill said Monteith struggled with fame as Glee's popularity skyrocketed and the show's fandom intensified.
"There was a period where it seemed Cory was getting more and more isolated," he recalled. "He just got to the point where he just hated fame. [He said], 'I'm just so tired, I want to rest for a bit. I'm sick of singing of these songs,' and I remember him specifically saying, 'I wouldn't wish fame on my worst enemy.' "
Neill continued, "I'd seen the fame, but I didn't realize how hard it was for him until then. I think with that level of fame, you lose sight of who you are. To every single person, he wasn't Cory anymore. He was now Finn. We just knew he wasn't in the best place."
On the second episode of The Price of Glee, Neill added that Monteith became frustrated with Glee's demanding schedule and wanted more freedom in his career.
"He had to turn down movies; he was becoming more neurotic and isolated," Neill said.
However, Neill noted, "As much as he didn't like fame, he knew how lucky he was. He never took it for granted."
The cast became competitive about who could amass the biggest following on social media
The cast of 'Glee' on season 4Credit: FOX via Getty Images
As the show became a hit, social media was on the rise, and the Glee stars were poised to dominate emerging platforms.
However, the competition wasn't always friendly, according to the docuseries' commentators.
"I would oftentimes see the actors gathered talking about how many people they acquired as followers, and it was a competition," said season 3 hair department head Dugg Kirkpatrick. "In the beginning, they had to tweet every day. It was Lea who really had the numbers."
Journalist Andy Swift said, "The fighting began almost immediately."
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A crew member recalls Cory Monteith's swift relapse and "path to destruction"
Cory Monteith poses for a portrait session for Fox on June 20, 2009Credit: FOX via Getty
Hair department head Kirkpatrick recalled one of the final times he saw Monteith and the troubling story the actor allegedly told him during a haircut.
"He wasn't drinking, he didn't have any drugs in his system," Kirkpatrick said. "And then the very last couple of days that I saw him, he was different. He was under the influence of alcohol."
Kirkpatrick continued, "He said he was at a party and he hadn't been drinking and wanted to have a drink but knew he shouldn't. And he was told by a certain cast member that same night, 'You know, if you want to have a drink, you should have a drink. I'll be here; you can always trust that I will be here for you.' "
"In my opinion, you would never say that to someone who is sober," Kirkpatrick added. "And so that confused him and kinda made him mad, and so he started drinking because he was given permission by somebody ... I'm not gonna mention names because I wasn't there and I didn't hear the person say it."
He added of Monteith, "He resented it, but also he took the direction. I think it set him on a path to destruction."
Glee lost not only 3 stars but also several crew members during its run
The cast of 'Glee' on season 2Credit: FOX Image Collection via Getty
Monteith, Rivera and Salling died prematurely under tragic circumstances.
Monteith was 31 when he died of a "mixed drug toxicity" of heroin and alcohol in July 2013. Rivera, who portrayed cheerleader Santana Lopez, died at age 33 in July 2020 after she accidentally drowned during a boating trip with her son at a Southern California lake. Salling, who played jock Noah "Puck" Puckerman, died at age 35 in January 2018 in an apparent suicide weeks before he was scheduled to be sentenced to prison for possessing child pornography.
Less well-known are the multiple crew members who died during Glee's run.
J.A. Byerly, a rigging gaffer, revealed in the docuseries that his brother died by suicide when the show ended, seemingly because he had become overwhelmed by the show's demands.
"On the rigging crew, you are constantly working daily," he said, adding, "We don't win the Emmys, but we're the ones who make it happen."
Byerly added, "The intenseness of the show, I think, got to my brother. The pace and the pressure that was put on you to deliver ... I blame it on that show."
Jim Fuller, who was in charge of the second team and background actors, died after suffering a heart attack at 41, while production assistant Nancy Motes died by suicide.
The docuseries also noted that a "lead prop guy" named Paul died while jogging after suffering a massive heart attack, and another one of the "main stand-ins" who provided coverage for star Matthew Morrison suddenly died with few details known aside from the death being related to a "car fire."
"This was a big set, a lot of people," said Christopher Baffa, the director of photography for Glee's first three seasons. "But to lose so many people, so quickly, you see a pattern forming there that to me is still unbelievable. Was that Glee or just the industry? I don't know."
Naya Rivera's dad warned her about the dangers of boating before her drowning
Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez on season 2 of 'Glee'Credit: FOX Image Collection via Getty Images
Rivera's father, George, recalled the last time he spoke to his daughter, which happened to be via FaceTime shortly before she died.
"I get a sinking feeling 'cause we've been boating forever," he said. "I was FaceTiming with her, trying to talk her through the pitfalls of trying to anchor your boat. First of all, I said, 'Naya, you're on a pontoon boat, that's not a boat ... why are you on a pontoon boat?' "
George added, "I said, 'Do not jump off that effin' boat. If you've got an anchor, you can anchor it, but do you know how to anchor it? We went through a couple iterations like that, and then the FaceTime call hung up, and that was the last time I talked to her."
After receiving a call from authorities about his daughter, George began the multi-day drive from Knoxville, Tenn., to Ventura County, Calif. — but even though he considered his daughter a "really good swimmer," he instinctively feared the worst.
"I knew immediately when I got the phone call in Knoxville that it was over with," he said. "You don't find a drifting, 5-year-old child asleep on a boat at the end of a lake without his mother and have any hope. I had no hope."
Speaking about his grief now, George said, "You don't process it ... I don't know what everybody else does, but, for me, it's as fresh today as it was two years ago."
He later added, "[Naya] knew she was on a really good show with a lot of tragedies. Don't know if you can equate that to fame, but I think it has something to do with it."
Lea Michele made the call to resume filming after Cory Monteith's death
Lea Michelle as Rachel Berry on season 6 of 'Glee'Credit: FOX Image Collection via Getty
It was widely reported in 2013 that it was Michele who pushed for Glee to resume filming after Monteith's death.
"Ultimately, the person who made the decision was Lea, who felt that the best thing for the cast and crew was to be together and to get back to work and be together every day and talk about our memories of him," Murphy told E! News. "So we decided to do that with Lea's blessing, and we're going to go back to work and have grief counselors on the set for two weeks because people are really hurting."
Even Michele spoke about the decision on The Ellen DeGeneres Show at the time, saying, "Grief goes with you every day, whatever you're doing, when there's great moments, when there's hard moments. So I'd rather, for me, be at work with the people that I love that are going through the same thing."
However, not everyone was as excited to return so quickly, as Rivera's stand-in, Jodi Tanaka, revealed on The Price of Glee.
"It was only a couple of weeks. All of the actors just had to pull themselves together and get back to work," Tanaka revealed. "Everyone was just kind of forced to."
Years later, when appearing on Glee alums Jenna Ushkowitz and McHale's And That's What You REALLY Missed podcast in November 2022, Murphy admitted that if it were up to him, the show would have "stopped for a very long time and probably not come back."
All three episodes of The Price of Glee are available to stream on HBO Max.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
