Lea Michele's Controversial 'Glee' Finale Performance Raises Questions About Her Eligibility for Best Actress at 2023 Tonys

Lea Michele. Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Lea Michele is set to perform at the Tony Awards alongside the Broadway revival of Funny Girl on June 11, bringing her life full circle as she channels her former Glee character, Rachel Berry. The actress took to Instagram to share a rehearsal photo from the stage of New York City's United Palace, captioning it with a nod to her past role and excitement for the upcoming awards show.

The Glee series finale paid tribute to the Barbra Streisand movie and culminated with Michele's character, Rachel Berry, winning the coveted Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the Funny Girl revival. Unfortunately, Michele, a native of New York, is not eligible for the Tony this year due to her joining the musical in September 2022. Beanie Feldstein, who played the lead role and debuted in Funny Girl last April, is considered the actress who originated the role in this particular production, making her the only actress eligible for the award.

Michele's debut performance at the August Wilson Theater has received a plethora of positive feedback, in stark contrast to Feldstein's absence from last year's ceremony due to overwhelmingly negative reviews.

The production may not be eligible for awards this year, but the Funny Girl cast, including Michele, will still perform. In other Tony news, Alex Newell made history as the first gender nonconforming performer to win in the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical category. Newell, who played Wade/Unique Adams on Glee, won the award for their role as Lulu in the musical comedy Shucked.

"I have always dreamed of this moment, and I am immensely grateful to each and every one of you present here today," expressed Newell with heartfelt appreciation. "Mom, your unwavering faith in me, unconditional love, and lessons on resilience have brought me this far. To my amazing team at Shucked, thank you for being my constant support system and for making this possible. I love you all from the bottom of my heart. Finally, I want to inspire everyone, especially those who are queer, nonbinary, fat, black, or come from humble beginnings like me, that you too can achieve your dreams if you have the determination and willpower to make it happen." Newell's message of hope resonated with the audience, leaving them feeling inspired and empowered to chase their own aspirations.