Lea Michele Shuts Down Reading Rumors—On Air

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Lea Michele has officially had enough of the years-long internet joke questioning her ability to read—and this time, she came with receipts.

The Glee star made a recent appearance on Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast, where she read notecards live during a segment called “Tell Me What’s Wrong.” The cold read was her way of directly addressing (and mocking) the persistent online rumor that she’s illiterate—a conspiracy theory that has followed her for years.

Reading a notecard aloud with ease, Michele joked, “Jonathan Groff isn’t here to read me this s--t,” before flawlessly delivering the contents of the card: “I placed first in my debate competition and qualified for nationals.” She even leaned into the joke, teasing host Jake Shane with, “What does this word say?” mid-sentence.

Still, Michele acknowledged that even with evidence, some may not be convinced. “The theories are going to be like, ‘Jake called her in advance… she memorized it,’” she said.

Though Shane described the meme as “camp” and “out of love from the gay community,” Michele admitted it doesn’t always feel lighthearted. “Sometimes I think it's crazy that people care enough about me that they would make up something,” she said. “And then there are moments where I f--king get so frustrated by it.”

Michele explained that the rumor feels especially dismissive of her background. “I’m one of the only women in my whole family to get accepted to college. My mother’s family was extremely poor from the Bronx... My parents moved me to New Jersey so I could get a good education and thrive—and I did.”

The Broadway star, now a mother of two, also reminded listeners that she was a champion high school debater: “I placed first at a debate competition and qualified for nationals. For everyone who thinks I can't f--king read, I was on the debate team. I would write speeches.”

While the rumor may have started as satire, Michele’s response was a clear—and personal—effort to reclaim the narrative.