Samantha Ware Calls Out Lea Michele's Broadway Casting: 'Silence Is Complicity'

Lea Michele, aka. Rachel Berry from "Glee" will now play Fanny Brice in Broadway's "Funny Girl." Michele is replacing Beanie Feldstein who is leaving the show citing creative differences, and while she is over the moon, some aren't all that excited. Namely, Samantha Ware.

If you remember Samantha Ware had called out Michele for her "micro transgressions" on the set of "Glee", where Ware played Jane Hayward. Now, after Michele's casting, Ware is calling out Broadway on complicity, and matters are further complicated with Jane Lynch leaving the production earlier than expected, as well.

Beanie Feldstein first let her fans know that she was leaving the show via Instagram, in a post that had comments turned off.

Wrote Feldstein on social media, "Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated. I will never forget this experience and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every single person who came to the August Wilson for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and crew."

Sources say Feldstein was nearly fired before she took matters into her own hands and decided to leave the show on July 31, just four months into a contract that was supposed to be for an entire year. Her performance has been found lacking, especially compared to her predecessor, Barbra Streisand. With falling ticket sales, the producers were changing camps and finding Michele more appealing, so Feldstein quit.

Meanwhile, Jane Lynch, who was supposed to be on the show till September 25, is now also leaving earlier with her last performance slated for September 5. She might just be raising a toast to that!

Lynch's early departure as well as Feldstein being replaced by Michele means that now Twitter is having a field day.

Michele will play Fanny Brice on September 6th, and on this very day, Tovah Feldshuh will step into Jane Lynch's shoes.

Wrote Michele, "A dream come true is an understatement. I’m so incredibly honored to join this amazing cast and production and return to the stage playing Fanny Brice on Broadway. See you September 6th."

Friends and colleagues set about congratulating her.

Julianne Hough wrote, "Damn right!!!! Woooooo" while Brad Goreski sent over "Congratulations!"

More fans responded with excited comments.

"As gleeks, this is what we DESERVE."

"She may be difficult, but boy can she sing" I love you, Rachel Berry."

This one is right on point:

"Some dreams are bigger than others. Me being on Broadway, that’s a big dream. Me being on Broadway, as Fanny Brice, inheriting the mantle of my idol, Mrs. Barbra Streisand, that’s the culmination of every dream I’ve ever had” - Rachel Berry, Glee, S04E19 🍓⭐️"

In 2020, in a now-deleted Tweet, Ware addressed Michele when she posted a George Floyd-support message, saying, "LMAO remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?! Cause I’ll never forget. I believe you told everyone if [you] had the opportunity you would ‘sh-t in my wig!’ Amongst other traumatic microaggressions that made me question a career in Hollywood…"

Michele apologized for her "perceived behavior" and was systematically ripped apart for her weak and "selfish apology."

And now Ware is back, calling out Broadway as well in a series of Tweets. Wrote the singer and actress, who goes by the stage name Sameya, "Yes, I’m online today. Yes, I see y’all. Yes, I care. Yes, I'm affected. Yes, I’m human. Yes, I’m Black. Yes, I was abused. Yes, my dreams were tainted. Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness. Yes, Hollywood does the same. Yes, silence is complicity. Yes, I’m loud. Yes, I’d do it again."

Instagram and Twitter were divided on it, some applauding her, others saying Michele deserved another chance.

But Ware had the last word: