Lea Michele is proudly passing her Glee roots on to the next generation — starting with her own kids.
The 39-year-old actress, now starring in Chess on Broadway, recently reflected on revisiting the hit series while speaking with People magazine.
Michele, who shares son Ever Leo, 5, and daughter Emery Sol, 15 months, with husband Zandy Reich, says the last time she watched Glee was to show Ever her season 6 performance of Let It Go.
The choice came naturally, she explains, since the song — originally sung by her onscreen mother Idina Menzel — was already familiar thanks to her son’s deep love of Frozen.
“He has started to know that mommy is a singer,” Michele says, “and I wanted to play him me singing a song.”
Although Ever has seen her on stage, including during her Funny Girl run, Michele notes he “doesn’t understand that it was a television show.”
Still, she says he “knows” about acting and recognises that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande play Elphaba and Glinda in the Wicked films.
One Frozen fact remains a secret: Jonathan Groff, Michele’s longtime best friend and former Glee costar, voices Kristoff. “We have not told him that Uncle Jonathan is Kristoff,” she says. “I want to keep that for as long as I can.”
Glee continues to play a role in Michele’s career. During her solo tours, she asks fans to share their favorite covers from the series — moments she says reconnect her with songs she once performed. “It brings back so many memories… that they connected to so much,” she says.
Michele adds that Groff has become a beloved presence for her children. After Ever saw him in Just in Time, Groff sang directly to him during the show.
“Ever was smiling from ear to ear,” she says — and songs like Somewhere Beyond the Sea and Splish Splash are now family staples at home.
