Former Lea Michele Lookalike Called Her ‘Ugly’ & Cory Monteith Comforted Her Afterwards

Lea Michele’s behavior at the beginning of her career allegedly upset one of her lookalikes so much that Michele’s then-boyfriend Cory Monteith had to step in.

Actress Monica Moskatow was one of several alumni of the popular Fox show to call out Michele’s past on Thursday, June 4. According to Us Weekly, Moskatow recalled a time when Monteith praised her with compliments in spite of how Michele was treating her back then.

She took to Michele’s Instagram comments to share a time in September of 2009 when she was hired to be her Glee character Rachel Berry’s lookalike at a school. Moskatow said that this was before Glee‘s rise, and she had no idea who Michele was or the fact that she was emulating her. Once Michele learned who her lookalike was, however, she allegedly said some harsh words to the stand-in.

“I didn’t know my character was the lead let alone who played her,” she recalled. “When the actors arrived at the event and found out there were lookalikes of them Lea came searching for me. When she saw me she said, ‘oh my god! Could they have picked someone uglier?!'”

Moskatow said once Monteith heard what Michele said, he instantly gave her some positive words that she remembers to this day.

“[Monteith] saw the look on my face and said, ‘don’t listen to her she’s just jealous, you’re beautiful,'” she remembered. “I never forgot that.”

Michele and Monteith’s relationship was one of the focal points of Glee both on- and off-air. The pair began dating shortly after they booked their roles as Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson, respectively. While Michele’s behind-the-scenes behavior was reportedly prevalent throughout the years of their relationship, the couple remained together until Monteith’s shocking death in 2013. After years of battling his addictions, the actor died due to an accidental drug overdose.

Since actress Samantha Marie Ware called out Michele’s past “traumatic microaggressions” against her on the set of Glee, many of her former co-workers have recounted stories about her as well. Her former Ragtime understudy, Elizabeth Aldrich, claimed that the actress made her cry while they were working on the musical as preteens.

Additionally, her Glee co-stars, Heather Morris, Amber Riley, Alex Newell and Kevin McHale, have all directly or indirectly confirmed Ware’s claims. Most recently, Jordan Pruitt, who appeared on Disney Channel and on The Voice, added her thoughts to the matter via Twitter. She shared on the platform that Michele’s alleged remarks and behavior aren’t new to those who have interacted with her.

Following Ware’s initial remarks, Michele apologized for her past words and actions via Instagram. The mother-to-be said she was upset to see that she hurt so many of her former co-stars and promised to not repeat the behavior in the future.