Glee Stars Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale Reflect on The Haunting Impact of Cory Monteith's Death on One Episode
Glee's Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale share their discomfort watching an episode after Cory Monteith's tragic death, where his character's drug overdose is referenced The emotional impact of this episode is discussed by the former cast members
Cory Monteith's passing has had a lasting impact on Glee cast members Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale, especially when they rewatched a season 3 episode. They shared their feelings about the "eerie" season 3, episode 9 storyline on iHeartMedia's "And That's What You REALLY Missed" podcast on Monday, January 7.
In January 2012, the episode revealed Finn's discovery that his father had died of a drug overdose. tragically, Monteith also died of an accidental drug overdose in July 2013, at just 31 years old.
"It hit a little too close to home," said Ushkowitz, 37, during the recap, with McHale, 35, agreeing, "Way, way too close."
Finn aspired to join the army like his father, believing he had died a war hero. However, his mother, Carole (Romy Rosemont), tearfully confessed that she had lied about his father’s cause of death.
"He died in Cincinnati after being dishonorably discharged," Carole said. "He struggled with a drug problem after coming home, and despite his efforts, he eventually succumbed to an overdose."
Carole explained that she lied “because your dad was so much more than the last few months of his life.”
Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz, who had no recollection of the arc at the time, were unprepared to see Monteith portray such a dark storyline. "We probably didn't remember it because we thought it was just another storyline for Finn that was really well done [at the time]," Ushkowitz said. "But looking back, the entire storyline struck a different chord and mirrored his life too closely. It was really sad to watch."
McHale said, "Yeah, it felt really somber and gloomy watching it. But of course, we had no way of knowing what the future held... it just felt very unsettling."
The podcast hosts have been candid about how Glee shifted after Monteith and, subsequently, his character passed away. "Finn was the core of the show and Cory was the heart of our group," Ushkowitz, who portrayed Tina in all six seasons of the musical comedy series, exclusively told We in October 2022. (Finn's passing occurred in season 5, episode 3, but his cause of death was never disclosed.)
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After Cory died, the show felt like it died in many ways," she added. "It completely changed...it was really difficult to do and it was never the same, at least for me."
McHale, who played Artie from the 2009 pilot to the 2015 series finale, also explained that he faced criticism for expressing the same sentiment in a previous interview. "People on Twitter and other platforms were accusing me of talking negatively about the show," he told Us. "But that's not what I meant. I simply stated that the show was never the same after Cory died, because obviously it wasn't."
