And that's what you missed last time on "Glee." For this list, we’ll be looking at the saddest and/or most shocking things that happened involving the cast and crew of the hit series.
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00:00 "I'm okay. I mean, I'm really not okay, but yeah, I'm okay."
00:09 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're exploring Glee, the behind-the-scenes scandals and tragedies.
00:16 "Hey roomies, talking about me?"
00:19 "No, why would you think that?"
00:20 For this list, we'll be looking at the saddest and/or most shocking things that happened
00:25 involving the cast and crew of the hit series.
00:29 Exclusive topics will be discussed, so we're issuing a content warning.
00:33 Did you know about these real-life events that affected the Glee gang?
00:37 Let us know in the comments.
00:40 Matthew Morrison kicked off the "So You Think You Can Dance" judging panel.
00:44 "You run over there without a second to lose, and what comes next, hey, bust the move."
00:48 Morrison played Will Schuster on Glee.
00:51 The character never held back from showing off his moves, whether that was to his students,
00:56 the school as a whole, or his love interests.
00:59 So we weren't surprised to see Morrison land a gig as a judge on "So You Think You Can
01:03 Dance" in 2022.
01:05 However, to the shock of many, this new job didn't last long, as he was reportedly fired
01:11 in May of that year, before the 17th season was even done filming.
01:16 After he had an inappropriate relationship with a female contestant.
01:19 The source says they didn't have sex, but he reached out to her through flirty direct
01:23 messages on social media.
01:24 She felt uncomfortable and went to producers, who then got Foxx involved.
01:28 Morrison defended himself, stating he had only initiated contact to help the dancer
01:33 get a choreographing job.
01:35 However, the damage was done, and he did not return to the show.
01:39 "Matthew has previous experience working on dance shows in the UK, where collaborating
01:44 with contestants was encouraged.
01:46 He didn't think this was going to be an issue."
01:49 Deaths of crew members.
01:51 The folks who work behind the scenes on any TV show tend to be less well-known than those
01:56 we see on camera, but they're the backbone of the industry.
02:00 Unfortunately, the Glee crew has faced numerous losses over the years.
02:04 "I know what it's like to lose someone.
02:07 When someone dies, it hurts."
02:09 One of the Riggers took his own life.
02:11 A production assistant, Nancy Motes, who was Julia Roberts' half-sister, also took her
02:17 own life in 2014.
02:19 Then there was Matthew Morrison's stand-in, Mark Watson, who passed due to a car fire.
02:24 And one of the series' assistant directors, Jim Fuller, sadly died of a heart attack,
02:30 as did one of the show's prop workers.
02:32 "It feels like a piece of me has been ripped off.
02:37 Just one more time, I want to hold her."
02:39 The death of Matt Bendick.
02:41 Not all of the tragedies involving the show happened directly to the stars and crew members.
02:47 Sadly, some also happened to their loved ones.
02:50 "I understand what it feels like to have something like that happen to you and feel
02:55 like nobody understands."
02:57 Becca Tobin, who played Kitty Wild, experienced a big heartache in 2014 when her boyfriend,
03:03 entrepreneur Matt Bendick, unexpectedly passed.
03:07 He was in his 30s at the time.
03:09 "Those who knew the couple say they were very much in love.
03:13 Their future was bright.
03:14 Bendick ran several major clubs around the country.
03:17 He was a managing partner of DBA Hollywood, which today posted a sign that said, 'We
03:22 love you, Matt.'"
03:23 While the cause was initially difficult to determine, reports later speculated that he
03:27 died from a heart attack.
03:29 We can only imagine the grief Tobin experienced at the time.
03:33 Thankfully, she's since found love again and started a family.
03:36 "I now pronounce you husband and wife, partners in life, and each other's best friend.
03:40 Make out now!"
03:41 "Like I do.
03:42 No one's gonna love you like I do."
03:47 Lea Michele and Naya Rivera's feud.
03:49 "I just got you on the cover of New York Magazine!"
03:52 "In the background.
03:53 You were practically glowing about it."
03:55 "That's because I accomplished something.
03:56 It had nothing to do with you."
03:57 "No, see, it actually has everything to do with me."
04:00 Rachel Berry and Santana Lopez had a tumultuous friendship throughout the show's run, and
04:06 it seems like life may have imitated art with Lea Michele and Naya Rivera.
04:10 In Rivera's book, she talked about the complex bond she had with her co-star, and it seemed
04:15 like their on-screen relationship mirrored their real-life one.
04:19 "When two people with strong personalities are friends, or in any kind of relationship,
04:24 they're eventually going to clash.
04:26 And maybe they'll get over it, maybe they won't.
04:29 Lea and I didn't."
04:31 Rivera's father has also reported that she and Michele, quote, "hated each other."
04:35 It seems they were both ambitious, assertive, and talented enough to resent and respect
04:40 one another.
04:41 It was also revealed that Rivera wasn't the only one who struggled to get along with
04:45 Michele, but more on that later.
04:47 "You are short, you are awful, and that is never gonna change."
04:51 Blake Jenner's arrest
04:53 Blake Jenner played Ryder Lynn starting on the fourth season of Glee.
04:57 But in the years since the show's series finale, Jenner has been in the news for many
05:01 negative reasons.
05:02 "Police say that during the traffic stop, Blake displayed, quote, 'objective signs
05:07 and symptoms of alcohol intoxication,' and was asked to perform a series of standardized
05:12 field sobriety tests, to which he, quote, 'did not perform the test as demonstrated
05:16 and instructed.'"
05:17 In 2022, he was arrested and charged with a DUI.
05:21 His blood alcohol level was over the legal limit when he was caught missing a red light,
05:26 but he was let go the same day.
05:28 "Blake will be required to appear in court at a later date."
05:31 Though he never got any jail time, he was reportedly sentenced to probation and counseling.
05:36 This was actually the second time he had faced such a charge.
05:40 The first occurred in 2014.
05:42 "Ryder just needs to apply himself.
05:45 Ryder's smart, he just needs to work harder.
05:47 Focus, get it together, man up."
05:50 Claims against Lea Michele
05:52 Rachel Berry was not an easy person to work with.
05:55 Even though some people loved her, there were seemingly twice as many who hated her.
05:59 "You have sold half the people in this room, down the river more times than I can count,
06:04 so that you can get a solo or the lead in a musical, and I'm pretty sure that you
06:07 don't know the names of the other half of the people."
06:09 "That's not true."
06:10 Unfortunately, it seems things were similar behind the scenes with the actress who played
06:14 her, Lea Michele.
06:16 Samantha Marie Ware, who played Jane on season six of the show, spoke about numerous, quote,
06:22 "traumatic microaggressions" she experienced from Michele.
06:25 "Lea once threatened to have her fired after Samantha goofed around off camera when Lea
06:30 was filming a performance scene, but she doesn't believe Lea would have followed through,"
06:34 adding that when she tried to speak up for herself after the incident, Lea told her to,
06:38 quote, "shut her mouth" and said Samantha didn't deserve to have her job.
06:42 Many former Glee stars, including Heather Morris, who played Brittany S. Pierce, agreed
06:47 that the star was rude and awful to work with.
06:50 Michele, for her part, has since apologized.
06:52 "I apologize for my behavior and for any pain which I have caused.
06:56 We all can grow and change and I've definitely used these past several months to reflect
07:00 on my own shortcomings."
07:02 Melissa Benoist's revelations
07:04 Melissa Benoist and Blake Jenner divorced a few years after Glee wrapped, with the split
07:09 being finalized in 2017.
07:12 In 2019, she came forward to share her heartbreaking experiences.
07:16 "I am a survivor of domestic violence or IPV, intimate partner violence, which is something
07:23 I never in my life expected, I would say, let alone be broadcasting into the ether."
07:27 The actress chronicled a number of injuries she sustained during an abusive relationship.
07:32 Though she didn't explicitly mention Jenner by name, she didn't need to.
07:37 The timeline and details made it clear who she was referring to, and Jenner didn't
07:42 deny it.
07:43 "I take full responsibility and accountability for the hurt that I inflicted during my relationship
07:48 with my past partner, emotionally, mentally, and yes, physically, I am sorry."
07:53 Benoist has since remarried and welcomed a child, and has talked about her recovery journey.
07:59 Her openness is sure to help countless people feel seen, and we hope only good things are
08:04 coming for her.
08:05 "I still come up against obstacles and that's normal and whenever I do, I cross that bridge
08:11 when I come to it."
08:12 The death of Naya Rivera
08:14 Santana Lopez was one of the most popular and beloved characters on the show, and fans
08:19 came to admire both her and the actress portraying her.
08:23 Unfortunately, Naya Rivera passed away in 2020, and the devastating news hit everyone
08:29 hard.
08:30 She and her son Josie went boating in July, but she was declared missing when they didn't
08:35 come back as expected.
08:37 While he was thankfully found soon after on the boat they had rented, the search for her
08:41 continued.
08:42 "For five grueling days, rescue teams searched day and night.
08:46 The Glee family holding vigil lakeside."
08:48 Sadly, it was ultimately revealed that she didn't make it, having gotten caught in what
08:53 was most likely a rip current.
08:55 The immense showings of love that followed for the late actress and her family remain
08:59 a testament to her legacy.
09:01 "My sister, even though she was acting, was touching people's real lives and helping
09:10 them become who they really are."
09:13 The death of Corey Monteith
09:15 In 2013, Corey Monteith, who brought Finn to life on the musical series, passed away.
09:21 He had substance use disorder and faced a relapse after years of sobriety.
09:26 He entered a rehabilitation facility, but sadly died a few months later in July.
09:31 Daff became worried when Monteith failed to check out on time and found the star's body
09:36 unresponsive in his room.
09:38 The Glee episode that pays tribute to his character is titled "The Quarterback" and
09:42 is the most gut-wrenching of the series.
09:45 We can barely hold back tears while watching it.
09:48 "He's dead.
09:49 And all we've got left is his voice in our head."
09:54 The show talks about remembering how he lived rather than how he died, and it's clear
09:59 by the reaction following his passing that he was truly loved, and made a hugely positive
10:05 impact.
10:06 "He was the first cool kid to be nice to any of us, and he was our leader in here.
10:15 We love you, Finn."
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10:33 Mark Salling's arrest and death
10:36 Mark Salling was the person behind Glee's Noah Puckerman, a football player and member
10:40 of the New Directions.
10:42 In a disturbing turn of events, he was charged with assault in 2013.
10:46 This suit ended in a settlement.
10:48 However, in 2015, he was taken into custody as authorities had reason to believe he was
10:54 in possession of illegal materials involving minors.
10:57 "Mark Salling wouldn't answer the door.
10:59 They had to use a battering ram to get into his place.
11:02 Secondly, when asked to hand over his password to some of his devices, he refused to do it."
11:08 Their suspicions were subsequently confirmed upon investigation, and he was indicted in
11:13 2016.
11:15 Salling proceeded to plead guilty the following year.
11:17 He took his own life in 2018, shortly before he was supposed to be sentenced.
11:22 Last month, Salling entered a guilty plea to the charges and agreed to serve between
11:26 four and seven years in prison.
11:28 [Outro]