Ryan Murphy, ‘Glee’ Creator, Received Death Threats

Given the febrile and hysterical political and social climate currently present in the US, it’s probably not surprising to learn that Ryan Murphy- the man behind the mores-testing teen show Glee– has received death threats from angry viewers and individuals who oppose some of Glee‘s themes.

Murphy recently sat down for a lengthy interview with Deadline Hollywood, an industry-focused site, and spoke to Nikki Finke about his work- including Glee and the FX hit Nip/Tuck. Of some of Glee‘s groundbreaking plotlines, Murphy said:

I think any time you shine a spotlight on homosexuality or minorities and you try and say they are as normal or as worthy as acceptance as others, the people who are on the fringe don’t like that and they will come after you. And they have come after me.

But Murphy says, unlike his slant when making Nip/Tuck, he feels a bit more open to altering the show’s content to allow more kids to watch it. Of other content on Glee that has proven controversial- such as a scene that “shows a kid masturbating on a bridge” or a story arc about condoms, Murphy says:

The values of it, I think, are great. Can we tell the same exact stories without compromising and maybe not show a person masturbating so that an 8-year-old or 10-year-old can watch it? Yes. So we try and correct ourselves at times because we listen to the audience. That’s not to say that we don’t sort of go back to some things now and again. We do.

Murphy also talked about his high-profile Twitter bitchfest with the Kings of Leon. In hindsight, he says he regrets getting involved, but that the way the band handled it set him off:

The thing with Kings of Leon was them saying, ‘Isn’t it cool that we turned down Glee.’ It was stupid and arrogant and I said ‘Fuck you, Kings of Leon’ and I should have never said it. I feel that started a douchey thing about me that I don’t think is true and I’m very regretful about that. I know that’s where it started. Up until then, Glee was gold. I made a mistake. Because the truth of the matter is I love that band. I screwed myself.

The interview with Ryan Murphy is extensive, and you can read it in its entirety here.