Lea Michele Laughs Off Rumors She Is Illiterate

Lea Michele has responded to rumors that she is illiterate by mocking social media users buying into the online conspiracy theory.

Taking to TikTok, the star of the hit Broadway show "Funny Girl" posted a video of herself lip-syncing to audio of Kim Kardashian having a panic attack from a 2017 episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."

"It's amazing, but wait can you talk for a sec?" Kardashian says.

The video features text that says, "Calling Jonathan to read me the comments on my first TikTok," which is presumably a reference to her friend, actor Jonathan Groff.

Michele previously spoke to The New York Times about the allegations that she cannot read and write, saying that they were sexist.

"I went to 'Glee' every single day; I knew my lines every single day," she told the Times. "And then there's a rumor online that I can't read or write? It's sad. It really is. I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn't be the case."

Michele, who took over the role of Fanny Brice from actress Beanie Feldstein, revealed last weekend that she had tested positive for COVID-19 and due to "production protocols," was forced to take a temporary absence from the show.

"Unfortunately, I have officially tested positive for COVID. In following production protocols, I cannot return to the theater for 10 days," she wrote in a statement shared on her Instagram Stories, according to the Daily Mail.

Michele noted that "close to a dozen" crew and cast members were "currently out" of the show due to a "tremendous wave of COVID."

"Thankfully staying home today and catching this early protected so many members of our company from being exposed," she added. "Funny Girl has been and still is tackling a tremendous wave of COVID with close to a dozen company members currently out."

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