Actor Kevin McHale has publicly denounced online conspiracy theories that label the Fox series "Glee" as cursed following the deaths of three of his co-stars. In a strong statement on X, formerly Twitter, McHale criticized fans who discuss the actors' deaths in terms of a "sacrifice" or "curse."
"Let me log off today because the way too many of you talk about real people who have passed as a 'sacrifice' or a 'curse' in regards to a tv show is fing diabolical and untethered from any sort of humanity or reality," McHale wrote. He added, "get fed."
While not naming individuals, McHale's remarks targeted discussions that he perceives as disrespectful to the memory of his deceased colleagues.
Tragic Deaths of "Glee" Cast Members
"Glee," which aired from 2009 to 2015, experienced the tragic deaths of three of its main cast members within a seven-year span. Cory Monteith, who played Finn Hudson, died in July 2013 at the age of 31 from an accidental overdose. Mark Salling, who portrayed Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman, died by suicide in January 2018 at 35, while awaiting sentencing for possession of child pornography charges. Naya Rivera, who starred as Santana Lopez, died in July 2020 at 33 in an accidental drowning after saving her son's life at Lake Piru in California.
McHale, who played Artie Abrams, shared close bonds with Monteith and Rivera. He posted a public tribute to Rivera after her death, stating, "I legitimately cannot imagine this world without you."
McHale has previously acknowledged that the cast has used humor to cope with the series' difficult past. "We make jokes about a curse, which makes a lot of people uncomfortable," he said in 2024 on the Elvis Duran Show. "The amount of times we've said some things that everyone gets really quiet, we're like, 'No no, you [don’t] understand, if we don't laugh about this we will all just be sad.'"
Beyond the main cast, the documentary "The Price of Glee" also highlighted the deaths of several crew members, including second team lead Jim Fuller, prop guy Paul, and stand-in Mark Watson, who died from heart attacks, a car fire, and a car fire respectively. Production assistant Nancy Motes died by suicide, and rigging gaffer J.A. Byerly's brother and colleague also died by suicide.
McHale described these events as "a lot of horrible coincidences and accidents," noting that "a big cast of a lot of young people and things happen." He suggested that similar incidents occur on other shows but may not receive the same level of attention.
McHale has since moved on to stage productions, with plans to make his Broadway debut in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" starting August 25. His most recent work includes the Off-Broadway revival of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."