Glee Cast: Where Are They Now?
GLEE was a hit musical TV show which took the world by storm with its mash-ups and quirky storylines.
But behind closed doors many of the cast were struggling with inner battles which has lead to many thinking the series might be cursed.
Glee Cast: Where Are They Now?
Glee first hit our screens back in 2009 and with it came a whole host of fresh faced actors.
But as the show’s popularity grew, so did the status of the stars of the show – with some finding it a struggle to cope with their new found fame.
The show came to an end in 2015 after six series.
While some the stars of the show went on to great things, for others, they have become known for their tragic demise.
Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez
Originally a child star, the 33-year-old actress got her first big break in the US sit-com, The Royal Family – not to be confused with Britain’s The Royle Family.
The actress landed the role of Hilary Winston in the show at the age of four, starring opposite legendary actor and comic, Redd Foxx.
Naya‘s next big break didn’t come until 2009 when she landed the role of the ice queen cheerleader, Santana Lopez, in Glee.
The Fox musical comedy and drama was an instant hit and shot the cast to worldwide fame.
Now: The former Glee star, 33, vanished during a boat trip in , with her son Josey, four, on Wednesday – and is now presumed dead.
Officials said Naya‘s told them that he and his mother were swimming in the lake.
The boy said that .
Cops said it’s unclear how long it could take to find a body in the water, but said Rivera is presumed dead.
If the star’s body is “entangled in something under the water, the body might never come up,” Sergeant Kevin Donoghue said.
Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson
Cory was born May 11, 1982, and was a Canadian actor.
He had minor roles on TV before an audition tape of him singing Can’t Fight This Feeling resulted in him being cast on Glee in 2009.
The show was an instant hit and turned him into a worldwide star and a teen pinup.
Following his success on Glee, Corey’s film work included the movie Monte Carlo and a starring role in Sisters & Brothers.
Now: Cory was found dead in a hotel room in Canada on July 13, 2013.
He died of an accidental overdose of heroin combined with alcohol.
Just weeks before his death he had completed a stint at rehab after being blighted by drug addiction for much of life.
Mark Salling as Noah “Puck” Puckerman
Mark Salling was born in Dallas, Texas, on August 17, 1982, and was raised in a “strict Christian home”.
He graduated from high school in 2001, before attending the Los Angeles Academy College of Music, where he gave guitar lessons to make a living.
After roles in films Children Of The Corn IV and The Graveyard, Salling was cast in the TV show Glee in 2008, playing American football star Noah “Puck” Puckerman.
During his six seasons on the show, his performances led to Salling being nominated for a Teen Choice Award for male Breakout Star.
Now: On January 30, 2018, a few weeks before he was due to be jailed for possession of 50,000 child abuse images, he killed himself.
The actor, could have been dead for some time before his body was found near an LA baseball field – he had hung himself.
Lea Michele as Rachel Berry
At just eight-years-old, theatre lover Lea landed her first ever role on Broadway.
Remarkably, young Lea only auditioned for Les Miserables to support one of her friends – but she managed to land the role of young Cosette herself.
Talented Lea played the part of Rachel Berry in Glee from 2009 through to 2015, acting as the lead actress of the ensemble cast.
Thanks to her role on the show, she scooped a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in the category Television Series Musical or Comedy.
Now: Lea is currently (as of July 20202) expecting her first child with her husband Zandy Reich.
But she has faced her own backlash.
In June 2020, Michele displayed mean behaviour and was “unpleasant” to work with throughout the filming of the show.
Her co-star Samantha Ware took to Twitter to voice her frustrations, claiming Michele was “racist” and made the extras working on the set feel as though they were “nothing.”
Ware played Jane Hayward in Glee and claimed that Michele made her life on set a “living hell.”
Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce
Heather is an American actress, dancer, singer and model born February 1, 1987.
She competed at a young age in a variety of styles including jazz, tap, and contemporary.
She toured as a dancer with Britney and with Beyoncé prior to joining Glee.
Now: After Glee ,Heather competed on season 24 of Dancing With the Stars with Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
In May 2015, Morris married longtime boyfriend Taylor Hubbel in Topanga, California.
The couple has two sons, Elijah (born in 2013) and Owen (born in 2016).
Heather is also the host of a podcast called The Dance Room.
Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams
Kevin is a 32-year-old American actor and singer who is best known for Glee.
Before that he was known for being in the boyband NLT (Not Like Them) from 2006 until 2009.After Glee he hosted E4 show Virtually Famous.
He is known for his show Sick of My Own Voice on US station Dash Radio.
Now: In 2019 Kevin was back on the box in X Factor: Celebrity.
After being in the sing off with Vinnie Jones, Kevin lost his place on the show on November 16, 2019.
Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester
Born October 30, 1978, Matthew has become a star of stage and screen over the course of his career.
Raised in California, he currently lives in New York, and became a performer on Broadway during his college years.
Since then he has appeared in some of the world’s best known musicals including Hairspray and Footloose.
Now: After Glee, Matthew played J.M. Barrie in a Broadway production of Finding Neverland from 2015 to 2016.
You might have also seen him in Younger, The Good Wife, and Grey’s Anatomy.
In 2019 Most recently, he appeared in American Horror Story and the BBC’s The Greatest Dancer.
Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson
Darren made his TV debut as the character Josh Burton in the fantasy comedy series Eastwick in 2009.
He is best known for his role as gay student Blaine in the popular song-filled TV series Glee.
In the show, he fronted the music group The Warblers which have sold over 1.3 million tracks.
In 2015 he was nominated for an Emmy award for writing the song This Time which appeared in the Glee season finale.
Now: Darren is probably one of the most successful stars to come out of the show.
In 2018 he won praise for his role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
Then in 2020 he had a starring role in Netflix’s smash hit show Hollywood.