Jane Lynch: Leaving ‘Funny Girl’ early has ‘nothing to do with’ Lea Michele
Jane Lynch still has love for Lea Michele.
The comedian insisted her early departure from Broadway’s “Funny Girl” has “nothing to do with” her former “Glee” co-star’s casting.
“I have a vacation Aug. 14, and then I had just like five shows after that, and it’s a six-hour flight, so I thought, ‘Let’s end it now,'” Lynch, 62, explained to Playbill Tuesday of her decision to exit the musical three weeks ahead of schedule.
“It has nothing to do with not wanting to see Lea,” she added. “I text with Lea. She and I are fine.
“I’m thrilled for her,” the “Hollywood Game Night” host continued. “I loved working with Beanie [Feldstein].”
Lynch then doubled down, assuring fans, “There’s no drama here. None.”
Lynch began playing Mrs. Brice in the show in April, with her original departure slated for Sept. 4.
However, nearly one month after news broke that Michele, 35, would take over for Feldstein, 29, the “L Word” alum told the Hollywood Reporter that Aug. 14 will be her last performance.
“As I embark upon my last week in ‘Funny Girl,’ my heart is filled with gratitude for this wildly talented company led by Beanie Feldstein and our wonderful audiences for keeping theater alive!” she said Tuesday.
“I … will be back to see my friend Lea Michele light up the lights.”
As for Feldstein, the “Booksmart” star stepped away “sooner than expected” on July 31, as opposed to Sept. 25, with a source telling Page Six that she was “basically fired” by production.
Feldstein wrote via Instagram last month that “once the production decided to take the show in a different direction,” she “made the extremely difficult decision” to leave.
When news broke earlier this month of Michele’s appointment, the “Scream Queens” alum gushed on Instagram, “I’m so incredibly honored to join this amazing cast and production and return to the stage playing Fanny Brice on Broadway.”
Michele began her career as a child actress on Broadway, last appearing in “Spring Awakening” in 2008.
The singer starred on “Glee” from 2009 to 2015. Five years after the Fox series wrapped, Michele found herself under fire when Samantha Marie Ware accused her of racist behavior on set.
Michele apologized in 2020, writing in part on Instagram, “I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people.”
