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Dive into the untold stories behind one of TV’s most beloved musical series! From secret romances and on-set rules to surprise casting choices and shocking spoilers, uncover the intriguing moments and hidden dramas that shaped the world of “Glee.” Discover how reality blended with fiction and how the show’s creators and cast navigated the ups and downs off-screen.
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00:00I auditioned back in August for Glee, and my first audition was a disaster.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at some of the biggest points of interest
00:11behind one of the most beloved musical series.
00:14Well, she said it in the press that she wants to play Chris Colfer's lesbian aunt.
00:19Number 20.
00:20Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison Dated Before Glee
00:24Although he played their teacher on Glee,
00:26Matthew Morrison isn't much older than most of the cast,
00:30more on that later.
00:31So while she was his student on the show,
00:33Lea Michele once probably held the title of Girlfriend with Morrison.
00:37Wow.
00:38I've never noticed this before because he's always trying to destroy my career,
00:42but Mr. Hsu has really pretty eyes.
00:44In her autobiography, Brunette Ambition,
00:47Michele revealed that while she met most of her castmates at the audition,
00:50she'd known Morrison for years,
00:52writing that they had, quote,
00:54actually dated back in the day for a Broadway beat.
00:57Her admission surprised many,
00:58especially since the pair had denied rumors of a romance for years,
01:02until Michele chose to confirm it in 2014.
01:06On a scale of 1 to 10,
01:07how was Matthew Morrison in the sack?
01:10My dad is right here!
01:13This is horrible!
01:14Plead the fifth!
01:15Number 19.
01:16The reality show spin-off.
01:19Where do you think characters like Ryder, Rory, and Joe came from?
01:22That's right, they were created specifically for actors who won a competition.
01:26The reality show spin-off, The Glee Project,
01:29was designed to crown a winner with a guaranteed seven-episode arc on the show.
01:34I would speed,
01:36if you're free,
01:38I would have,
01:40I would settle through,
01:42but you made me feel.
01:45Despite not winning the series,
01:47multiple other contestants were granted shorter episode arcs as well.
01:51With a blend of acting, singing, and dancing,
01:54The Glee Project focused on contestants proving they had the skills to hang with the show's demands,
01:59and regular cast members also popped up as special judges or mentors.
02:12While it might sound like an obscure reality series today,
02:17The Glee Project was actually syndicated across multiple regions worldwide,
02:21before its cancellation after two seasons.
02:25Number 18.
02:26Ryan Murphy wrote the cast's real-life experiences into the show.
02:30To many fans, it's as if the actors can truly feel their characters' emotions.
02:35That's because a lot of them actually did.
02:37In an interview with PR.com,
02:40Chris Colfer revealed that Ryan Murphy would incorporate real-life elements into the story.
02:44One example came from Kurt's performance of Defying Gravity,
02:48inspired by a personal story he'd shared about being denied the chance to sing the song back in high school.
02:53Something has changed within me,
02:57Something is not the same,
03:00I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game.
03:06Colfer later found it included within the show's storyline.
03:09Similarly, speaking at PaleyFest,
03:12Cora Overstreet revealed the song Trouty Mouth was used on the show
03:15as part of a running joke Murphy had about his distinct features in real life.
03:20I love sucking on those salamander lips.
03:26Number 17.
03:27An extra leaked major spoilers on Twitter.
03:30Fans took the show seriously,
03:33but at times things could get out of hand,
03:35especially when spoilers were in the mix.
03:38Things took a dark turn when Nicole Crowther,
03:41an extra on the show,
03:42leaked the huge reveal that Kurt and Karofsky would be crowned prom queen and king on Twitter.
03:48I tweeted K is PQ and KA is PK.
03:53It was supposed to be like a funny little code
03:56and anybody who would watch the show would understand.
03:59Her post prompted a quick response from co-creator Brad Falchuk,
04:03who publicly admonished Crowther on the platform.
04:06This began a wave of intense online hate toward Crowther,
04:09including harassment and even death threats.
04:12As a result of the fallout,
04:14Crowther claimed she was effectively blacklisted from the entertainment industry.
04:18Her story resurfaced once more in 2016,
04:21this time highlighting how dangerously fan reactions had escalated.
04:25If it's not something that you want everyone in the world to see,
04:29or you think that everyone would be okay with you saying,
04:32you know, don't, don't, don't do it.
04:34Number 16.
04:35Lea Michelle and Naya Rivera's alleged feud.
04:38Santana and Rachel's love-hate dynamic has always stood out to many viewers.
04:43However, the docuseries The Price of Glee casts their rivalry in a different light.
04:48Glee's hair department head, Doug Kirkpatrick,
04:51claimed that Naya Rivera and Lea Michelle, quote,
04:54hated each other.
04:55And their constant competition was an open secret amongst the cast and crew.
04:59There was always a fight with them.
05:03Always.
05:03It's not uncommon.
05:04Everybody knew.
05:05Everybody saw it.
05:07They hated each other.
05:09Rewatching the season five episode Frenemies on the
05:12And That's What You Really Missed podcast,
05:15Kevin McHale felt the story setup was, quote,
05:17self-referential to the alleged tensions between the actors.
05:20You will never be able to scratch that itch.
05:23You will never be able to look down on me and redeem yourself
05:25because I was better than you then.
05:27And I'm always going to be better than you.
05:29You are short.
05:30You are awful.
05:31And that is never going to change.
05:33At the same time,
05:34McHale also clarified that the intensity of the feud was, quote,
05:38blown out of proportion.
05:40Number 15.
05:41The Original Script.
05:43Despite exploring heavy and sensitive topics,
05:46Glee's charm comes from its bright, satirical tone.
05:49But the original concept was far darker.
05:52Appearing on the And That's What You Really Missed podcast,
05:55Ryan Murphy revealed that co-creator Ian Brennan's initial script
05:59followed Will Schuster as a teacher with substance use disorder,
06:02who also engaged in inappropriate relationships with his students.
06:06You want to tell me how long you've had a drug problem?
06:08I don't even know who the chronic lady is.
06:10Murphy called it the NC-17 version of Show Choir,
06:13with a weird protagonist who was unraveling.
06:16If you can't picture Matthew Morrison playing such a role,
06:18then you're not alone.
06:20The character was written with Justin Timberlake in mind.
06:22Finding the story too dark,
06:24Murphy asked Brennan to pivot to a lighter tone,
06:27leading to the creation of Sue Sylvester as the show's main villain.
06:31And where do the Glee kids lie?
06:33Sub-basement.
06:35Number 14.
06:36Gwyneth Paltrow met her husband on the show.
06:39Despite being her first role on scripted television,
06:42Gwyneth Paltrow made a memorable impact as Holly Holiday,
06:45even winning an Emmy Award.
06:47I see you drive around town with the guy I love,
06:51and I might forget you.
06:54However, the role shaped her personal life more than her career,
06:58as the actress met her future husband,
07:00co-creator Brad Falchuk, on Glee.
07:03The pair met in 2010 when Paltrow made her debut,
07:05but didn't start dating until 2014,
07:07when she appeared for the final time.
07:09My girl wants to party all the time,
07:13party all the time,
07:14party all the time.
07:16Falchuk, who had finalized his divorce by then,
07:19didn't acknowledge the relationship until 2015,
07:22when he and Paltrow debuted as a couple
07:24at Robert Downey Jr.'s 50th birthday party.
07:27The pair married by 2018,
07:29and fans can catch Falchuk making the occasional appearance
07:32on Paltrow's Goop podcast.
07:35Number 13.
07:36Famous Names Who Nearly Appeared.
07:38From Oscar winners to Grammy-winning artists,
07:41Glee was never short of A-list star power.
07:44You're really hot.
07:45You're sweet.
07:46And your breath smells really good.
07:48So does yours.
07:49And you know why?
07:50Because this is a fantasy.
07:52Still, there were some big names
07:53that nearly made a trip down
07:55to William McKinley High School.
07:57Speaking on the
07:58And That's What You Really Missed podcast,
08:00Ryan Murphy revealed several major A-listers
08:02had reached out to appear on the show,
08:04including Whitney Houston,
08:06Anne Hathaway,
08:07Javier Bardem,
08:08and Jennifer Lopez.
08:10While these rumors did create buzz at the time,
08:12they ultimately never materialized
08:14due to scheduling issues.
08:16Although the show remains fabulous on its own,
08:18there's no doubt that stars of this caliber
08:20would have shot Glee's level of prestige
08:22through the roof.
08:23And I will always love you.
08:37Number 12, Chris Colfer's role was written for him.
08:41Before starring in Glee,
08:42Chris Colfer's only on-screen credit
08:44was a short film titled Russell Fish,
08:47The Sausage and Eggs Incident.
08:49But Ryan Murphy was instantly taken
08:51with the young actor,
08:52telling the Los Angeles Times
08:54that Colfer was so, quote,
08:55mind-blowing,
08:56that he carried himself like, quote,
08:58he'd been at Juilliard for six years.
09:08Colfer, who originally auditioned
09:10to play Artie Abrams,
09:12inspired Murphy,
09:13Brad Falchuk,
09:14and Ian Brennan
09:15to create Kurt Hummel
09:16specifically to include him on the show.
09:18As a result,
09:19a character named Rajesh
09:21was written out
09:22to retain the planned number of cast members.
09:24Their confidence paid off,
09:26as Kurt became one of Glee's
09:27biggest breakout characters,
09:29with Colfer also winning
09:30a Golden Globe Award
09:31for his performance.
09:44Number 11,
09:45huge production costs.
09:47Many fans wish Glee
09:49had lasted longer than six seasons,
09:51but given the mind-boggling cost
09:53it took to make just one episode,
09:55it's remarkable the show produced
09:56as many as 121.
10:06According to The Hollywood Reporter,
10:09a single episode of the first season
10:10cost between $3.2 to $3.8 million.
10:14This increased by 20% each season
10:17to accommodate staff salaries,
10:19among other production overheads.
10:21The price tag for special episodes
10:23could jump twice as high.
10:25The New York set's
10:26second season finale
10:27reportedly carried a $6 million budget.
10:32I made it.
10:34Music licensing was one of the major cost drivers,
10:38with a reported $100,000 per episode
10:40just to secure the rights alone.
10:43Number 10,
10:44Matthew Morrison is less than four years older
10:46than some of his students.
10:48It's no secret that Hollywood
10:50often casts much older actors
10:52as high school students.
10:53And Glee was no different,
10:54as various actors portraying
10:56the students of McKinley
10:57were only a few years younger than Mr. Shoe.
10:59I honestly thought that was the end
11:01of the very brief fever dream
11:03that was New Directions.
11:05And even as I wander,
11:07I'm keeping you in sight.
11:09Matthew Morrison was born in October 1978,
11:12making him nearly 31 years old,
11:15when the extended pilot aired
11:16in September 2009.
11:18Harry Shum Jr. was born in April 1982,
11:21and Cory Monteith in May 1982,
11:24making them less than four years younger
11:26than their fictional teacher.
11:27As if you couldn't tell.
11:29Number 9,
11:30Kristen Chenoweth was everyone's favorite guest star.
11:33Hiya, hot stuff.
11:35Hey, April.
11:36Um, come in.
11:38What's with the,
11:39what's with the duffel bag?
11:40Kristen Chenoweth is theater royalty,
11:42so it only makes sense
11:44she'd nail her time on Glee.
11:46She's our newest member.
11:48Wait, so old people can join Glee Club now?
11:51When the cast attended Paley Fest,
11:53Amber Riley admitted that Kristen Chenoweth
11:55was everyone's favorite guest star,
11:56and this show had a lot of freaking guest stars.
11:59Amber revealed that Chenoweth
12:01was always very energetic and happy,
12:03and that she often brought gifts
12:04for her fellow actors.
12:05But it taught me to love
12:10So it's real, real, real
12:15She has the voice of an angel,
12:17she's beautiful,
12:18she's a great actor,
12:19and she's seemingly a fantastic
12:20and encouraging person to be around.
12:22Is Kristen Chenoweth the perfect person?
12:25April should stay.
12:26I worship her.
12:27Number 8,
12:28some of the actors' audition songs
12:29were used for their characters' audition songs.
12:32A world that's full of happiness
12:34that I have never known.
12:42When it comes to filming,
12:44why not stick with what works?
12:45We imagine that this is what Ryan Murphy,
12:48Brad Falchuk,
12:49and Ian Brennan
12:49figured when it came to their actors
12:51Leah Michelle and Chris Colfer.
12:53Leah Michelle auditioned for Glee
12:54by singing On My Own
12:55from Les Miserables,
12:57while Chris Colfer auditioned
12:58with Mr. Cellophane from Chicago.
13:00In the pilot,
13:01Rachel sings On My Own
13:02for her New Directions audition,
13:04while Kurt sings,
13:05you guessed it,
13:06Mr. Cellophane.
13:08Cellophane,
13:09Mr. Cellophane,
13:11should have been my name,
13:13Mr. Cellophane.
13:15It's a neat little case of art
13:16imitating life,
13:17even if it was planned.
13:19When do we start rehearsals?
13:20Number 7,
13:21Chris Colfer had his first drink
13:23during filming.
13:24Smells like my Aunt Mildred.
13:25Just drink it.
13:29Sweet.
13:30With a bit of an afterburn-y taste.
13:32Oh, good.
13:32Shelly should always have a little bite.
13:34Everyone remembers their first proper drink.
13:37Well, maybe not everyone.
13:38Some nights get a little wild.
13:40During PaleyFest in 2015,
13:42the cast revealed some behind-the-scenes secrets
13:44from their five-plus years of filming.
13:46It was at Kevin's apartment
13:48with Jenna and Amber.
13:51During the discussion,
13:53Chris Colfer revealed
13:54that he had his very first drink
13:55while filming Glee
13:56at Kevin McHale's apartment.
13:58At the time,
13:59he was with Amber Riley
14:00and Jenna Ushkowitz.
14:01Before you jump to any conclusions,
14:03he doesn't reveal
14:04when during filming
14:05he had the drink.
14:06If it was during season one
14:07in 2009, however,
14:09then that would have made
14:10Colfer only 19 years old.
14:11Hey, it is so cool
14:13that you and Kurt
14:14are brothers, right?
14:18Brothers!
14:19Wow!
14:20So tall!
14:23You having fun playing?
14:25Number 6.
14:25Heather Morris
14:26was not supposed to be an actor.
14:28Hey, hey, hey!
14:29All my people on the floor
14:31Let me see you down here
14:33All my people wanting more
14:35Let me see you down here
14:37Heather Morris' Brittany
14:38was one of the show's
14:39breakout characters.
14:40Her role began rather small
14:42but her ridiculous statements,
14:44unbelievable stupidity
14:45and hilarious monotone delivery
14:47made her an instant fan favorite.
14:49I know I'm more talented
14:50than all of you.
14:51Britney Spears taught me that.
14:52And to think,
14:53this may have never been.
14:54At the time,
14:56Heather Morris
14:56was a professional dancer
14:57who had danced with Beyoncé
14:59during her Beyoncé Experience
15:00world tour in 2007.
15:02Glee choreographer
15:03Zach Woodley took notice
15:04and Morris was brought on
15:05to teach the cast
15:06the single ladies dance.
15:17It just so happened
15:18that the producers
15:18were looking for a third cheerio
15:20and Morris showed interest.
15:22She landed the gig
15:23and the rest is history.
15:24I'm just trying to find out why
15:26cause dance is what I love.
15:28Now watch me.
15:29Number 5.
15:30Diana Agron was cast
15:31the night before filming.
15:33A moment I wake up
15:36before I put on my makeup
15:39I say a little prayer for you.
15:43Have you ever received
15:44a phone call stating
15:45that you start at your new job
15:46the very next day?
15:47How about like
15:48several hours before?
15:49This was the case
15:50that Diana Agron
15:51found herself in.
15:52Christ Crusaders
15:52tonight at 5.
15:53My host.
15:54Sounds great.
15:56The producers
15:57had an immense amount
15:58of difficulty casting Quinn
15:59and they didn't have
16:00an actress the night
16:01before filming
16:01was set to begin.
16:03Diana Agron auditioned
16:04and got the role
16:05and she was quickly shipped off
16:06to set the following day.
16:07To make matters worse
16:08her first day of filming
16:10involved making out
16:11with Cory Monteith
16:11and Agron was so nervous
16:13that she couldn't focus.
16:15Let's pray.
16:17Oh no!
16:18Number 4.
16:19Ryan Murphy
16:20has a lot of regrets
16:21concerning the show.
16:22One thing I always do
16:23is just tell actors
16:24that I'm as afraid
16:25as they are
16:26you know
16:27because I can sense it
16:28and I feel it too.
16:29Sometimes we all wish
16:30we could go back
16:31and do things
16:32a little differently.
16:33While talking
16:33with The Hollywood Reporter
16:34Ryan Murphy admitted
16:36that his cast
16:37could never keep it together
16:38and that quote
16:39to this day
16:40he's devastated
16:41by everything
16:42that happened
16:42with that show.
16:43That show was
16:45just a sh**
16:46of difficulty
16:48largely because
16:49what do you do
16:49when you're 18 years old
16:51or 19 years old
16:52and you wake up
16:52the next day
16:53and you're world famous.
16:54Murphy states
16:54that he regrets
16:55the way he treated
16:56some of his actors
16:57and that various cast members
16:59left the show
16:59and Murphy
17:00on less than ideal terms.
17:02Knocked up again
17:02slut.
17:05Stop the violence.
17:09Hey hey hey
17:10what is this?
17:11What happened to
17:11this being a family?
17:12Hey.
17:13Oh please.
17:13She has a family.
17:14She's a mother.
17:15He also feels
17:16that he didn't handle
17:17the personal drama
17:18between actors
17:18particularly well
17:19and that Cory Monteith's death
17:21had a major effect
17:22on both him
17:23and the cast.
17:24Number 3
17:25Lea Michele
17:26was in a car accident
17:27right before her audition.
17:28My first audition
17:29was a disaster.
17:30Now this is like
17:31something out of a movie.
17:33In a special feature
17:34of the season 1 DVD
17:35Lea Michele admits
17:36that she was in a nasty
17:37car accident
17:38right outside the Fox studio.
17:40According to Lea
17:41she totaled her car
17:42and was literally
17:43pulling glass from her hair
17:45as she stepped
17:45into the audition room
17:46prompting everyone
17:47to ask if she was alright.
17:49Apparently she was
17:50because she totally
17:51nailed on my own
17:52and secured the role
17:53of Rachel,
17:54totaled car,
17:54glass hair
17:55and all.
17:56It's just
17:57it's really hard
17:58being a star.
18:00Number 2
18:00Darren Criss
18:01auditioned for the role
18:02of Finn.
18:03I cut my hair
18:03I usually have
18:03very long shaggy hair
18:04I cut my hair
18:05to try to get this part
18:07I wouldn't have told
18:07anybody
18:08that I cut my hair
18:09for an audition
18:09if I didn't get it.
18:10It's amazing
18:11how many breakout characters
18:12came about
18:13through sheer luck.
18:14Like Heather Morris
18:15and Brittany
18:15Darren Criss's Blaine
18:16was one of the show's
18:17biggest breakout stars
18:18and arguably
18:19the best post-season
18:21one addition to the show.
18:30However,
18:31Criss originally
18:32auditioned for the role
18:33of Finn
18:33although he admits
18:35that it was a long shot
18:35and that he wouldn't
18:36have cast himself
18:37in the role.
18:38I went out for Finn
18:38which at the time
18:39was a very different character
18:40and you know
18:41I'm not a small guy
18:42I'm not a football player
18:42I would never cast me
18:44as Finn.
18:45Luckily for Criss
18:46the casting director
18:47remembered his audition
18:48and thought that he would
18:49be perfect for the role
18:50of Blaine.
18:50Criss auditioned for Blaine
18:52on a Friday
18:52got the role
18:53and started work
18:54the next Monday.
18:55Don't make a sound
18:56I made me use a head
18:58I wish it all
18:59I need to understand
19:01Yeah
19:02I got sound
19:12Before we continue
19:14check out this single
19:15from Sound Mojo's album
19:16current
19:16EDM Transformed
19:18check out the full track
19:19and album below
19:341. Ryan Murphy
19:36had to implement
19:37a no hookups rule
19:38on set
19:38With those abs
19:39you could be my very own situation
19:43What can we say?
19:45Young adults
19:45will be young adults
19:46According to Ryan Murphy
19:48he had to implement
19:49a no hookups rule on set
19:50which meant
19:51no sex in the trailers
19:52I wished I had known
19:53that fact
19:55when I was doing
19:56some of my other shows
19:57because I would have been
19:57a better psychologist
19:58to those actors
19:59According to Murphy
20:00the rule was implemented
20:01to stymie any awkward hookups
20:03and resulting drama
20:04stop potential romances
20:06from developing
20:07and to maintain
20:08professional discipline
20:09on his set
20:09Unfortunately
20:10some actors
20:11didn't adhere to the rule
20:12with Murphy stating that
20:14quote
20:14they've broken that rule
20:15on many occasions
20:24Although he never revealed
20:25who had been hooking up
20:26he admitted to feeling
20:28like a father on set
20:29from trying to control
20:30a bunch of what was like
20:31hormonal teenagers
20:38Can you think of
20:40any other glee facts
20:41you'd have liked to see
20:42on this list?
20:43Let us know
20:43in the comments
20:49you're listening to the show
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