Kevin McHale, who played wheelchair-using student Artie Abrams on Glee, unleashed an expletive-filled statement on X this week, telling fans spreading conspiracy theories about the deaths of his former co-stars to "get f***ed."
The 38-year-old actor dropped the f-bomb twice, condemning social media users who describe the deaths of Cory Monteith, Mark Salling and Naya Rivera as a "sacrifice" or a "curse" tied to the show.
"Let me log off today because the way too many of you talk about real people who have passed as a 'sacrifice' or a 'curse' in regards to a tv show is f***ing diabolical and untethered from any sort of humanity or reality," McHale wrote.
Three cast members lost
Monteith, who played fan favourite Finn Hudson on the Fox musical comedy-drama, died of an accidental overdose in 2013 at 31. Salling, who played Noah "Puck" Puckerman, took his own life in January 2018 at 35 while awaiting federal sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
McHale was particularly close to Rivera, who played Santana Lopez. She died in July 2020 at 33 from accidental drowning at Lake Piru in California after using her remaining strength to save her four-year-old son, Josey. Shortly after her body was recovered, McHale posted a tribute on Instagram, writing: "I legitimately cannot imagine this world without you."
Dark humour as a coping mechanism
McHale has previously acknowledged that he and his co-stars have joked about a curse among themselves. On the Elvis Duran Show in 2024, he said the cast makes jokes that make others uncomfortable, explaining that laughing is how they avoid being consumed by grief. He called the deaths "a lot of horrible coincidences and accidents" and said similar tragedies occur on other productions without attracting the same attention.
A 2023 Discovery+ documentary, The Price of Glee, which McHale has previously criticised, also cited the deaths of five crew members, including a second team lead, a prop worker, and a stand-in who died in a car fire. Two others, including a production assistant and a rigging gaffer's brother, died by suicide.
What McHale is doing now
Glee aired on Fox from 2009 to 2015. McHale has since moved into stage work and is currently finishing an Off-Broadway revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He is set to make his Broadway debut as Brad in The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Studio 54 starting August 25.
