Session 71: Lea Michele

Summary

Therapuss with Jake Shane – Session 71: Lea Michele

Release Date: May 8, 2025

In Session 71 of Therapuss with Jake Shane, host Jake Shane sits down with the multi-talented Lea Michele, known for her iconic role as Rachel Berry on the hit TV show Glee. This episode delves deep into Michele's journey through Broadway, the challenges and triumphs of filming Glee, her personal life, and her recent return to Broadway with the revival of Funny Girl. The conversation is both heartfelt and humorous, offering listeners an intimate look into Lea Michele's life and career.

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1. Introduction and Hosting

Jake Shane opens the session by sharing his personal connection to Glee, expressing his excitement about interviewing Lea Michele, a pivotal figure in his fandom.

Jake Shane [00:10]: "I grew up being the biggest Gleek in the entire world and I never got to see Glee live in concert. So this was extremely full circle for me and really, really important to me."

He reminisces about his first encounter with Glee and the joy it brought him, setting a nostalgic tone for the conversation.

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2. Early Career and Broadway Beginnings

Lea Michele reflects on her early start in Broadway, highlighting her groundbreaking journey from a young age.

Lea Michele [14:12]: "I just continued to work from 8 until 17, 18. I did Broadway shows, and then I got Spring Awakening. That was sort of the biggest thing that I did as a, you know, sort of adult."

She shares her first Broadway experience, auditioning for Les Misérables at the age of eight, and how this set the stage for her future in performing arts.

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3. Audition and Landing the Role of Rachel Berry

Lea Michele narrates the serendipitous events that led her to audition for Glee, emphasizing the "butterfly effect" that changed her career path.

Lea Michele [12:04]: "We were in Spring Awakening on Broadway together, and Ryan Murphy cast Jonathan Groff in a pilot he was doing. He offered him Finn, but he turned it down. Eventually, Ryan wrote Glee specifically for me and John."

Michele recounts her dramatic audition story, where she metaphorically "played dead" after a car accident to make her way to the audition, ultimately securing the role of Rachel Berry.

Lea Michele [13:28]: "I totaled my car, played dead, but then realized, if I'm dead, I can't audition. So I revived myself and auditioned for Rachel Berry. Got the part that day."

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4. The Glee Experience: Filming and Tours

The conversation transitions to Michele's time on Glee, detailing the intense filming schedule, the emotional highs and lows, and the impact of the show on her life.

Lea Michele [22:25]: "We would film 22 episodes, record hundreds of songs, learn thousands of dance numbers, and then go on tour immediately. It was insane."

She highlights the rigorous demands of balancing television production with touring, underscoring the dedication required to maintain the show's momentum.

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5. Personal Challenges: Grief and Family

Lea Michele opens up about the personal struggles she faced during the height of Glee, including grief from the loss of fellow cast members and the pressures of fame.

Lea Michele [31:10]: "I had to put my stuff aside and just show up so everybody could continue to work. It was a lot of pressure, and I completely broke."

She discusses how these challenges affected her mental health and the support system she relied on within the Glee community.

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6. Transition to Motherhood

Michele shares her journey into motherhood, detailing the joys and challenges she faced during and after her pregnancies.

Lea Michele [33:02]: "Having my son during the pandemic was a really intense time. It broke me open and helped me learn and grow."

She speaks candidly about the emotional changes and how motherhood influenced her perspective on life and her career.

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7. Broadway Revival: Funny Girl

The discussion shifts to Michele's return to Broadway with the revival of Funny Girl, exploring her motivations, preparations, and the personal growth that accompanied this transition.

Lea Michele [47:14]: "I prepared quietly in a studio with our director and assistant director. I knew what I wanted, and I just dove right in."

Michele reflects on how her role in Funny Girl allowed her to reconnect with her Broadway roots while balancing her responsibilities as a mother and wife.

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8. Dealing with Anxiety and Stage Fright

Lea Michele bravely discusses her ongoing battle with anxiety and stage fright, offering insights into how she manages these challenges despite her public persona.

Lea Michele [72:49]: "Oh, I have so bad stage fright. I feel like I'm gonna have a heart attack."

She explains the physical and emotional manifestations of her anxiety, emphasizing the importance of mental health awareness.

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9. Conclusion and Farewell

As the session draws to a close, Michele and Shane engage in a lighthearted exchange, showcasing their genuine camaraderie and mutual respect.

Lea Michele [75:10]: "Three parts that Lea Michele can read."

Jake Shane expresses his admiration and gratitude for Michele's openness, wrapping up the session on a heartfelt note.

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Notable Moments and Highlights

• Emotional Recollections: Michele's vivid memories of pivotal moments on Glee, such as attending the White House and performing at the Emmys, provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the show's cultural impact.

  Lea Michele [45:18]: "We did the whole opening number at the Emmys with Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon. It was insane."

• Friendships and Support: The bond between Michele and her fellow cast members is evident, highlighting the strong support network that helped her navigate the challenges of fame.

  Lea Michele [41:35]: "Working with Idina Menzel was amazing. She's such an incredible person and gave me the best advice."

• Career Transitions: Her seamless move from television to Broadway and back demonstrates her versatility and dedication to her craft.

  Lea Michele [55:14]: "Both are very hard, but each has its own challenges."

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Session Takeaways:

• Resilience and Determination: Lea Michele's journey underscores the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity, both professionally and personally.

• Mental Health Awareness: Her candid discussion about anxiety and stage fright highlights the significance of addressing mental health issues, especially in high-pressure environments like the entertainment industry.

• Balancing Personal and Professional Life: Michele exemplifies how one can navigate the complexities of a demanding career while prioritizing family and personal well-being.

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Closing Thoughts:

Session 71: Lea Michele offers an intimate portrait of a beloved actress navigating the peaks and valleys of her career and personal life. Through honest reflections and engaging anecdotes, Lea Michele provides listeners with valuable insights into the realities of fame, the importance of mental health, and the enduring power of passion and support.

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Note: This summary excludes sections identified as advertisements and focuses solely on the substantive content of the conversation between Jake Shane and Lea Michele.

Transcript

[Jake Shane]

Hi and welcome back to Therapa. Sorry, it is very, very cold in the therapist office this afternoon. I don't know why I. But I've. I've never really complained about the cold before, ever. You know what? Actually, let me rephrase that. I'm not complaining about the cold. In fact, I actually am really enjoying having a blanket over me and feeling the warmth from the blanket and the cold from the outside air. So I guess I'm just making more of a statement. But tonight on Therapist, we have Leah Michelle. I grew up being the biggest Gleek in the entire world and I never got to see Glee live in concert. So this was extremely full circle for me and really, really important to me. It was one of my favorite interviews I have ever done. Could, like, during the interview, I honestly couldn't believe that I was doing it because I kept thinking about how excited I would be as a 10 year old if you told me that this would be my life today. So I'm just very grateful to Leah and everyone. It was, it was incredible and I'm so excited for you guys to hear it. Before I go, if you want to see me live, go to passthatpost.com and click live with Jake Shane to see if I'm coming to a city near you. And click Tell me what's wrong. To tell me what's wrong. Leave a name and number if you're feeling fancy. Love you.

[Lea Michele]

I feel like you have so many amazing fans and so much like, great supporters, but I really feel like I might. I was like, at the beginning.

[Jake Shane]

You were at the beginning?

[Lea Michele]

I was at the beginning and I like, wrote you. I was like. And I was sending your videos to everyone I knew. Like, you have. This is the funniest, like, person I have seen in years. Like, there are certain people who tickle, like, my funny bone and make me laugh. It's like Will Ferrell, like, Kristen Wiig and you like, whatever you do. Like, I was trying to think of, like, my top. Like, what are like, my top three. I remember when you did. It was like baby Moses, like, going down on the street.

[Jake Shane]

Yes. It was dreaming.

[Lea Michele]

That was like, unbelievable. It's like true genius. It's like you are, I think all people who are funny, like, are geniuses. And you have to be like, you have to be so smart and you're so smart and funny together and like, oh, my God. Like, you brought me such joy.

[Jake Shane]

Well, Leah Michelle, everybody is on the podcast today. Oh, my God. Wow. The fact that if I told, like, little me that you just said that to me, like, could die happy.

[Lea Michele]

Well, I really mean it.

[Jake Shane]

Thank you. I am the world's biggest fan. I'm the world's biggest Gleek. Like, I am so excited that you're here tonight.

[Lea Michele]

I'm so excited. I'm so excited to chat and be with you.

[Jake Shane]

Yes. So you are about to go on tour, huh?

[Lea Michele]

I am, yeah.

[Jake Shane]

And are you doing. You're. It's. You're doing, like, Glee covers and stuff, huh?

[Lea Michele]

I'm doing sort of. So it's going to be, like, my life from when I started working when I was 8 years old. We do, like, Broadway stuff, and then we go into a little Glee memory lane, and then I'm going to do some songs for my albums also. But, yes, I have, like, a big Glee section because it's, you know, it was such an important part of my life, and we did such great music on the show, and I think that a lot of people now also. It's like Glee always is recycling through new generations, and there is such a pull towards Glee, and people really want to hear those songs and reminisce and kind of go back to the feeling that they felt of when they watched the show.

[Jake Shane]

It was the first. Yeah, it was the first show I ever watched live on tv.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, really?

[Jake Shane]

Yeah. It was like, what? Every Wednesday night that, like, it was like, I would sit down, and I would be like, I. It's Glee time. Because everyone at school was watching Glee, and it was like, it was such a cultural moment. I feel like. I mean, every morning, after, all the songs from Glee would be on the itunes chart.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, my God.

[Jake Shane]

Do you. Was there, like, one that you were. Well, because the. The real. I mean, everyone says, like, the Glee song is, like, don't stop believing. But for me, the Glee song that I remember, like, changing the course of, like, everything.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, I wonder if it's going to be what I'm thinking. So I have one in my head.

[Jake Shane]

Should we. One, two, three.

[Lea Michele]

It's okay. Wait. I know the name of the band. The song is called. Okay, go. Ready?

[Jake Shane]

2, 1, 2, 3. We are gone.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, my God.

[Jake Shane]

That was the one for me, too.

[Lea Michele]

It was like. Okay, so I love this.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah, me, too.

[Lea Michele]

No. Okay, that was the one. Like, anyone that's on Glee, like, any cast member will tell you, like, that. For us, too. We had all of these moments where we were like, whoa. Like, we're at the White House. Like, we're on Oprah.

[Jake Shane]

Right?

[Lea Michele]

But it was so funny, like, when that happened, because Fun was, like, an incredible band and great. But we did the song. Our song went to number one. And then their song also went to, like, number one afterwards. And then their band, like, blew up.

[Jake Shane]

Right?

[Lea Michele]

And a lot of it had to do with our show. And that's when we were like, okay, wait a minute. Like, we're. The waves of Glee are, like, hitting television and now music. And then, you know, kids and families, like, the ripple effect of what Glee was doing, it was in that moment where we were like, okay, this isn't just some, like, incredible, like, moment. This is, like, really making waves, right? And that song was so, so great.

[Jake Shane]

It was. What?

[Lea Michele]

I'm not doing that on tour, but maybe I should.

[Jake Shane]

Well, aren't you doing surprise songs as well?

[Lea Michele]

I'm doing. What would Rachel Berry do now?

[Jake Shane]

Stop. What would she do now?

[Lea Michele]

But you tell. I mean, like, what? Don't you, like, hear a song on the radio? I'm thinking about me and Glee all the time.

[Jake Shane]

I am.

[Lea Michele]

I hear a song, and I'd be like. I could hear Alex Anders and Adam Anders melodies, like, in, like, they did all of the. Musically, I could hear in my head, like. And I'd be like, you know, Mercedes would sing that part. Tina would sing that part. Quinn would sing that part. Like, I can hear everything in my head when I hear a song on the radio.

[Jake Shane]

What's the last time that happened to you when you.

[Lea Michele]

Pink Pony Club? But it would be Kurt. It wouldn't. It wouldn't have been Rachel. It would have been Kurt, 100%. But I am going to do that on the tour.

[Jake Shane]

That would be amazing. I also feel like, what else? Casual. Like, any Chapel roan song. Like, Rachel would just eat anything.

[Lea Michele]

Chapel. Because she's like, theater, right? Like, her songs are like, bro. I mean, to me, they're like. It's my favorite, like, of all time.

[Jake Shane]

The ultimate. The ultimate Rachel Berry song, I think, is Driver's License.

[Lea Michele]

Well, I'm doing driver's license, obviously.

[Jake Shane]

You have to.

[Lea Michele]

Like, when I, like, met Olivia, I was like, this is, like, the greatest. And then vampire, too.

[Jake Shane]

Oh, yeah.

[Lea Michele]

So, so, so good. But Rachel would 100% sing driver's license. Like, in the car, going to Finn's house.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah, like, something like that. Like, it would just be perfect.

[Lea Michele]

I know. It's like, that's why, look, until there's some reboot. Until that comes whenever, if ever, this is the great, like, fun time to play around and, like, revisit her. Like, I love the show so much. It was a wild experience. And one day, you know, maybe I'll write a book and talk all about it, but I really, you know, the show means so much to me, the work that I did, and I love Rachel so much. So to have the opportunity to go on tour and. And sing these songs and also talk about what was going on while I was doing them, I've never really been able to do that and talk openly about, you know, what it was like to sing. Make you feel my love or why did I sing Glitter in the Air? Like, I, I. There's so much that was going on behind the scenes, and, you know, my tour is a real opportunity for me to be just open and talk about what that was like for me, just from my experience.

[Jake Shane]

Is there anything you remember that was, like, going on behind the scenes that you were like, oh, my God, if only these people watching knew right now, like, literally everything.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah, like, literally everything. I mean, yeah, it was. Look, we were all so young, and everybody was growing up and, you know, falling in love or, you know, for me, like, that was a huge part of the whole experience for me was my, you know, like, the. This great, you know, love. And, yeah, it was so unbelievable that you'd be watching the show, and when I watch it, I can tell you exactly. I'd be like, oh, that day I was sobbing in my dressing room, like, or that day was, like, the best day in the world.

[Jake Shane]

Right? You had a lot of, like, family, like family on that show. Like, Jonathan Groff. And you were in Spring Awakening.

[Lea Michele]

He's like, my second husband, right?

[Jake Shane]

Yeah, I was about to.

[Lea Michele]

I'm going to see his opening night tonight. Did you know that?

[Jake Shane]

No. Wait, what's he in?

[Lea Michele]

Just in Time on Broadway. I'm going to promote that as well. Everyone. Bobby Darin, Jonathan Groff at Circle in the Square in New York City.

[Jake Shane]

Oh, I have to go.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, my God. Of course you do. He loves you.

[Jake Shane]

I love him.

[Lea Michele]

I told you when he. When you saw him, and then he was like, I met your friend.

[Jake Shane]

He, like, told me I ran.

[Lea Michele]

Good, I'm glad that you did.

[Jake Shane]

Were you guys. Did you push for him to join the show? Like, how did that work?

[Lea Michele]

No, Lucky. He was offered Finn and he turned it down.

[Jake Shane]

What?

[Lea Michele]

So this is the whole story. You can put this in the podcast if you want, or you can edit it out.

[Jake Shane]

I would never edit this out.

[Lea Michele]

So we were in Spring Awakening on Broadway together, and Ryan Murphy came to see Spring Awakening, and I knew Ryan because he did a television show way, way, way before. You're no way. Way. Way before you called Popular, which was my favorite show of all time. It was my AOL password, and I loved Popular.

[Jake Shane]

I'm obsessed.

[Lea Michele]

Yes. I was literally AOL till, like, a month ago. Okay. I had to get rid of it, but he came, and I was like, oh, my God. Popular was like. Leslie Bibb was on it. It was like the show. It was like our Gossip Girl for my generation. And so I was so excited to meet him. And then he cast Jonathan in a pilot that he was doing. So Jonathan. This is a very long story. Jonathan was like, okay. So Jon was like, I have to leave Spring Awakening to go film this pilot in California with Ryan Murphy. And I was devastated. Turns out the same two weeks he was gone, Broadway shut down. And I didn't have, like, anywhere to go. And we were like, what are we going to do during these two weeks? So I got on a plane and flew like any best friend would do. Girl in New York who doesn't know what to do without her best friend. I got on a plane, I flew to la. My boyfriend also broke up with me, and my grandmother had passed away. It was like all of this, like, stuff. And I got on a plane, I flew to him, and he was like, look, I'm working all day, but get dressed. We're going to the Chateau Marmont tonight with Ryan Murphy. I was like, the where?

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

I was like, great, whatever. I go to Melrose Place. I pick out the ugliest dress, but I thought it was beautiful. It was a purple silk dress with ruffles down the front. Literally. Did I know I was picking a Rachel Berry?

[Jake Shane]

Yeah, I was about to say, and.

[Lea Michele]

I showed up to the Chateau. It was probably like, the. You know, the record, like, scratched. It was like, who is this girl? This, like, weirdo girl coming here? And I just sat there and I talked to Ryan all night about Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion and Broadway. And then a couple months later, John and I were back on Broadway, and he's like, ryan's writing this show for me and you. And I was like, no, he's not. That's never gonna happen. And turns out that he was. He was writing Glee for me and John. I auditioned. I ended up getting Rachel. They offered him Finn, and he turned it down. He didn't want to play a football player. He didn't want to be on, like, a long contract. And then they hired Corey. And then, you know, however, later into the run, Ryan was like, will you please come on at least and just play this, like, you know, kind of coming in, coming out character, right? And he was like, sure. So then he came and played Jesse St. James.

[Jake Shane]

That is a wild.

[Lea Michele]

Isn't that crazy, wild story.

[Jake Shane]

That makes so much sense, though.

[Lea Michele]

I mean, imagine if I hadn't gone there, right?

[Jake Shane]

Like, the Butterfly effect.

[Lea Michele]

Yes, totally.

[Jake Shane]

But is it true that? Because I was. I remember hearing that you. When you auditioned, like, there was a car crash or something that happened right before, and you, like, had glass in your hair.

[Lea Michele]

Yes. This is, like, the story of my life. Like, talk about butterfly, right? Yeah. No, I was in la. I had left Spring Awakening. I knew that this Glee audition was, like, coming up, but I was like, whatever, it's never going to happen. They're never going to cast me. I was always told I was too Jewish looking for television. I wasn't, like, pretty enough, like, all of that. And I was driving in my little, like, mini coupe that I had rented in la, blasting Adele and singing at the top of my lungs on my way to my Glee audition, trying to make a right turn into the studio from the center lane, because I'm from New York City, right? And I totaled my car, played dead, but then realized, if I'm dead, I can't audition. So then I revived myself. Literally left the car in the road, ran up the lot and walked in. And they were like, you can go home. And I was like, I'm not going home. Pulled the glass out of my hair, dropped it on the table. Auditioned for Rachel Berry. Got the part that day. They were like, she's fucking. We curse on this.

[Jake Shane]

Yes.

[Lea Michele]

They're like, she's fucking crazy.

[Jake Shane]

That is the. I feel like life imitates art in glitter with you.

[Lea Michele]

I mean, look, I. I guess I can't say right now that I'm not like Rachel, because I'm really, like, proving myself. But look, there are a lot of things that we are different in. But I completely like her sense of determination. Like, I've been working since I'm 8 years old, right? I just celebrated 30 years of working professionally. I did my first Broadway show when I was eight. Like, and talk about Butterfly Effect. Like, I went on audition with a friend and booked it, like, for fun.

[Jake Shane]

When you were eight and you auditioned as it for fun?

[Lea Michele]

Yes, but what do you.

[Jake Shane]

What do you mean by that? Like, how did that come about?

[Lea Michele]

I. My friend really wanted to be on Broadway, and she. There was a audition for Les Mis in our hometown, and she wanted to go. And then the night before, her father had a heart attack and her mom called my mom and said, will you take her? Like, I don't want her to miss out on this opportunity. So my mom was like, tomorrow, Chloe wants to go on this audition. Hi, Chloe. And we were going to take her. And I was like, well, I'm going to go too. And my dad was like, you can't sing, but you're a great dancer. Couldn't have been more wrong. And I sang a song and I booked it, and I was on Broadway two weeks later.

[Jake Shane]

Over Chloe.

[Lea Michele]

Over Chloe and thousands of other talented, you know, girls.

[Jake Shane]

That is crazy. And then you did Les Mis. You were eight years old. And then from there, what's happened?

[Lea Michele]

I was just contin. I just continued to work from 8 until 17, 18. I did Broadway shows, and then I got Spring Awakening. And that was sort of the biggest thing that I did as a, you know, sort of adult. That was a huge moment. It was like a great pre Glee experience because it was like a mini Glee. It was like a Broadway just explosion of this amazing show. Like, we all blew up. Like, it was. Do you know Spring Awakening?

[Jake Shane]

Of course I know Spring Awakening.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah. So it was. Did you see that documentary? You should watch it.

[Jake Shane]

No, but I, I. But I. I recently saw some video of. Was it you and Jonathan?

[Lea Michele]

He's, like, crying.

[Jake Shane]

He's like, crying. You're laughing at him or something everywhere.

[Lea Michele]

But, yeah, that was great to kind of, like, talk about what that show was like and what that experience was like. And then after that, I booked Glee and the rest is sort of history.

[Jake Shane]

Were you like, did you guys have. What were your expectations for Glee upon shooting?

[Lea Michele]

That's a really good question. I think so. I think that I really knew I had no television experience, so I didn't really know. Canceled. Like, not. Like, I didn't understand, right? Like, I was just sort of like, oh, I got a TV show and it's, you know, going to be picked up for a season. And I. I was sort of maybe a little bit more skewing positive because I didn't have as much experience where maybe other people were probably like, now I understand that it's not as, you know, good or whatever, so. But I knew we had something really special. I wasn't sure if people would, like, understand it. Everybody was like, well, is it High School Musical? Well, is it, you know, like the movie election? Like, people couldn't really figure it out, right? But it was very clear that once it aired that we were like, oh, like, this is gonna be something now. I didn't think it was gonna be what it became, right? But I think we all knew at that point. Like, I remember being in my apartment and finding out that we got picked up, and we were like, okay, like, this is it.

[Jake Shane]

Were you picked up for the season or picked up for the next season or what? What was that?

[Lea Michele]

Like, I remember. So we did the pilot, and I was back in New York, and I think that Jenna Uskowitz was at my apartment, and we got the email that was like, we got the 13 for season one, right? And we were like, okay, like, we're going to New York. Like, we're going to la. Like, this is it.

[Jake Shane]

That's crazy.

[Lea Michele]

And then we got the back nine, right?

[Jake Shane]

Cause there was a dub.

[Lea Michele]

There was that season long? Yeah, that season was long. Like, I always think the end of season one, Jonathan had to remind me the other day, I think the end of season one is don't rain on my parade. But it's not. It's Faithfully.

[Jake Shane]

I always think the same thing. I. Oh, faithfully, by the way.

[Lea Michele]

Faithfully. So the other day, so Jonathan sends me, like, a screenshot of Spotify. He's listening to Faithfully.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah, the Glee version, obviously.

[Lea Michele]

And I was like, oh, you know, he was like, I just am thinking of you in that gold dress. And I was like, oh, I remember. We were all like, that was a wild day on set. I thought. I said to him. I was like, oh, yeah, the end of season two. And he was like, no, it's the end of season one. I was like, oh, my God. Thank you for schooling me on Glee. Right?

[Jake Shane]

It was regionals, right?

[Lea Michele]

That. I don't know. Like, that. I don't. That's a blur to me. Regionals, National, I think.

[Jake Shane]

Go sectionals, regionals, nationals.

[Lea Michele]

Just school me, right?

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

Tell me everything. I've not rewatched, like, anything. I went through. John and I went through a phase where we would get, like, drunk, and then we would watch Glee. We would, like, late at night at, like, 2:00am be like, let's put it on. And we'd be like, what do we want to watch? We would, like, pick, like, the random musical numbers or whatever, and we would, like, watch just, like, bits. But, like, my husband has never seen Glee.

[Jake Shane]

You're kidding.

[Lea Michele]

He doesn't, like, know anything about it.

[Jake Shane]

How did you meet him?

[Lea Michele]

At a wedding.

[Jake Shane]

Why?

[Lea Michele]

Through our friends.

[Jake Shane]

Oh, that's beautiful. And he's never seen Glee.

[Lea Michele]

He's never seen Glee.

[Jake Shane]

You ever.

[Lea Michele]

He saw some of Scream Queens.

[Jake Shane]

Okay.

[Lea Michele]

But we were, like, you know, in each other's lives at that point, but also iconic, for sure.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

But no, he's never seen Glee that.

[Jake Shane]

He has to see Glade.

[Lea Michele]

I know. I forgot what they. Someone was saying the other day, and he was like, maybe I need to, like, watch it. But it's the.

[Jake Shane]

It really is, like, a pinnacle of American culture. Like, I was re. Re watching it. It is so funny about that.

[Lea Michele]

No, it. I mean, you know, thank you for saying that.

[Jake Shane]

That's true.

[Lea Michele]

I think so, too.

[Jake Shane]

I've never seen myself so in a character than I have in Rachel Berry.

[Lea Michele]

Are you. Do you feel like you're Rachel, or do you feel like Kurt?

[Jake Shane]

Oh, I'm Rachel.

[Lea Michele]

You're Rachel.

[Jake Shane]

I'm Rachel, Yeah. I think I'm like.

[Lea Michele]

Do you.

[Jake Shane]

What do you think? I. I am like, I. Everything she does, I. I'm the biggest Rachel defender till I die. Everything, like, everything she does, I'm like, good for her.

[Lea Michele]

I literally will never forget in the pilot, the first time I walked down that hallway, and it. That when. When she's storming down the hallway, she's.

[Jake Shane]

Always storming down the halls.

[Lea Michele]

But it was the first time I did it, and Ryan, like, gave me a direction, but it was just like, I just knew what to do. I was like, no, I've done this before. Like, I know what to do here. And I think that that's, like, you know, that's why it's like, you love her or you hate her, and it's a very strong energy to have around you. And I guess I'm similar.

[Jake Shane]

I feel like it's because Rachel is so confident in what she likes and loves. And like anybody in this world who is confident in what they like and love, like, you're never going to be in between on them because they're not pandering to any sort of side.

[Lea Michele]

But if she knows you and loves you, there is no one that is, like, a greater, stronger friend. And like, for me, the people that I'm, like, very close with in my life, like, I'll, like, do anything for those people that are, like, my core people in my life.

[Jake Shane]

Do you.

[Lea Michele]

Which you're now in.

[Jake Shane]

Seriously, the best day of my life. Like, I was thinking on my way here, I wanted to see you guys live at Radio City because you guys went on tour, and I was so excited. Everybody in my school was going to see you guys live at Radio City, and I was so excited. I was trying to get my parents to buy me tickets, and they agreed. And then I got into it. I think I was like 10. And I got. I got into a disagreement.

[Lea Michele]

Short circuited.

[Jake Shane]

I got into a disagreement with my parents that day.

[Lea Michele]

And then you. They took it away from you.

[Jake Shane]

They took it away from me. Like I threw a temper tant.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, my God. Maybe we need to do a Glee reunion at Radio City just for you.

[Jake Shane]

Well, this makes up for it. And then some.

[Lea Michele]

That was a wild. Yeah, that was. We did a. The. That tour first. We did a mall tour where we went to Hot Topics. Do you know what that is?

[Jake Shane]

Yes, I know Hot Topic.

[Lea Michele]

I used to buy Twilight merch, right? So we did. We would buy Twilight shirts and wear them at the Hot Topic tour. So that was the first thing we did before it was even on the air. We were doing Hot Topic tours.

[Jake Shane]

Oh, really?

[Lea Michele]

Yeah. And then we did a small little appearance thing in Australia. And then we did our first. So we would film 22 episodes, record hundreds of songs, learn thousands of dance numbers, and then finish filming and within days go on tour immediately. Insane. It was insane.

[Jake Shane]

So what was the schedule like? It was songs, dance record or what? How did it work?

[Lea Michele]

It was hold on tight. Like, don't have to, like, eat, don't have to sleep, don't have to poop. Like, just when. When they need you, they need you. And if you're not filming, you were recording. If you weren't recording, you were in dance rehearsal. If you weren't in dance rehearsal, you were filming. If you weren't filming, you were in a fitting. You were always doing something. And it was unbelievable. Like, it was extremely hard for, I mean, everyone. I. The fact that, yeah, we managed to put it all together and so well, I think that it was truly for the love. And I can't speak for everyone here, but I really believe that it was just for the love of what we knew we were doing and how important it was whether or not we all liked each other or whatever was going on. Whether it was a day we loved each other or a day we didn't love each other, or a day that someone was going through something or. We just knew that this was so important. I mean, again, that. That for me was one of the things that kept me going throughout, however tired we were.

[Jake Shane]

Was there an episode or, like, was there like a musical number that you guys just couldn't get for the longest time? And it was like, so hard. And it was like. You just remember being like, this is the hard ass.

[Lea Michele]

This is where my memory, like, doesn't serve me. And there are other people on the show that are probably like, screaming, being like. It was this number. Why can't you remember? I think we had certain directors that would take a really long time. And then, of course, like, when Ryan would come, Ryan would know exactly what he wanted, and it would be, like, great. Obviously, when you're dealing with a number like, we Found love in a hopeless place where we're in a pool and we're doing synchronized swimming, like, that's gonna take forever.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

I do remember now, the. I think it was Michael Jackson episode. And we were in a parking lot, and it was late at night, and that was the first night that I was like, I cannot do this. I need to leave. Like, I have. I'm gonna leave, right? I'm dying. I'm so tired. That. That, for me, stands out as one where I was like. It was just taking so long, and it was so late at night, and we were really, really tired. I think there were numbers like that, but then there were numbers that whenever there was an element to it, like the singing in the rain, where it's, like, raining. Stuff like that would just always be hard when you're dealing with an element.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

You know, on top of just having to sing. Sing and. And dance.

[Jake Shane]

That's crazy.

[Lea Michele]

And then. And the nationals and sectionals and regionals always took the longest.

[Jake Shane]

Right. Like the paradise by the Dashboard Light, which is actually randomly my. One of my favorite Glee numbers of all time.

[Lea Michele]

I love that so much. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I literally remember. So I think it had been at that time. So we ended up doing 800 musical numbers that day. Maybe we'd hit 500 and they had every number on. I've never told anyone this story before. They were shooting. What are those, like, the little, like. If it's like Powerball those, like, balls. What are those called? You know, it's like, these are the numbers if you win.

[Jake Shane]

Like, oh, like. Like bingo balls.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah. But, like, little light whatever balls. That's the best I can do.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

And they were, like, shooting them out with, like, a gun.

[Jake Shane]

Okay.

[Lea Michele]

On each ball was the a. A name of a song. And they shot out, like, 500 in the auditorium.

[Jake Shane]

Why? For what reason?

[Lea Michele]

Just to be like, yay, we did 500 numbers. Catch a little fucking ball. I don't know. I actually stepped outside because I was like, I needed, like, a minute. And Corey walked outside, and he was like, look what I got. He's like, I just randomly picked a ball off the floor, and it was don't rain on my parade. And funny enough, like, I have so many special things from the show, but that I will never let go of that little fucking. Whatever you want to call it, ball. Oh, my God. It's so, like. So, like. It's funny how some things I remember so clearly and then other things I have no memory of whatsoever. But I think that, like, that has to do with when things were, like, really intense or when, you know, it was a little bit of a not so intense time on the show.

[Jake Shane]

Right. I mean, how could it not be intense? I feel like everybody on the show, it was everybody's first time for everything.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah.

[Jake Shane]

So when you have everybody experiencing everything for the first time, how could it not be the craziest thing of all time?

[Lea Michele]

Of course. And there were no rules. Everyone was figuring it out as we were going. Like, it's not like the people who created the show were like, we have a formula and we know how to do this, where everyone feels supported and, you know, has protection. It's like, it was. Everyone was kind of figuring it out.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

And we were so young, and we were. You know what? I think I started when I was 22.

[Jake Shane]

Oh, my God.

[Lea Michele]

You know, And I. And I ended when I was 27, maybe. Yeah. I don't know. I'm 28 now. Like, how am I. How are you even supposed to do this kind of math? But, no, I'm 38 and proud of it. But, yeah.

[Jake Shane]

Sorry, continue.

[Lea Michele]

No, I just. Yeah, it's just we were so young. We really were.

[Jake Shane]

And do you remember, like, was there ever, like, did life imitate art in the sense that, like, was anyone ever fighting for a song?

[Lea Michele]

Not that I can remember. I do know that, like, it was very clear when you would hear a song on the radio, you would be like, they're. You're gonna. Like, that's gonna be in a script next week, and you're gonna get it, right. Like, it was very clear who would, like, get what songs based on the artist, right? Of, like, the time. So I don't remember, but I do. Like, I remember I would hear a song on the radio and be like, oh, like, I hope that that song, like, is going to be on the show. But we were doing so much that, like, I never felt like I felt very, like, satiated in that I was doing a lot of different stuff.

[Jake Shane]

Right. It was like, literally, like, theater.

[Lea Michele]

Like, high school theater. Yeah, yeah. Time, like, cranked up on fucking who knows what, right? Crazy. Crazy.

[Jake Shane]

Like, actually, like, I feel like maybe like, the really, like, kids, like, younger than me, like, don't really recognize, like, at the time, like, how everywhere Glee was, like, it was inescapable. Like, you know what I mean? Like, it was. I mean, what. So when you weren't filming, were you doing press and promo and just everything under the sun?

[Lea Michele]

We were on tour, right. You know, we. So we did a tour in between almost every season of the show, Right? Except for maybe the last three or four, because we did, like I said, the Hot Topic tour, the Australia tour, the Radio City Run, and then the.

[Jake Shane]

Worldwide one with the 3D movie.

[Lea Michele]

And then there was the 3D.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah. So every break, we had something, and we were always working, so it was never like, oh, and now I'm gonna go. I mean, maybe we would go away for a little while, and I would come here, and I would go back home and. Always felt so safe. Like, the city's, like, the best place to come back to. But it was very different. Life was very different. I mean, I had a tour bus that would go past my house in West Hollywood, and you would hear it. I'd be in the house and be like, lea Michele, Rachel Berry on Glee. And then it would be like, I would hear Don't Rain on My Parade playing while I'm sitting in my living room. And then fast forward, like, four years later, I bought a house, like, so high up in a canyon for far, far, far, like, deep in, you know, Pacific Palisades. Because I was like, I have to get out of West Hollywood.

[Jake Shane]

Wait, they can do that? They can drive by your house and, like, say to people, that's where you live?

[Lea Michele]

Yes. And this is also. There was also a tour bus that used to drive by my house. My publicist will probably want to cut this, but it was the tour of people that have died. And after everything happened, this bus would come by. It was like, the, you know, whatever Hollywood tragedy tour bus. And here I was, 26 years old, and this tour bus would go back by my house, and every day I would hear, like, these are the details, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And, like, eerie music would be playing from the tour bus. And there it was just at home. Everyone should see the shocked faces of the camera. No, I mean, I think this explains a lot. No, no. But it's. Yeah. It was so sad. It was so. So depressing.

[Jake Shane]

Do you feel like there was just this, like, kind of adrenaline shock value of, like, dealing with grief in such a public way?

[Lea Michele]

Well, I was 26, right. No one handed me a guidebook. I was like, it was a fast education on more stuff than I could ever even process. But also, you know, if we didn't show up for work, then people wouldn't have work to go to, of course. And that was a lot of pressure for me. And so I had to put my stuff aside and just show up and so that everybody could continue to work.

[Jake Shane]

Do you feel, though, as, like, you all. You guys all banded together in, like, a very tight knit way?

[Lea Michele]

No, really? I think it really fractured so much. I mean, again, I can't speak for everyone. I think that maybe in some ways it did for certain people, but I think that it was for me. It was so hard to, like, I just completely broke. Like, I was in a really one track mind of just, like, doing my job. It was way too much to try to process at such a young age. But I'm very grateful for everyone there, whether or not they know it. Like, I personally felt a lot of support and from everybody in the building, like, helping me to get through, especially from the crew. Like, the people that would be behind the camera every day. Like, I would be looking at the camera, but looking at the person behind it are incredible. Crew members. Everyone, Everyone that held a camera, sound, like lighting. Like, I was, like, looking at those people. Like, they were holding me up so much as well as, you know, the people that were on the show. But a lot of people were gone also by then, which was hard.

[Jake Shane]

Right. I'm so sorry.

[Lea Michele]

Thank you for saying that. I don't really talk about this very much. I know you don't, but I feel like you. You get it. Like, you love the show. Like, you truly love Glee.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah. Glee, like, changed my life.

[Lea Michele]

It changed mine too, and changed a lot of people's lives. And I think that, like I said, I. For me, I. Despite all of this, you know, I really look back on it and. And look back at Rachel as just someone, someone and something so special to me.

[Jake Shane]

So grateful that you are, like, talking about everything with me. I feel so honored.

[Lea Michele]

You know, I. Yeah, I. I had my daughter in August. I'm a mom. I have two kids now. And I. I just feel like, especially after having my second baby, I had my son during the pandemic. It was a really intense time in the world. It was a really hard pregnancy for me. A lot of scary stuff happened. So I was, like, living in a lot of, like, fear during that time, as the whole world was. And obviously having him was like. It changed my life. Like, it. It broke me open. But, like, having my daughter and it was such a beautiful experience. Like, I Finished. Funny girl. I got pregnant. I tried and tried to get pregnant. I couldn't. And I finally did, and it was a girl. And I really feel like my son, Like, I don't know how to explain it, but it's like he sort of, like, saved me, and he changed me in so many ways and helped me learn and grow, but that was like, a growth thing. My daughter, I just feel like she's like, sunshine.

[Jake Shane]

Thank you, seatgeek, for sponsoring tonight's episode. Summer is approaching, which means everybody is back on tour, and there are so many concerts and live shows to see. Beyonce just begun her Cowboy Carter tour. It looks incredible. Um, Lea Michelle is about to go on tour. Tate McCrae is about to go on the Miss Possessive World Tour. There are so many concerts and live shows to see, and SeatGeek has every single one of them. Okay. When you go to the SeatGeek app, you can go scroll through concerts, what's happening in your city, and they'll show you trending events, what's popular tonight. You can browse by category, and with each seat that you pick, it'll show it on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the best, 1 being not the best. And it's really just to make sure that you get the most bang for your buck and you get and you know exactly what type of deal you're getting. Seatgeek is really just the most accessible and quick way to go see a live show. Live shows are so important because I just feel as though nothing really connects people in the way that live music does or live shows in general. I'm about to go on tour. If you want to see me, you can get a ticket on SeatGeek. You can also use my code therapist10 for 10% off your purchase. That's code therapist10. If you click the link link below, it'll take you to the seatgeek app, which you can download and the code therapist10 will be automatically applied. Seatgeek is just the best. I use it all the time to get tickets for concerts, and it really just has everything and makes life easier and lets you see live shows, which I think is what summer is for. So thank you, seatgeek, for sponsoring tonight's episode. Again, My code is therapist10 for 10 off. Cheers.

[Lea Michele]

Cheers.

[Jake Shane]

Eyes. Yes.

[Lea Michele]

I don't drink, like, alcohol anymore also, which is, like, so annoying.

[Jake Shane]

When'd you stop drinking?

[Lea Michele]

A little bit before I got pregnant.

[Jake Shane]

Okay. Okay.

[Lea Michele]

Which is, like, what you should do before you get pregnant, but it's just kind of, like, continued. But it's like, I'm feeling so great.

[Jake Shane]

I did. So you were like. You stopped drinking.

[Lea Michele]

Obviously, I'll have, like, a little, like, my husband and I. Like, I had a little champagne on my anniversary, but, like, totally, like, so much less.

[Jake Shane]

Right?

[Lea Michele]

Yeah.

[Jake Shane]

Wow.

[Lea Michele]

Congratulations party. Leah. No more.

[Jake Shane]

Were you a party girl?

[Lea Michele]

I love a good. You know, I've never done drugs in my life, and. But no. But I would, like, love a nice little drink. But. Yeah. They say it's, like, bad for you now.

[Jake Shane]

Well, apparently somebody came on my show once and said that, like, it. The alcohol actually means, like, you're gonna die death of, like, your spirit or like, something crazy. Like spirit killer or, like, something crazy. Do you remember that spirit? And I was like, oh. So I.

[Lea Michele]

You're, like, sipping. You're like, man, yeah. Cheers to killing your spirit. Okay, let's get back on track.

[Jake Shane]

No, this is so on track. You want to know what so randomly I was listening to on the way here? That is, like, my favorite. I would say everything I say is my favorite Glee cover of all time, but really is Roots Before Branches.

[Lea Michele]

Okay. I mean, look, I love Roots Before Branches. Like, Adam and his wife Nikki Anders, who I love so much, wrote this beautiful song. It was an original song for the show.

[Jake Shane]

What? It was.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah. That wasn't, like, a song on the radio. They wrote that for the show. They needed, like, a song for Rachel to sing. It was when we started incorporating more original songs.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

So, like, get it right. Is an original loser like me. Loser, like me. Roots Before Branches. But then it was also, like, people love, like, my headband.

[Jake Shane]

Yes.

[Lea Michele]

They love Only Child. They love, like, my cup. Like, I'll be doing concerts, and they'll be like, do my headband. And I'll be like, that. That, like. Well, that will trigger me back to, like, the. The. In, like, mental institution.

[Jake Shane]

Right?

[Lea Michele]

But, yeah, people really love. I'm like, okay. Yeah, I like it.

[Jake Shane]

I. I don't know why. I don't know why. I think it was, like, the first time I ever cried at a TV show.

[Lea Michele]

Well, if you're watching this scene with the song, then it's like. I mean, they're in the car, and he's like, you have to go. And we, like. We were, like, practicing those, like, lines, like, at home before work. It was. I was devastated. I was like, I don't want to do this.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

And then, like, getting on the train and going to New York. I remember it all.

[Jake Shane]

All too well.

[Lea Michele]

All too well.

[Jake Shane]

Do you remember a story? Because some of the storylines are, like, so outrageous. Do you remember, like, because. But, like, at the time when I was watching them, I was like, no, totally. And then when I was re. Watching them, I was like, huh?

[Lea Michele]

Yeah. I mean, like, maybe around then, but I think the last few, like, the last season, like, some of it got a little, like, wonky. Yeah. The puppet, the gas leak, and I think Carrot Top was there for a minute or something like those. For me, I'm like, was. Am I dreaming?

[Jake Shane]

Right?

[Lea Michele]

Did that really happen? Like, did I really do that? Because at that point, I was so, like, you know, it was so hard.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

So that's when it got for me. I was a little like, what are we doing? Like, what is going on? But apparently now people are saying, too, that, like, even in those episodes, it's like, yeah, we love it.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

Everyone's just like, it's camp.

[Jake Shane]

It's everything.

[Lea Michele]

It's everything.

[Jake Shane]

Like, my personal favorite is when you guys all took Adderall and saying, like, walking on sunshine.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, vitamin D. Yeah. Yeah, duh. I loved that we all drank, or I don't know if everyone did, but Red Bull, we were like, let's drink a lot of Red Bull and do this number. And we were like. It felt like the girls were competing with the boys, like, whose number could be, like, better and more, like, manic and crazy. And then we did it on tour. We did Walking on Sunshine at Radio City.

[Jake Shane]

Oh, well, I wouldn't know.

[Lea Michele]

I wasn't. You wouldn't know. Ruined your life after that life. Just really, seriously, imagine if you'd gone. That was like a butterfly effect. You could have gone.

[Jake Shane]

Maybe I wouldn't be here talking to you right now, but here we are. So everything happens for a reason.

[Lea Michele]

There you go.

[Jake Shane]

You had so many incredible guest stars on the show.

[Lea Michele]

Yes.

[Jake Shane]

Do you remember a favorite guest star? Just, like, a moment that you were like, this is insane.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, so many. Like, for me, Kate Hudson, working with Kate was the best. She became a really good friend to me and, like, a lifeline and that. I love Kate forever and her family. So working with Kate, singing with her, like, Almost Famous is my favorite movie of all time. So that was, like, major. And I. I met her, and she was so kind, and I don't know if I was, like, what I was accepting, expecting, but she was. She's such a girl's girl, and she's the greatest. So Kate, watching her sing and dance and her energy, she glows from within. Like, oh, she is such an icon, and I love her and so Kate was like, number one.

[Jake Shane]

What was it like with Adina?

[Lea Michele]

Love.

[Jake Shane]

I mean, love.

[Lea Michele]

I. I can't, like, talk enough about my love for Adina. I would go to when Idina was in Wicked and I was in Spring Awakening, I would find out that Idina would go and do Bikram yoga in between shows on Wednesdays. So I would then go to Bikram yoga, just happened to be there in the same class that Adina was and would be like, stretching and be like, hi, Adina. Like, how are you? Like, a crazy, crazy fan. Like, I went to the stage door of Wicked. Like, love her. Love Kristen too. I mean, don't even get me started about Kristen. She is like a rock. And I literally love her. And I have to this day, like, if I need advice about anything, I call Kristin and she, like, gives the best advice and she always picks up the phone and she is wonderful. Adina. For me, though, like, I wanted to be Elphaba and, like, I just always looked up to her and rent. I wanted to be Maureen. Like, I was so, so obsessed with her. And so the fact that she came on and she played my mom, it was wild. It was so wild. And she, you know, she said to me at the time, she was like, are you, like, are you realizing, like, what's happening here? Like, are you appreciating this? Like, she was trying to get me to kind of like, stop and, like, really, like, look. And I was like, of course I am. Like, but I'm so tired. Like, I'm too tired to even, like. But I look back on it now and I was like, I really wasn't, you know, like, I really wasn't stopping and, like, looking around and being like, I. I think in order to survive, I needed to have such blinders on, of course. But she was really trying to give me, like, such good advice. But I just loved working with her and she's such an amazing person. Just recently she did a favor for me and she left a voicemail for my son as Elsa, because I freeze his toys in ice and leave them in his room. And I tell him Elsa came and froze his toys.

[Jake Shane]

That's really sweet.

[Lea Michele]

And I play, like, let it go. And like, Elsa came again and gotta, like, break this ice. And he, like, loves it. And so then she was so sweet and she laughed her voice and she's like, hi, Ever, it's Elsa. And she, like, sang Let it Go. And it was like the kindest, kindest thing. So go see redwood and go Adina.

[Jake Shane]

Wow. That is the Sweetest. Incredible.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah.

[Jake Shane]

Oh, my God. I don't even know.

[Lea Michele]

I'm, like, leaving you, like, speechless.

[Jake Shane]

Like, yeah, a little. I'm like, was there a moment where you were, like. Because you talked about having such blinders on. Was there a moment, though, where you were, like, able to stop and look at the view and be like, holy. Any, like, pinch me moments?

[Lea Michele]

Maybe, like, on the tours, there was more opportunity to do that because when we were filming, it was so chaotic. But I have one memory that comes of we were playing Madison Square Garden. Like, this will make me cry. Like, I'm from New York. Like, I'm a New Yorker. Jenna was also from New York, and we bought, like, New York Yankees hats, and, like, our dads, are, like, real New Yorkers. And, like, when we did Jay Z, Alicia Keys, the New York number, like, we walked out, like, with our New York caps on, and we were like. Like, we made it. Like, look at this. We are at this venue that for us as New Yorkers, this is like this. It doesn't get any more iconic. Like, for me, it was even more than Radio City. And I remember, like, looking out and, like, wearing that New York cap and being like, whoa. Like, and really soaking it in in that moment. I have a few like that, but that was definitely one of them.

[Jake Shane]

Oh, I can't even imagine Filming was too much.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah. Like, you never had the time to stop.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

You know, but of course, like, I remember Oprah. I remember the White House. Like, things like that were moments where we were like, oh, my God.

[Jake Shane]

Right?

[Lea Michele]

Whoa. We're here.

[Jake Shane]

Right?

[Lea Michele]

You know, and then all of the awards and all of that was also.

[Jake Shane]

So crazy, wasn't there? It wasn't, was it? It was that. It was the Emmys. You did some. You did an opening. Yeah, it was the Emmys, right?

[Lea Michele]

Yeah, we did the whole opening number. Tina Fey and, like, John Hammond. Jimmy Fallon, I think, did it too. Yeah. And the cast of Glee. That's so crazy.

[Jake Shane]

Actually insane.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah.

[Jake Shane]

What? When? What did you guys think of, like, the term Gleek?

[Lea Michele]

Love. Yeah. Like, you're a Gleek. Like, Gleek of the week.

[Jake Shane]

Like, I wanted to leak of the.

[Lea Michele]

Week, so Darren literally texts me all the time. He's like, gleek of the week. Like, how are you? Like, literally, like, we always talk about Gleek of the week. Yeah. No, it was like, look, doing this on your head. It was like, everywhere. Like, yeah, that was it. Like, oh, my God.

[Jake Shane]

I have a photo of myself going like this when I was 10 years old. Will you text Cassidy. And tell her to send the photo. She has proof for her contact photo for me. I love that person that.

[Lea Michele]

I love that.

[Jake Shane]

What was I going to say? I need to talk to you about Funny Girl.

[Lea Michele]

Yes.

[Jake Shane]

Because I think the entire world, when you booked that role, was like, this is just right.

[Lea Michele]

What was crazy.

[Jake Shane]

It really is crazy.

[Lea Michele]

That whole story. I mean, this is the second book.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah. We need a sequel.

[Lea Michele]

It's gonna be a trilogy. Like, of course. There's too much to say now. It's wild.

[Jake Shane]

What was that like?

[Lea Michele]

Crazy. Like, you know, there were talks of me doing Funny Girl in 2014. I think it was. But it was right after everything happened, and I was totally not in the right headspace. It would have meant that I could only do it for, like, three. Three months on Broadway in between seasons of Glee.

[Jake Shane]

Got it.

[Lea Michele]

And I was like, again, full on adrenaline, like, crazy mode. And I'm grateful that I had the wherewithal in my brain to know that it was not the right thing to do at that time. And so that door closed, and I was like, maybe it'll come again. Like, if it's meant to it, it will. But I also, at that time, we were doing so much Funny Girl on Glee that I felt, again, like, super satiated. Like, I was really given such great material. I was very, very fortunate and very privileged in the experience of Glee that I got to do a lot of really great stuff. I'm not blind to that. And doing literally all a Funny Girl on television was awesome.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

So it didn't feel so hard, like, letting it go at that time. And then I heard rumors that it was coming back. And at that point, I was really wanting to do it. It was sometime around, like, 2018. Yeah, 2018. And I really wanted to do it, and they wanted someone else. I don't know if it's, like, out, but they really wanted Idina to do it as well. And it was, like, back and forth of, you know, what, what, what, what direction they were going to go in. And. And then I got pregnant, and I was like, well, I'm out, guys. See ya. So I got pregnant. I was so happy to be pregnant that again, I was like, okay, this wasn't meant to be. Like, I'm gonna go watch a dean and do it, and, like, I'm gonna have the time of my life. Like, you know, that's. It's gonna be amazing. And when I found out that it was gonna be, you know, coming and how it was happening, I was like, this is amazing. I'm so happy that Funny Girl is coming to Broadway. And, you know, my journey of doing it was only meant to be on Glee. And, like, that's beautiful. And I was very grateful for that. I went and I saw the show. I loved it. Like, I cried, you know, seeing these songs being sung on. On stage. And when I started to hear of, you know, potentially, like, coming into the show, I don't think I, like, even, like, grasped it. Cause it had been kind of, like, possibly happening at so many points in my life until it was like, no. Can you do it in four weeks? And I was like, what? I was at the park with my son, staring at the Statue of Liberty, exactly where Barbra Streisand rides on the boat singing Don't Rain on my Parade. And I was like, okay. And I, like, turned to my husband at the park. I hadn't been on Broadway in 15 years. And I was like, can we do this, like. And he was like, I've got you. Like, go and do this. And he's the greatest man. And if it wasn't for, like, his support, like, that's a whole other. That's another part of the book. And I was like, okay. Because we had no playbook on how our family would kind of, you know. And I just dove right in. It was like, I just knew what to do. And the same thing happened. But for some reason, I was singing it differently than I did it on Glee, and I was doing it differently than it was on Glee. I felt like I had so much more to access now that I was a wife, now that I was a mother. And what I learned in the whole experience was that the universe wanted me to wait until I was married and until I had a child to truly understand Fanny's pull of. Not of between love and fame, right? And until I could learn that as a person, I wasn't supposed to play Fanny Brice. And I was the only person to play her on the stage to ever be a mom. And, like, Barbara had her son in between the show and the movie. But to play Fanny as a mother, like, it was, you know, I just needed that growth and that understanding. And I prepared and prepared quietly in a studio all by myself with our director and our assistant director, who gave me so much support and freedom. I remember coming in and Michael Mayer, who's the director, who I've known since I'm 13 years old, literally doing Spring Awakening together. He was like, I just want you to. What. What comes from, like, here. And I was like, are you ready? I Was like, sit down. And I was, like, climbing on ladders and jumping off things. I was like, this is what I want to do, and if we can't do it like this, then I don't want to do it right. And he was like, we will do it like that. And they had to relight the show and restage parts of the show. And the cast, who had already worked so hard, came back, did a whole other rehearsal process with me, a lighting, everything. And then I opened the show and. And I did it. And the greatest cast in the whole world, the most unbelievable support from that cast of Funny Girl from day one until the end, like, they were so incredible, just opening their arms and their hearts to me, and it was the greatest professional experience that I've ever had in my life. I'm grateful to look back and, like, have the best memories with on stage and off. And I just loved it. It was unbelievable. My last night was crazy. Like.

[Jake Shane]

Like, it was just like.

[Lea Michele]

Well, it got really hard. Like, you know, I don't think the adrenaline faded by, like, six months in, and I started to really feel like what it felt like. My body hadn't done anything like that in a really long time. You know, I. Like, I found out I had endometriosis halfway through, and I was trying to get pregnant, and I couldn't, and I had a lot of losses. And, you know, my. I'm older than I was when I was on Broadway before, and I'm taking care of my son, was in the hospital, you know, halfway through the run as well. And it's like life. Life is happening while you're doing it, and you need to show up and you need to do your best every night. And the people that are sitting in the audience, they don't know. They don't care. You know, I mean, not that they don't care, but they don't know. They don't know, and they just want to see you do a great job and as they should, you know. But it was. It got very hard, and I really started to miss, you know, my son, started to get like, you know, when are you coming home?

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

And so I. It was just. It was time, and it was perfect. And it was unbelievable that last night and. And I'm still just on such a high from it.

[Jake Shane]

Do you. Well, first off, congratulations.

[Lea Michele]

Thank you.

[Jake Shane]

Second off, do you feel. Do you feel what. Do you feel the differences in doing Broadway, doing television? Because both are incredibly hard. I feel like Broadway's. Yeah, six, seven times a week. So it's eight?

[Lea Michele]

Yeah.

[Jake Shane]

Oh, my God.

[Lea Michele]

I'm a funny Girl. I did seven shows. But the tip of the norm is. Is eight shows a week.

[Jake Shane]

What's the difference to you? Which is more difficult for you?

[Lea Michele]

I think that, like, when you're looking at a show like Glee, it's pretty and just in the intensity. What gets really hard for me with Broadway is it's just the same material over and over again. At least with television. Like, you might be exhausted, but you're always having to sink your teeth into something new. With Broadway, it's like, okay, how am I going to now make this exciting for myself and exciting for the audience every night when you're doing the same thing over and over again? So that, for me, starts to get really hard.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

Just the repetition.

[Jake Shane]

Right, right.

[Lea Michele]

But they're both very hard.

[Jake Shane]

I can't even imagine. Do you ever think you would go back to Broadway again?

[Lea Michele]

Definitely. Yeah. Look, I'm. I never planned on coming back to New York, but I told you before we started that during the pandemic, like, my husband and I moved back here, and I had no idea what. What I was going to do. I. I didn't know where my career was going to go. I had no idea. All I knew was, you know, I was so grateful to have our son and my husband, and we were back home. And then Funny Girl came along, and it really just reignited this passion that I have for Broadway from the thing that I've been doing since I'm such a, you know, a young girl and for my city. So to have the opportunity to come back, like, it would be unbelievable.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

But, you know, I don't know if anything will ever be as hard as Fanny Brice.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

But each will have its own, you know, challenges and. Yeah.

[Jake Shane]

I haven't seen a Broadway show in forever.

[Lea Michele]

What?

[Jake Shane]

Yes.

[Lea Michele]

Wait, weren't we talking that you were gonna go see Merily?

[Jake Shane]

No, I. I was gonna see Mary. I was also gonna see Funny Girl, and then.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, that's right.

[Jake Shane]

I kept not.

[Lea Michele]

You kept missing me.

[Jake Shane]

I kept missing when you were gonna do it.

[Lea Michele]

Right.

[Jake Shane]

And then I think the last Broadway show I saw, and this is really going to tell you how long ago was. I think it was fun. Home.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, yeah. Wow.

[Jake Shane]

My mom.

[Lea Michele]

Long time ago. Gotta get you. Well, maybe when you move back here.

[Jake Shane]

I know.

[Lea Michele]

I really, like. Yeah, we'll come all the time.

[Jake Shane]

What are you therapist about today?

[Lea Michele]

What am I therapist about today? Like, what am I, like, angry about? I mean, I legitimately have a mouthful of canker. Sores. Because how does it hurt? It hurts. So, no, it's like, ever since I was like a little kid, it's like an like an immune, like, thing. And if I'm like, tired or, like, stressed. And so it does look like I had, like, really great lip injections.

[Jake Shane]

Your lips look amazing.

[Lea Michele]

Thank you. But that really sucks right now.

[Jake Shane]

It, like, I can't whenever I have cancer. So it's like I literally, like, I've realized that men have the least amount of pain tolerance ever and women have the highest pain tolerance of all time. Like, I don't know, like, if I had a mouthful of canker sores, I would not be here right now. So I applaud you. I'd be in the er. Like, I'd be in the er.

[Lea Michele]

I'm just happy. I'm just grateful for this mic because I'm just like this hiding, hiding, hiding.

[Jake Shane]

Your mouth of the canker swords. I haven't even seen one.

[Lea Michele]

That's me. That's my. That's my truth.

[Jake Shane]

I'm pissed about my. I have sweat stains under my shirt.

[Lea Michele]

Am I making you sweat?

[Jake Shane]

I know, I just like, maybe, like, I don't know what it is. Like, I never get sweat stains.

[Lea Michele]

It's intense. And I also feel like really went there today. We really sweat up your Prada. I mean, I sweat out that product.

[Jake Shane]

I really, really, really did. And also, like, what I'm therapies about is I have never been more present.

[Lea Michele]

In a conversation, you know, and like, you're like, using the, like, therapy.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

Like AKA Yes.

[Jake Shane]

Excuse me.

[Lea Michele]

Excuse me. Yeah, that was like a big one.

[Jake Shane]

But I literally have never felt so present. I. When I was just talking to you, like, I literally think I just entered like, another dimension.

[Lea Michele]

But I feel like I've known you. There's. But I just. I have been, like, watching your videos for so long.

[Jake Shane]

I really, really adore you. And I, like, so grateful you felt so comfortable enough with me to talk about all those things.

[Lea Michele]

Thank you. I mean, yeah, I don't like, if I'm going to go and do something, I'm not gonna like, you have to. Look, if you can't be like your full authentic self, then just like, stay home.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

You know?

[Jake Shane]

Right. I feel like that's.

[Lea Michele]

I didn't stay home today.

[Jake Shane]

You didn't. I feel like that's Rachel Berry's motto.

[Lea Michele]

Yes.

[Jake Shane]

That's like, literally.

[Lea Michele]

Is this like the point where we, like, tell people what to do?

[Jake Shane]

Yes.

[Lea Michele]

With their lives.

[Jake Shane]

You said you were excited about this.

[Lea Michele]

Yes, I Mean, now I'm like, nervous. Now I'm gonna start to sweat. I don't want to give, like, an advice and be like, Lee, Michelle told.

[Jake Shane]

Me, no, no, no. I've given the worst advice. I've given the worst advice in history.

[Lea Michele]

Do you ever lay in bed and you're like, I told that person to all the time.

[Jake Shane]

There was something the other day that someone was like, you told me. And I was like, I told you that. And it was like, I can't believe that came out of my mouth. I mean, Louise will sometimes see, like, my Instagram stories of, like, me giving advice to people and she's like, you need to take this down.

[Lea Michele]

Let's do it. Yeah, I'm ready.

[Jake Shane]

My roommate hugs me morning and night, tracks my location, sits in my bed when I'm not home, and tells others she's in love with me. I'm overwhelmed and need help.

[Lea Michele]

This is not okay. I am an only child.

[Jake Shane]

Right? Shocker.

[Lea Michele]

So, like, I could imagine that I would also, like, be like, you would think as an only child, you'd be like, give me my space. But I'm not. I'm like, let's stay in bed, let's snuggle, let's watch movies. But even now, like, I feel like I need to be the almost 40 year old person to say to this person, like, personal space is really important. But not only that, if it's not something that you like, that's okay, right? Like, you should just be able to say, I love this and I love that you want to spend time with me. But I just, my energy needs to be like, I fuel my energy. People. Actually, you'd think I'm an extrovert, but I'm actually an introvert.

[Jake Shane]

Really?

[Lea Michele]

I get my energy from being alone. So, like, my husband is an extrovert. He gets his energy from being out and seeing people. I refuel by being alone at home. And then I can go out and, like, do what I love.

[Jake Shane]

Right?

[Lea Michele]

But like, it's okay to say, like, in order for me to, like, refuel, I need to be. Have more personal space.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

Also, like, find, like, move somewhere else or.

[Jake Shane]

And watch Single White Female.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah, I mean, but like, I think that there's a way to be like, this is very sweet, but, like, I need some space.

[Jake Shane]

Right, of course. And then watch Single White Female. My friend caught me hooking up at their lake house, ripped the covers off mid act, cussed me out and made us leave. There was plenty of other open beds. Do I apologize or is this over the top.

[Lea Michele]

Wait, they were making up.

[Jake Shane]

Like, I think what they are hiding is that it was in like their parents. They were in. It was in someone's bed. I don't really understand this, but these friends went to their lake house. The. The friend whose lake house it was caught her friend who wrote this in, hooking up with someone in bed and ripped the covers off, told them to leave and curse them out. And she's like, do I apologize or is this over the top of her?

[Lea Michele]

Well, I think it's like, it depends. Because if it's like you invited a boyfriend and a girlfriend or two girlfriends or whatever the situation, like a couple, right? And you invite a couple over and they're in bed and if they're making out, like, what do you expect, right? But if it were like two people and maybe it was like a little of like a messy situation and you're like, wait, this isn't what this weekend was about and you're disrespecting my parents house. Like maybe an apology. Yeah, like a soft little, like, hey, I'm so sorry. Like if you found that disrespectful. But I don't. There's not enough information.

[Jake Shane]

There never is. I always lean on the side of apologizing just because like, I remember in high school someone was like, well, you don't get to tell someone how that made them feel.

[Lea Michele]

Right.

[Jake Shane]

You know what I mean?

[Lea Michele]

That's so your generation.

[Jake Shane]

But this reminds me, do you ever watch Girls on hbo? Oh my. Okay. Like, it's my. Literally, besides Glee, it's like my show of all time.

[Lea Michele]

I. I've watched it front to back multiple times. That Sex and the City, Friday Night Lights are like my. My shows.

[Jake Shane]

Is this or is this not giving? When Marnie goes to. Was it the lake house or a beach house and like everything goes awry. And her entire week. Do you remember they.

[Lea Michele]

I. That was like later. And like. And then what's her. Hannah's like, not feeling it and she.

[Jake Shane]

Like invites all the guys over and then Marnie's like, you.

[Lea Michele]

And I mean, that was like later.

[Jake Shane]

But that's what this is giving.

[Lea Michele]

That's what's giving to you.

[Jake Shane]

It's like, you don't know what this weekend meant to Marnie. Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

I mean, also, like, people feel a certain way about their home that like, maybe if it were your parents house, like you they wouldn't care.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

But like other people's family, like, they might. And so a soft apology never hurt.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah, it really didn't yeah. My ex was 10 hours late to my birthday, brought flowers. Wait, I don't understand how to give advice to this one. It just says, my ex was 10 hours late to my birthday, brought flowers and a plan B. That was the entire gift. Like, girl, what the fuck? Help.

[Lea Michele]

Well, this person is your ex, right?

[Jake Shane]

That's what I was. Your boyfriend. Then we'd have a different conversation.

[Lea Michele]

Plan B. Like the drug, right?

[Jake Shane]

Like, I don't understand this. How I placed first at a debate competition and qualified for Nationals. I'm sick. All right.

[Lea Michele]

I was. I was a national debater in New Jersey. Like, Bergen county champion debater over here.

[Jake Shane]

Okay. I would pay money, obviously, to see.

[Lea Michele]

Me in a debate. Yes.

[Jake Shane]

Like, I would say I would pay money for a Lea Michelle debate tour.

[Lea Michele]

Like, but, like, we were partner Samantha Melnick, like, we crushed. We would do, like, matching outfits. Like, it was. Yeah, I. I loved the debate team. For everyone who thinks that I can't read, like, I was on the debate team. I mean, I would, like, write speeches. Like, it was just. Yeah, you wrestle.

[Jake Shane]

That rumor is, like, hysterical. Or does it actually piss you off?

[Lea Michele]

It depends on the day.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

Like, it really depends on the day. Like, sometimes I think it's crazy that people care enough about me that they would make up something that someone has so little to do in their life, in their day, that they would waste it on, like, me is, like, hilarious to me. And then there are moments where I fucking get so frustrated by it, because I'm one of the only women in my whole family to get accepted to college. You know, my mother and my mother's whole family was, like, extremely poor, like, from the Bronx, like you. Not very well. Like, educated. And my parents moved me from the Bronx to New Jersey to get a good education and to thrive. And I did. And my parents and my family are, like, so proud of that. And it really, like, was so important for, like, my grandmother to see me and. And so for someone to, like, minimize that, like.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

It's, like, so sad.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

And so frustrating. But, yeah. I don't know. It's wild. It is really wild.

[Jake Shane]

It's wild.

[Lea Michele]

Crazy thing. It's like, I'll never forget, like, the same day that that all came out. Like, Donald Trump said he was gonna, like, punch John McCain in the face or something like that. It was 2015, and he said something, like, so wild. But what was trending online more was Lea Michelle can't read. And Ryan Murphy called me, and he was like, have you heard this rumor? And I was like, no. What's going on? And like, yeah, the fact that we are here all these years later. Give me the. I'm reading them.

[Jake Shane]

I'm sick.

[Lea Michele]

I didn't memorize it. Jonathan is not here to read me this. Okay, ready? I place first in my debate competition and qualified for nationals. What is this word site now? But after seeing the score sheets, I don't think I actually won. Should I speak up or just take the win.

[Jake Shane]

And not a fucking stutter?

[Lea Michele]

Oh, my God. The theories are going to be like, Jake called her in advance. This doesn't prove anything. Like, she memorized it. She saw the cards in advance. This proves nothing.

[Jake Shane]

I feel as though as now you. The rumor is so camp. It's so camp and so, so out of love from the gay community at this point.

[Lea Michele]

Is it, though?

[Jake Shane]

I don't know.

[Lea Michele]

Jonathan did a podcast and someone was like, you know, can Leah read? And his response to me was, like, so funny. He was like, do you really think she can't? Like, what the fuck does that say about you?

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

But yeah. Okay, I'm gonna keep. Okay. What should this person do? Take the win or tell the truth?

[Jake Shane]

Well, what was. I didn't even catch. I was so annoyed.

[Lea Michele]

Let me read it to you again.

[Jake Shane]

Okay.

[Lea Michele]

I placed first at a debate. I can now. I have. I'm actually. I have photographic memory, too.

[Jake Shane]

Okay.

[Lea Michele]

How do you think I memorized all of those? Rachel Berry.

[Jake Shane]

I know you can read. I know you can read.

[Lea Michele]

Okay. They. Okay. I placed first at a debate competition, qualified for national, but after seeing the score sheet, I don't think I actually won. Should I speak up or. Take the win.

[Jake Shane]

Take the win. Okay, look, it's.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah, it's not your fault that they scored it wrong. Like, take the one, take the win.

[Jake Shane]

Right?

[Lea Michele]

Is this, like, okay for your show?

[Jake Shane]

Please.

[Lea Michele]

My boyfriend of two years, mom, constantly makes rude comments about my body in front of his dad. He never defends me, and I don't know what to do anymore. My boyfriend of two years, his mom constantly makes rude comments about my body in front of his dad. And my boyfriend never defends me.

[Jake Shane]

Oh, it's giving. Like, the mom is super insecure and.

[Lea Michele]

Like, whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jake Shane]

Maybe is like, super, like, doesn't want the dad. Yeah, that's creepy. That's creepy. But you need to say something to your boyfriend.

[Lea Michele]

He never defends me, and I don't know what to do anymore. Definitely say something.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah, I would definitely say something.

[Lea Michele]

Like, this makes me really uncomfortable.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

If it were me, I'd say something like, right then and there.

[Jake Shane]

Right. And be like. And be like, what?

[Lea Michele]

Or I just start wearing, like, really sexy outfits.

[Jake Shane]

Yes. Yeah. You would say something to the mom.

[Lea Michele]

No, in the moment, I'd be like, oh, that's not nice. Yeah, like, right?

[Jake Shane]

Do you believe that, like, when you're marrying someone, you're marrying their family as well, or like.

[Lea Michele]

Yes.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

I mean, I love my mother in law and father in law. Like, I got very, very lucky. But you want a partner who loves their parents, right? Like, I love my mom and dad. I'm, like, super close with my mom and dad. So of course you want, like, you're marrying their family because you want them to be super close. Like, at least that's what I want because I. Like, that's the kind of relationship that I'm used to. And, like, we have the same, like, similar family dynamic. And that's why, like, our families work together so well.

[Jake Shane]

Right. Well, if I was this girl, I would watch Monster in Law.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, this is, like, beyond monster.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

There's something going on with the dad. Okay. I'm just, like, praying that I can, like, don't stutter. I stayed in my hometown for universities because of my boyfriend. My boyfriend. I stayed in my hometown for a university. Is that like a. Like, overseas? They call it university?

[Jake Shane]

Yeah. So it would be, like. It would be like staying in New York for college or something in New Jersey.

[Lea Michele]

Okay. I stayed in my hometown for university because of my boyfriend. Now I feel stuck, full of FOMO and regret not. Do you love how I read it? Like, yeah, like, Rachel and regret not leaving like all of my friends did. I don't know. That's Rachel.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

I don't know if I should transfer. Transfer. Or just stick through it and leave after. No, you gotta go, you gotta go, you gotta go.

[Jake Shane]

Roots before branches.

[Lea Michele]

You've gotta go.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

No, you. You. If you're feeling FOMO now, it's only gonna get worse. Yes. And if you're worried that your relationship, like, isn't gonna last, like, you shouldn't.

[Jake Shane]

Be in that relationship.

[Lea Michele]

100.

[Jake Shane]

Also, like, you can't focus on the past. Like, what's done is done. You already stayed for a year. You already so.

[Lea Michele]

And it doesn't feel right.

[Jake Shane]

And it doesn't feel right. Get out of there.

[Lea Michele]

Out of there. Roots before branches.

[Jake Shane]

Yes.

[Lea Michele]

Hashtag. Okay, my friend is a pathological liar. She once used a fake story about a car accident to ditch our London trip girl. How do we hold her accountable when she denies everything?

[Jake Shane]

Oh, You. You can't be.

[Lea Michele]

What if this was me and my fake story about my car accident getting.

[Jake Shane]

To Glee while I was listening to that? But that is crazy.

[Lea Michele]

Who wrote this about me? Jonathan. Yeah, of course. You have to hold her accountable.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah. And be like, you're a liar.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah.

[Jake Shane]

When people lie, it's like my number one thing. I can't do it.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah. No, no, no, no, no. This is not okay. Also, like, the first line, my friend is a pathological liar.

[Jake Shane]

Like, that's not.

[Lea Michele]

That's not okay.

[Jake Shane]

Because how are you gonna ever know if they're telling the truth ever?

[Lea Michele]

Right? They're like, I love you.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

But not good.

[Jake Shane]

Right.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, my God. This next one. I fainted while getting a haircut. And it up my hair, like, bad. There's a huge trimmer mark. What should I do? It looks horrible.

[Jake Shane]

You can always get it fixed. One time when I was.

[Lea Michele]

Why did you faint?

[Jake Shane]

Maybe she's scared of scissors.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, my God.

[Jake Shane]

One time I cut my friend's hair. We cut each other's hair in the closet, and we got in so much trouble.

[Lea Michele]

This is deep.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah, I think. I think we, like, hid in the closet and cut each other's hair.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, my God. Actually. And we got bad lighting.

[Jake Shane]

No. We got in so much trouble for cutting each other's hair. And it looked so bad. Her hair was just mauled. Like, I wrecked things. I just did the workshop, and she was able to go to the hairstylist and get it fixed.

[Lea Michele]

Go get it fixed.

[Jake Shane]

Go get it fixed. And maybe take, like, a beta blocker or something that, like, relaxes you.

[Lea Michele]

Love a propanol.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah. Like, what's a propanol?

[Lea Michele]

That's beta blocker. Okay. That's the, like, prescribed.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

For that. No, I get terrible stage fright.

[Jake Shane]

No, you don't.

[Lea Michele]

Horrible, horrible, horrible stage right.

[Jake Shane]

Still to this day.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Like, I. I don't take beta blockers. I have taken them before. Weirdly, I get more nervous for more intimate. Like, just recently, I sang at a birthday party with, like, a hundred people, and I was like, I. All I had to do was sing Don't Rain in my Parade. And I felt like I was gonna have a heart attack. And, like, I feel like I'm gonna faint. It's so bad. And no one knows, but, like, I was nervous every night before. Funny girl. Every single night. Like, I get such bad stage fright. And my, like, nervous and anxiety are so bad. So. But yes.

[Jake Shane]

So where do you feel your anxiety? Because, like, sometimes.

[Lea Michele]

Here.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

Like, here.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

Like, right here in my chest.

[Jake Shane]

And how does it manifest for you? Do you, like, pace? Do you sit quiet, talk?

[Lea Michele]

Like I can't talk.

[Jake Shane]

Okay.

[Lea Michele]

Or I'll talk a lot and like, you'll never know it, but I'm dying inside.

[Jake Shane]

Wow.

[Lea Michele]

And I just. In the minute I get out there, I feel like I'm going to faint.

[Jake Shane]

And then when does it ever go away?

[Lea Michele]

It never goes away throughout the entire time. Usually, like halfway through, I'll, like, feel a little bit better. And then when I'm done, I'm exhausted.

[Jake Shane]

Right. Because you're exerting so much.

[Lea Michele]

So much stress. Yeah. Yeah.

[Jake Shane]

Wow.

[Lea Michele]

I know. If I. I can, like, count on one hand, the only times like that I haven't been nervous, which was, I mean, weirdly, when I sang Don't Rain in my Parade at the Tony Awards this last time.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

I wasn't. I was. Because I was just in such a flow of doing the show.

[Jake Shane]

Right, right, right, right.

[Lea Michele]

So this one is really deep. I've been really depressed and I don't know what to do. And there's some pick me up stringing at the baccarat.

[Jake Shane]

I'm so grateful for you friendship and everything you've done for. For me in my life, like, without even. You don't even know. And, like, I really love you too, and I'm really excited.

[Lea Michele]

I knew we were gonna.

[Jake Shane]

I know.

[Lea Michele]

I knew this was gonna happen. Thank you so much for having me and for making me feel so welcomed and safe in your little environment.

[Jake Shane]

Thank you. Thank you. Before I let you go.

[Lea Michele]

Yes.

[Jake Shane]

What do you think we learned today?

[Lea Michele]

Oh, gosh. That I would write an incredible book.

[Jake Shane]

Yes. That is going to be not one, not two, but three parts.

[Lea Michele]

Three parts that Lea Michele can read.

[Jake Shane]

That Lea Michele can read.

[Lea Michele]

And, you know, maybe just a little bit more about one another.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah, right. And that I love you more than I ever thought. Thank you. The best.

[Lea Michele]

We'll be friends, right?

[Jake Shane]

Forever.

[Lea Michele]

Okay. Hopefully then he, like, never talks to me.

[Jake Shane]

No. Oh, my God. I'm going to text you after. That was so much fun. Thanks for coming.

[Lea Michele]

Are you gonna come to my tour?

[Jake Shane]

Yes. Yes, I will come to my kid.

[Lea Michele]

I'll call your parents. I'll be like, no matter what happens.

[Jake Shane]

He is coming to my.

[Lea Michele]

Is not keeping him from seeing me on stage again.

[Jake Shane]

Exactly. That is.

[Lea Michele]

You come up on the stage.

[Jake Shane]

Are you kidding? Are you kidding? Are you kidding? Yes.

[Lea Michele]

Special guest.

[Jake Shane]

Yeah.

[Lea Michele]

You got it.

[Jake Shane]

Do you want to give a little. Bye.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, my God. Bye. This is the best.

[Jake Shane]

Oh, I love you.

[Lea Michele]

Oh, my God. Thank you so much.