Here’s What All Your Favourite ‘Glee’ Stars Are Up to Now

Here’s What All Your Favourite ‘Glee’ Stars Are Up to Now

glee l r top glee cast members jenna ushkowitz, chord overstreet, darren criss, melissa benoist, jacob artist, naya rivera and alex newell bottom l r bottom blake jenner, lea michele, chris colfer, matthew morrison, jane lynch, becca tobin and kevin mchale season five of glee airs thursdays, 900 1000 pm etpt on fox photo by fox image collection via getty images

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The tv allege Glee first aired in 2009 (crazy, real?). It be a musical comedy/drama that follows a ragtag crew of high college college students as they navigate sheet tune and the drama of being teenagers, that first aired in 2009. Like a flash ahead six seasons, 121 episodes and a whopping 728 musical performances (to now not convey the literal dozens of Emmy nominations and 6 wins, the handful of Golden Globes, and many more chart-topping hits), and it be pretty safe to divulge that the allege used to be a bonafide phenomenon. It be moreover pretty safe to divulge that a part of what made the sequence so a success used to be its stars.

From the starting, the solid so clearly gave it their all and loved what they had been doing every episode—even when their personality used to be getting tossed within the dumpsters within the back of McKinley Excessive. With loads singing and dancing happening onscreen, that you just would be in a position to lift that The Modern Instructions had been stacked with Broadway alums and showbiz kids who had been performing since they had been born. There had been some of those (including Lea Michele and Jenna Ushkowitz), but there had been moreover plenty of forged members for whom Glee used to be their first principal feature (hiya, Chris Colfer).

After watching them actually develop up on the allege, plenty of followers are wondering what the solid is to date. Did Lea follow in Rachel’s footsteps and return to Broadway? Did Heather Morris return to dancing with Beyonce? Did all of them at closing in discovering to quit having slushies thrown in their faces? Be taught on to study more about your entire celebrities of Glee, then and now.

1 of 40

Then: Lea Michele

Rachel Berry, the self-appointed leader of the Glee club with huge desires, can even fair had been the principle starring feature for Lea Michele, but she had been acting, singing and dancing professionally (including on Broadway) since she used to be a child. Her personality’s variety A and now and then *coughself-absorbed *coughpersonality wasn’t constantly loved by every the numerous members of The Modern Instructions or viewers of the allege, but it be a must to confess, the girl’s purchased abilities. Rachel’s ambitions finally carried her your entire potential to Broadway as effectively, and the feature gave Lea two Golden Globe nominations and one Emmy nod.

But her newfound popularity wasn’t constantly the finest thing to house. In 2013, she opened as much as Ellen Degeneres about how principal it used to be to properly mourn the death of her costar and boyfriend Cory Monteith while being hounded by paparazzi. “It be pretty intense,” Lea talked about on The Ellen Display conceal. “There are such a huge amount of replacement feelings, and to selection of enjoyment in of us watching every step of the potential…” She talked about she felt safe going back to work on the allege throughout the time on story of the solid and crew had been take care of her “family.”

2 of 40

Now: Lea Michele

Lea has since remained busy in a model that could possibly well accomplish Rachel proud. Her first studio album, Louder, used to be launched in 2014, and her 2nd, Places, used to be launched in 2017. You will delight in moreover caught her in roles on TV and in movies, including teaming up with Ryan Murphy over again for Shout Queens.

In 2019, Lea married businessman Zandy Reich, and the two welcomed their first child in 2020. That same one year, the actress’s habits on space came below fire after used costars came ahead with allegations of passive-aggressive (and now and then outright aggressive) and racist habits, Fluctuate reported at the time.

3 of 40

Then: Matthew Morrison

It’s good to convey that with out Will Schuester, there would be no Glee. The Spanish teacher at William McKinley Excessive College is the one in price for reviving the faculty’s glee club to now not real its used glory, but potential previous it. Mr. Schue moreover became a style-of pop determine to the faculty students of the crew while dealing along with his safe relationship drama on the aspect, including his (now ex) wife faking a pregnancy and his feelings for his coworker Emma.

4 of 40

Now: Matthew Morrison

Like some of his costars, earlier than becoming a member of the allege, Matthew used to be ideal known for his roles on Broadway, and his efficiency in The Mild within the Piazza earned him a Tony nomination.

After Glee, Matt launched his safe studio album earlier than returning to Broadway as J.M. Barrie within the musical version of Finding Neverland. In 2019, he shimmed his potential over to the U.Enough. where he used to be a dance captain for 2 seasons on the fact competition allege The Most inspiring Dancer. He later teamed up with Ryan Murphy over again for the ninth season of American Alarm Tale, and most only these days, Matt starred as the Grinch in Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical on NBC.

5 of 40

Then: Cory Monteith

Because the quarterback of the football crew, Finn Hudson used to be The Man at William McKinley and started the allege as half of of the Finn-Quinn energy couple. On the opposite hand, his rising feelings for Rachel, and , the fact that his girlfriend cheated on him and purchased pregnant, led Finn and Rachel to later became the most talked-about Gleek couple.

6 of 40

Now: Cory Monteith

Canadian actor Cory Monteith joined Glee as Finn Hudson after plenty of minor roles in TV and film. Cory battled dependancy his entire lifestyles, and after an intervention by his Glee forged members, he checked himself into rehab in 2013. But real about a months later, Cory died of an unintentional overdose.

Following the tragedy, the allege paid tribute to Cory throughout an episode on season five, and Glee creator Ryan Murphy educated The Hollywood Reporter that they by no formula actually regarded as maintaining the Finn personality with one other actor. Since then, many members of the solid delight in continued to celebrate Cory’s lifestyles by wishing him delighted birthday every body year, and Lea Michele (his girlfriend at the time of his passing) has tattoos of every his personality’s identify and his jersey quantity, in step with Entertainment Weekly.

7 of 40

Then: Chris Colfer

Kurt Hummel used to be one of many breakout characters from the allege from its premiere. The stylish homosexual pupil is mechanically bullied for his sexuality, and at the time, used to be one of many sole LGBTQ characters on network television. Chris won a Golden Globe for the feature, which moreover landed him a space on the Time 100.

8 of 40

Now: Chris Colfer

Story has it that Chris Colfer tried out for the a part of Artie on the allege, and while Ryan Murphy didn’t judge the younger actor from Indianapolis used to be real for that part, he used to be so impressed with Chris that he created the personality of Kurt for him, the LA Occasions experiences. And followers loved him.

After Kurt’s desires came real on Glee, Chris funneled his creativity into writing and starring in his safe film, Struck by Lightning, which debuted at the Tribeca Movie Competition in 2012.

But right this moment, Chris is potentially ideal known for his Modern York Occasions bestselling YA sequence, Land of Tales. There are six books within the sequence in all, and it used to be launched in 2017 that Chris is engaged on (and can voice) a film adaption of the sequence, per The Hollywood Reporter.

9 of 40

Then: Jane Lynch

Every allege has to thrill in a villain (even one a pair of glee club in Ohio), but there are few who you take care of to hate as much as Sue Slyvester. For the huge majority of the sequence, Sue antagonized members of the glee club, in particular Mr. Schue, but she does delight in her moments when she proves she’s now not all coarse, including when she votes for The Modern Instructions to pick Regionals in season one.

10 of 40

Now: Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch used to be a longtime actress earlier than donning Sue’s #iconic tracksuits and had roles in Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries Most efficient In Display conceal and A Mighty Wind moreover to starring in The 40-one year-Dilapidated Virgin, Two and a Half of Males and Prison Minds. Jane has five Emmys, two SAG Awards and a Golden Globe—and earned one Emmy and the Golden Globe for her work on Glee.

Jane has continued headlining reveals and a success awards for the reason that end of the allege. The actress hosted six seasons of the NBC game allege Hollywood Game Night (which won her two Emmys for Celebrated Host For a Actuality or Actuality-Competition Program) and memorably starred as comic Sophie Lennon on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (which won her one other Emmy).

This allege day, that you just would be in a position to pick Jane as the host of the reboot of The Weakest Hyperlink on NBC.

11 of 40

Then: Naya Rivera

Santana Lopez began on the allege as a sidekick to head cheerleader Quinn Fabray and look for Sue but became diagram more complex when she developed feelings for her ideal friend, Brittany. While she struggled along with her sexual identification for about a seasons, by the tip of the sequence, Santana used to be out and proud and happily married to Brittany. (#Brittana forever)

12 of 40

Now: Naya Rivera

The feature used to be a breakout one for Naya Rivera. The actress educated Advanced that she even kept her elephantine-time nanny gig up till the third episode of season one real in case issues didn’t determine. On the opposite hand, Santana used to be snappy developed real into a main personality.

Six months after the tip of Glee, Naya gave delivery to her son Josey and, understandably, took some time without work from acting. On the opposite hand, she didn’t quit working fully; her e book, Sorry Now not Sorry: Goals, Mistakes, And Growing Up, which Buzzfeed describes as “part coming-of-age story, part important particular person biography, part Hollywood exposé, and part self-help e book,” used to be printed a one year later. The outlet moreover experiences that she first had the root to jot down when she co-hosted six episodes of The Note from 2014-2015. Naya returned to the conceal in 2017 with a feature within the YouTube Pink sequence Step Up: Excessive Water a pair of competitive performing arts college in Atlanta.

In July 2020, the 33-one year-aged’s lifestyles used to be tragically decrease brief when she died in a drowning accident in Lake Piru in California. Following the news of her death, her pals and co-stars shared tributes to the actress and Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan educated the clicking they had been “heartbroken” over the news, per CNN.

13 of 40

Then: Amber Riley

Amber Riley proved herself as a force to be reckoned with as Mercedes Jones. In season one, she takes on Rachel and scores a solo at Sectionals and finally strikes to California to safe at UCLA and fable her first album at an indie mark take care of the talented songstress she is.

14 of 40

Now: Amber Riley

Sooner than being forged as Mercedes Jones on Glee, Amber Riley tried her hand at getting effectively-known the upright aged fashioned potential, thru actuality television. The actress as soon as tried out for American Idol but used to be rejected by producers, in step with Entertainment Weekly, which formula she didn’t even in discovering to convey for the judges. (No be conscious on whether Simon Cowell has any regrets about that.)

About a months after Glee wrapped, Amber used to be back on TV starring in NBC’s are dwelling-lunge version of The Wiz as Addaperle, the Valid Witch of the North. She then took her abilities in a foreign country and starred as Effie White within the U.Enough. debut of Dreamgirls on London’s West Discontinue. “Working on the West Discontinue is now a dream realized, I real actually feel take care of this goes to be something particular!” Amber talked about in a observation at the time, in step with Entertainment Weekly.

Amber used to be most only these days back within the recording studio, and he or she launched an EP, RILEY, in October 2020.

15 of 40

Then: Dianna Agron

All the diagram thru her time on the allege, Quinn Fabray balanced being a cheerleader and a member of The Modern Instructions moreover to balancing relationships with Finn, Puck and Sam (and a one-night stand with Santana). She is with out doubt one of many characters who graduates at the tip of season three, and when she tried to method her Cheerios uniform, Sue tells her to pick it.

16 of 40

Now: Dianna Agron

Dianna Agron used to be the closing actor to be forged for the sequence, and Ryan Murphy educated Rolling Stone that the feature of Quinn Fabray, head cheerleader and judgemental queen bee who begins off the allege with a pair of pretty huge secrets, used to be at the origin supposed to be even meaner but that concept changed when Dianna nabbed the feature.

“After we forged Dianna as Quinn, she ruined the part for me,” Ryan talked about. “…she humanized it. She can cry at the fall of a hat. So now her personality has a sense of right and wrong, a soul and expansive vulnerability.”

After season three, Dianna made the occasional appearance on the allege, including the closing episode, but left to pursue various initiatives. She starred within the film adaptation of the YA sequence I Am Quantity Four, and he or she made her West Discontinue debut in McQueen, a play basically based totally on the lifetime of dressmaker Alexander McQueen.

Dianna returned to singing with a residency at Cafe Carlyle in Modern York Metropolis in 2019, performing songs from the ’60s and ’70s. “You are going to be in a space to allege that it is a space for tune followers. And there’s the intimacy of it,” she educated Parade. “I take care of to be in a space to witness every face within the room and craft a allege that is uncommon to the distance. It lets in for the selection of tune that I fundamental to create.”

17 of 40

Then: Mark Salling

Noah Puckerman would gladly select on the title of the coarse boy of the glee club. All the diagram thru his time at McKinley, Puck threw higher than his graceful a part of slushies and college students into the dumpster. While he at the origin joined The Modern Instructions to be nearer to Quinn when she displays she’s pregnant along with his child, he finally realizes that he enjoys singing and moreover finally, his on-over again, off-over again relationship with Quinn turns into on-over again. After Finn’s death, Puck decided to affix the Air Force in his honor.

18 of 40

Now: Mark Salling

Sooner than becoming a member of the allege, Mark Salling had a pair of minor roles and dabbled in tune, and he launched an album, Pipe Goals, in 2010.

His time on Glee stays the feature for which Mark Salling is most effectively-known. Two years after the sequence ended, Mark used to be arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography and used to be later charged, in step with The Hollywood Reporter. He pleaded responsible, and a month he used to be to be sentenced, Mark took his safe lifestyles, Folks reported at the time.

19 of 40

Then: Jenna Ushkowitz

Tina Cohen-Chang began out in The Modern Instructions pretty nervous, but take care of various members, her time within the club helped her change into more confident. While a crew of McKinley college students heads off to Modern York after graduation, Tina enrolls at Brown College.

20 of 40

Now: Jenna Ushkowitz

Some of Jenna Ushkowitz’s first costars had been muppets and monsters (she did three seasons of Sesame Avenue) earlier than making her Broadway debut within the 1996 efficiency of The King and I and used to be performing in Spring Awakening when Ryan Murphy and his crew had been casting for Glee.

Jenna has taken on a vary of initiatives since her time on Glee. She used to be within the Hollywood Bowl production of Hair and Waitress on Broadway and won a Tony for producing the revival of As soon as on This Island. Jenna moreover helped to chanced on Kindred, a foundation targeted on helping adoptees and their families (Jenna herself used to be adopted from South Korea). As if that wasn’t ample, she moreover co-founded a digital media company, At Will Media, that offers in-house production for podcasts, including her podcast with costar Kevin McHale.

21 of 40

Then: Kevin McHale

Loveable Artie Abrams is rarely one to let being in a wheelchair quit him from pursuing his desires, including becoming a member of the McKinley Excessive football crew. After graduation, he strikes to Modern York to safe at the Brooklyn Movie Academy but mute finds the time to help Brittany and Santana concept their marriage ceremony in season six.

22 of 40

Now: Kevin McHale

Kevin McHale had his safe miniature model of popularity earlier than becoming a member of Glee. He and his band NLT (Now not Like Them) opened for the Pussycat Dolls in 2007, in step with the Occasions Union, plus, he grew up taking singing classes from the same teacher as some various effectively-known names, he educated D Journal (take care of Ashlee Simpson, Ryan Cabrera and future Glee visitor important particular person Demi Lovato).

After Glee, Kevin continued to work in TV and film, including internet internet hosting British comedy panel allege, Nearly about Noted, and starring within the self reliant film Boychoir. He and used co-important particular person Jenna Ushkowitz moreover host a podcast together, Showmance, that offers listeners a BTS-look for at the making of an episode of Glee every week.

23 of 40

Then: Heather Morris

The actual one-liners on the allege delight in to head to Brittany S. Pierce, palms down. To illustrate, “My cat’s been reading my diary.” Or select, “This room looks take care of that one on the spaceship where I purchased probed.” But no subject now and then coming off as ditzy and having to repeat her senior one year due to the a 0.0 GPA (hey, issues occur), she receives early admission to MIT. But when the college adjustments her an excessive amount of, it be nothing that a search suggestion from back to Ohio and an emotional duet along with her then ex-girlfriend and future wife Santana can now not repair.

24 of 40

Now: Heather Morris

Heather Morris’s dance career began prolonged earlier than she joined the solid of Glee, and genuinely, it used to be her dancing abilities that landed her the part. Advance back in 2006, Heather tried out for So You Judge You Can Dance but used to be decrease earlier than making it to the are dwelling reveals of the season. On the opposite hand, she landed an diagram more spectacular opportunity as a back-up dancer for Beyonce on her world tour, and he or she used to be first precipitated to Glee to educate the solid the “Single Girls” dance, Refinery 29 experiences. Producers had been mute procuring for another cheerleader for the allege, and the comfort, as they convey, is historical previous.

Heather continued to house dancing after the sequence ended. She used to be a star contestant on season 24 of Dancing With The Stars, which caused some drama since she used to be already, , a legit dancer. But both potential, Heather ended up only making it to the sixth week.

25 of 40

Then: Harry Shum Jr.

Brittany positively secured the title of Most efficient Dancer on the girls aspect, but for the boys, that honor would droop to Mike Chang, even though it is printed that he hasn’t educated his fogeys that he loves to dance. Issues enact determine for Mike, even though, and he enrolls at Joffrey Ballet Academy of Dance after graduation.

26 of 40

Now: Harry Shum Jr.

As that you just would be in a position to potentially wager, Glee wasn’t Harry Shum Jr’s first dancing gig. Sooner than becoming a member of the allege, he used to be in Step Up 2 and Step Up 3D and used to be actually a selection of dancing silhouettes within the conventional iPod commercials, Entertainment Weekly experiences.

Harry has continued to behave and dance. including touchdown a main feature on Freeform’s Shadowhunters and a visitor-starring feature on Awkwafina is Nora from Queens. You are going to moreover be in a space to pick him within the upcoming Crazy Rich Asians sequels, in step with Vox.

27 of 40

Then: Darren Criss

Discontinue you suspect when Darren Criss helped write and starred in A Very Potter musical at the College of Michigan (in a while hand on YouTube) that he knew it could in all probability well lead to a feature on a success TV allege?

Darren joined the allege in season two as Blaine Anderson, a member of The Dalton Academy Warblers who finally transfers to McKinley Excessive (which moreover, with ease, is where his future boyfriend and eventual husband, Kurt, goes to college). After graduation, he strikes to NYC to succor NYADA alongside Kurt and Rachel.

28 of 40

Now: Darren Criss

In between filming for Glee, Darren seemed on Broadway in How To Prevail in Industry With out Essentially Attempting and because the title personality in Hedwig and the Offended Hump.

In 2017, this time after Glee, he teamed up with Ryan Murphy over again (sensing a theme here yet?) for American Crime Tale‘s 2nd season that targeted on the death of Gianni Versace, a feature that earned him an Emmy and a Golden Globe. You are going to be in a space to moreover select him in Ryan’s sequence Hollywood, which used to be launched on Netflix in 2020.

29 of 40

Then: Chord Overstreet

It would now not select prolonged after becoming a member of the crew for Sam Evans to vary into the current heartthrob of The Modern Instructions. He makes use of that important particular person energy to pursue a modeling career in Modern York, but after issues didn’t droop pretty as deliberate, he returned to McKinley to vary into the assistant coach of the football crew and finally turns into the director of The Modern Instructions.

30 of 40

Now: Chord Overstreet

When Chord Overstreet joined the solid in season two, it used to be his first principal feature, and when it used to be launched that he used to be being downsized to an occasional visitor important particular person for season three, followers began a advertising and marketing campaign the use of #DontCutTheChord, no subject, as TVLine experiences, Chord left the allege in teach to pursue his tune career. He has since launched an EP and a handful of singles.

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