Jonathan Groff Addresses Rumor His BFF Lea Michele Can’t Read

Jonathan Groff is finding glee in the absurdity of conspiracy theories.

The Tony-winning performer spoke out on the internet-fueled rumors that claim his best friend Lea Michele can't read.

While appearing on the Oct. 10 episode of the Tactful Pettiness podcast, Jonathan was asked if he'd heard "the rumor about Lea Michele."

"That she can't read?" he responded. "Of course."

The 39-year-old then laughed as hosts Cody Rigsby and Andrew Chappelle peppered him with questions like whether he'd ever seen her read, when he'd seen her reading and what she was reading when he witnessed her in the act.

"I have seen her read," Jonathan said. "Oh, my god. LOL. Wait, do you really think she can't read? How does that even get started?"

The cohosted replied that "of course" they don't actually believe the rumor, but they "do want to know when [he's] seen her read."

"Did you see her reading the music stand?" Andrew asked. "Like, was she reading her lines, or did she come in off book?"

"That's a great example!" Jonathan laughed. "No, she did not come in off book. Oh, my god, that's so funny."

And once and for all, Jonathan added, "Let it be known. We're dispelling it."

The rumor about the Glee star stems from a 2017 episode of the One More Thing in which it was theorized as to why, as Lea's late co-star Naya Rivera claimed in her memoir, Lea refused to improvise on the show.

In the years since, the joke has picked up steam online and subsequently become more of an actual rumor.

And, while this was Jonathan's first time addressing the claim, Lea has alluded to the theory many times now—even invoking Jonathan's name on one occasion.

In one of her first ever TikTok videos posted in September 2022, Lea poked fun at the rumor while lip-syncing to the viral Kim Kardashian sound, "Hey, can you talk for a sec?" She hilariously wrote, "calling Jonathan to read me the comments on my first TikTok," on the cheeky clip.

Earlier that month, though, Lea had taken a more serious approach to discussing the rumor.

"I went to Glee every single day; I knew my lines every single day," the Funny Girl star told the New York Times at the time. "And then there's a rumor 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."

Two months later, she continued to joke around with the theory, however, responding to a fan's TikTok comment that said, "how is she looking younger?! they blessed her with those gooddd genes," by writing, "These are the comments I like to READ."

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