Kevin McHale Condemns “Glee is Cursed” Conspiracy Theories
Photo Credit: Fox/Disney
by Chris Tremblay Aug 3
3 MIN READ
Kevin McHale has condemned fans who continue to describe Glee as a cursed television show, objecting to the way online speculation treats the deaths of former cast members as part of an entertainment narrative.
McHale, who played Artie Abrams throughout the Fox musical comedy-drama, addressed the issue on X on Wednesday, July 29.
“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 f***ing diabolical and untethered from any sort of humanity or reality,” McHale wrote.
He ended the post with the words, “Get f***ed.”
The post was reported by multiple entertainment publications after the long-running theory resurfaced in connection with renewed conversation about the future of Glee.
Online discussions about a supposed Glee curse have commonly linked the deaths of Cory Monteith, Mark Salling and Naya Rivera, who were prominent members of the show’s cast.
Monteith, who played Finn Hudson, died in 2013; Salling, who played Noah “Puck” Puckerman, died in 2018; and Rivera, who played Santana Lopez, died in 2020.
The three deaths occurred in different years and under different circumstances, but internet users have repeatedly grouped them together under the “Glee curse” label.
McHale’s objection focused on the human consequences of that framing rather than on the show’s fictional themes or production history.
By describing the deaths as a “sacrifice,” McHale objected to language that presents real people’s lives and deaths as if they served a supernatural purpose connected to a television program.
The renewed attention followed comments from Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy about the possibility of revisiting the series.
Murphy discussed the idea with People at the July 27 premiere of his new series The Shards in New York City.
“That show is interesting because it’s come back around,” Murphy told the publication, referring to the renewed interest he said he had observed among younger viewers.
“So many young people now watch it,” he said, before adding, “Maybe we should revisit that show.”
Murphy said his “nostalgia and love” for Glee made him consider whether audiences might want “a new incarnation of that in some capacity.”
His remarks did not announce a commissioned revival, identify a network or streaming service, or specify whether a potential project would be a reboot, continuation or spin-off.
McHale’s post reflects a broader dispute over whether the tragedies connected to Glee should be discussed as celebrity-fandom mythology or as separate events involving real people, families and communities.
The theory received renewed visibility after the 2023 documentary series The Price of Glee, which examined the deaths of Monteith, Salling and Rivera in relation to the show.
The documentary’s framing was criticized, while the “curse” discussion continued across social media and sections of the fandom.
McHale’s latest comments do not dispute that the cast experienced profound loss; they reject the claim that those losses demonstrate a supernatural connection to the series.
The actor’s response also comes as the show’s cultural afterlife is being reassessed by viewers who encountered it years after its original broadcast.
*Glee* originally aired from 2009 to 2015, and Murphy’s comments suggest that its continued visibility has prompted discussion about whether its concept could be adapted for a new generation.
For McHale, however, renewed interest in the program should not come at the expense of respectful remembrance of people who died after appearing in it.
His post was therefore both a direct rebuke of a specific online theory and a demand that public conversation distinguish between fictional storytelling and real-world grief.
“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 f***ing diabolical and untethered from any sort of humanity or reality,” McHale wrote.
He ended the post with the words, “Get f***ed.”
The post was reported by multiple entertainment publications after the long-running theory resurfaced in connection with renewed conversation about the future of Glee.
The deaths linked to the theory
Online discussions about a supposed Glee curse have commonly linked the deaths of Cory Monteith, Mark Salling and Naya Rivera, who were prominent members of the show’s cast.
Monteith, who played Finn Hudson, died in 2013; Salling, who played Noah “Puck” Puckerman, died in 2018; and Rivera, who played Santana Lopez, died in 2020.
The three deaths occurred in different years and under different circumstances, but internet users have repeatedly grouped them together under the “Glee curse” label.
McHale’s objection focused on the human consequences of that framing rather than on the show’s fictional themes or production history.
By describing the deaths as a “sacrifice,” McHale objected to language that presents real people’s lives and deaths as if they served a supernatural purpose connected to a television program.
Why the theory returned to public discussion
The renewed attention followed comments from Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy about the possibility of revisiting the series.
Murphy discussed the idea with People at the July 27 premiere of his new series The Shards in New York City.
“That show is interesting because it’s come back around,” Murphy told the publication, referring to the renewed interest he said he had observed among younger viewers.
“So many young people now watch it,” he said, before adding, “Maybe we should revisit that show.”
Murphy said his “nostalgia and love” for Glee made him consider whether audiences might want “a new incarnation of that in some capacity.”
His remarks did not announce a commissioned revival, identify a network or streaming service, or specify whether a potential project would be a reboot, continuation or spin-off.
A dispute over remembrance
McHale’s post reflects a broader dispute over whether the tragedies connected to Glee should be discussed as celebrity-fandom mythology or as separate events involving real people, families and communities.
The theory received renewed visibility after the 2023 documentary series The Price of Glee, which examined the deaths of Monteith, Salling and Rivera in relation to the show.
The documentary’s framing was criticized, while the “curse” discussion continued across social media and sections of the fandom.
McHale’s latest comments do not dispute that the cast experienced profound loss; they reject the claim that those losses demonstrate a supernatural connection to the series.
The actor’s response also comes as the show’s cultural afterlife is being reassessed by viewers who encountered it years after its original broadcast.
*Glee* originally aired from 2009 to 2015, and Murphy’s comments suggest that its continued visibility has prompted discussion about whether its concept could be adapted for a new generation.
For McHale, however, renewed interest in the program should not come at the expense of respectful remembrance of people who died after appearing in it.
His post was therefore both a direct rebuke of a specific online theory and a demand that public conversation distinguish between fictional storytelling and real-world grief.
Copyright EDGE Media Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
