Lea Michele To Skip One Week Of 'Funny Girl' Due To COVID, Replacements Announced

Lea Michele is set to miss several renditions of "Funny Girl" on Broadway.

The actress and singer will be at home social distancing and recuperating as she has tested positive for the infectious disease, COVID-19 again. She has been playing the role of Fanny Brice since last September when she took over from Beanie Feldstein.

The project, the first revival of "Funny Girl" since Barbra Streisand's 1964 portrayal, has become one of Broadway's highest-earners since the multi-talented star joined its cast.

Although it has not been three months since her son, Ever Leo, encountered a health problem, Michele is now facing one of her own: a second COVID infection. The occurrence means she will miss out on multiple performances until May 23, when she is expected to return to the stage.

Until then, she will be replaced by her understudies, Ephie Aardema and Julie Benko, with the latter taking on her character each day of her absence until Friday, May 19, when the former will take over.

Fans were quick to express their dismay at not seeing the "Glee" alum in her element under the announcement shared by the Broadway show's official Instagram account.

"That's annoying," one fan claimed, and another stated, "so disappointed 😔 traveling from Michigan specifically to see this show." A third person commented, "So much fighting for the role, and now she's always ill?"

"Do we get a small refund? The other girl is much cheaper to see," a fourth netizen wrote, while a fifth queried, "Am I not entitled to at least a partial refund if Lea Michele doesn't perform unexpectedly?" 

Upon seeing the many other negative comments people dropped about seeing Aardema and Benko instead of Michele, one netizen remarked, "People get sick. We all get sick. Let's remember to uplift each other and not tear each other down!" 

The last time the "Funny Girl" crew received this much backlash was in September 2022, after the "Brunette Ambition" author got her first COVID diagnosis shortly after she took over from Feldstein. At the time, she announced:

"Unfortunately, I have officially tested positive for COVID. In following production protocol I cannot return to the theater for 10 days. Thankfully staying home today and catching this early protected so many members of our company from being exposed."

Michele has remained strong despite the challenges, including taking time off from the hit Broadway show after her son Ever was hospitalized due to an undisclosed "scary health issue" in March.

The Glamour Awards winner even landed a new gig that she has refused to share details of until further notice. However, The Blast noted that it might be another Broadway revival as she previously hinted, "You know it. It's very different musically."

Last month, Michele celebrated a substantial milestone in her acting career with a nostalgic trip down memory lane on Instagram. The "Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return" star posted throwback images that signified her evolution as a stage actor, starting with one that showed her much younger self, holding a bouquet. 

Other snaps showed her hugging a co-star, sharing a hot kiss with another co-star, and finally stunning in a red dress with a plunging neckline. Along with the unforgettable scenes, the Dove spokesperson wrote in the caption:

"April 6th marked 28 years of living this incredible dream of performing on Broadway. At the young age of 8 years old, I made my Broadway debut. Now five shows and 28 years later to still be on the stage, I'm so grateful to be able to STILL be doing what I love so so very much. ❤️."

Per The Blast, the celebration came after Michele informed her eight million followers, "Our Funny Girl New Broadway Cast Recording made it to #1 on the Billboard Cast Album Charts!" Fans immediately expressed their joy at the impressive feat, with this one gushing, "That's epic, buddy! I'm so happy that your dreams are coming true. U deserve it."

A second enthusiastic person pointed out the album was repeatedly playing around them because they loved it. They also commend the cast and crew for doing a "fantastic job" with it.