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Ever since Glee took over our TV screens — and tarnished certain beloved songs—Lea Michele continues to be one of the show’s names we’ll never forget. And now, the actress is on everyone’s lips yet again.
The internet is no stranger to bizarre conspiracy theories, and now social media is espousing that the polarising Michele is secretly illiterate — despite her writing a book, appearing on multiple televisions shows and starring in countless Broadway productions.
Michele herself has even addressed the controversy, as recently as in May 2025, but has failed to give fans what they believe to be concrete proof that Michele can read without assistance.
Compared to other wild internet theories (see: that Anne Hathaway is actually a cannibal tweet), this one seems pretty harmless, especially considering what Michele has said about the rumours in the past.
Back in 2022, a former co-star of Michele’s has addressed the rumours herself, and this week, she has responded to the relentless rumours yet again.
Below, everything you need to know about the wild ‘Lea Michele is illiterate’ theory in one place.
What Started The ‘Lea Michele Is Illiterate Theory’?
If we cast our minds back to February of 2022, you’ll remember that Broadway stans were up in arms after Beanie Feldstein was cast over one miss Lea Michele as the lead in the musical Funny Girl. Of course, with Michele’s entire filmography practically an entire audition reel for the iconic role of Fanny Brice — see: her countless renditions of “Don’t Rain On My Parade” — people were surprised to see the directors usurp Michele by their casting choices
But as we know, the racism allegations against Michele by previous co-stars, who claim she used “micro aggressions” against people of colour on set, probably didn’t win her any favour with the casting directors.
Following the controversy surrounding the actor, it’s theorised that it was this reason why Booksmart‘s Beanie Feldstein was chosen to lead the latest production of Funny Girl instead.
Coincidentally, a HBO documentary to celebrate 15 years since Spring Awakening took to Broadway, was released on the same day as Funny Girl‘s opening night.
Naturally, Twitter joked that the double-up was the work of the Glee alum. But why? Well, Michele took part in some very, uh, interesting interviews to promote the documentary, leaving the internet to believe that she did so to distract from Funny Girl.
But it was one of those interviews which has garnered the most attention online. In the interview, Michele explains how she showed Spring Awakening co-star (and real-life BFF Jonathan Groff) her private area with a desk lamp to “give him an illustrative lesson and satisfy his curiosity in the female anatomy as a gay man with no practical knowledge of its particulars”.
Of course, the internet was set ablaze and an old theory about Michele’s literacy — or lack thereof — was resurrected.
Is Lea Michele Actually Illiterate?
The theory itself may not be new, but in 2022, it was brought back to life on Twitter, simply because of how wild it is. For those who need a refresher, back in 2018, Twitter was sent into a tailspin after a 40-minute video was released, titled ‘Lea Michele Is Illiterate’.
Created by Jaye Hunt and Robert Ackerman for their podcast One More Thing, the video has since been taken down but thanks to TikTok user @kelseylikesthings, they summarised the entirety of the video.
According to TikTok, the old video theorised that because Michele spent her childhood on Broadway, she was thrown into fame and apparently wouldn’t have had time to go to school to learn how to read and write.
The claims also insinuate that the reason Michele tends to only appear in Ryan Murphy’s productions is because he agreed to feed her lines on set, making it easier for her to remember.
Another popular theory claims that her assistant has control over her social media, with fans arguing that whenever her Instagram captions are made up of only emojis, it’s written by Michele and when there’s a sentence, it’s her personal assistant.
Fans have also called out photos of Michele signing books, pointing out that her pen never touches the page, and hovers above it. And as for her book, Brunette Ambition, fans also explained that the work is limited on words and is filled with mostly photos, recipes and workouts.
Has Lea Michele Responded To The Illiterate Theory?
Of course, there’s no confirmation on the theory, simply just speculation.
In fact, Michele herself even addressed the theory back in 2018, sharing a tweet where she laughs it off.
“Loved READING this tweet and wanted to WRITE you back. Literally laughing out loud at all this. Love you!!,” she wrote in a tweet, which no longer exists after she deleted the platform in 2020.
In 2022, she also addressed the rumour in an interview with Rolling Stone while on the press tour for Funny Girl. When asked about the theories about her being unable to read and write, she was quick to shut it down.
“I went to Glee every single day; I knew my lines every single day,” she told the publication. “And then there’s a rumour online that I can’t read or write? It’s sad. It really is. I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn’t be the case.”
Fast forward to 2025, and Michele has been forced to address the rumour yet again. While appearing on Jake Shane’s podcast, Therapuss, she was keen to set the record straight. “For everyone who thinks that I can’t fucking read, I was on the debate team,” Michele said. “I would write speeches.”
It’s long been speculated whether Michele was in on the joke or if it bothers her, and she explained that it “depends on the day”. “Sometimes I think it’s crazy that people care enough about me that they would make up something,” she told Shane. “That someone has so little to do in their life — in their day — that they would waste it on me is hilarious to me. And then there are moments where I fucking get so frustrated by it because I’m one of the only women in my whole family to get accepted to college.”
Well, there you have it. Despite being denied by Michele herself, the internet still isn’t convinced that the theory isn’t true. But will we ever truly know? Likely not.
Who Else Has Spoken About The Lea Michele Illiterate Theory?
Once upon a time, even Emma Roberts entered the chat. Michele’s former Scream Queens co-star has weighed in on the wild conspiracy theory to further add fuel to the already incendiary fire.
While appearing on Watch What Happens Live, Andy Cohen prompted Roberts to answer what was Michele’s biggest conception. While she didn’t exactly address the theory, Cohen asked her if the misconception was around the illiteracy conspiracy.
Roberts responded like the savage queen she is, saying: “I mean, we have not been in a book club together, but… no”.
Modern Family alumni Julie Bowen, who also appeared on the show alongside Roberts, added: “Why is reading so important, goddamnit? Let her not read if that’s what she wants”.
Perhaps Bowen is right and Michele has just quiet quit on reading. Honestly, same.
The post Lea Michele Has Addressed That 2018 Conspiracy Theory Once And For All appeared first on ELLE.
