TV Romance
‘Glee’: Lea Michele Sets the Record Straight About the Father of Rachel Berry’s Baby
Glee is one of those shows that lives permanently in the back of our brain, and in the aftermath of this year’s Tony Awards, it’s come to the forefront again.
There was a mini Glee reunion at the ceremony this year, with actors Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Jonathan Groff, and Darren Criss making appearances. The latter two were competing for Best Actor in a Musical, with Criss ultimately walking away with the trophy for his role in Maybe Happy Ending. (Criss’ win prevented a two-peat from Groff, who won last year for Merrily We Roll Along. He was nominated for Just in Time this time around.)
Naturally, Glee came up in conversation when the actors hit the red carpet. Entertainment Weekly asked Michele whether or not her character, Rachel Berry, would cast her vote for Groff’s Jesse St. James or Criss’ Blaine Anderson if they were going head-to-head at the Tonys.
The same question was posed to Groff at another recent event. In an interview with People, Groff replied, “She better f***ing be voting for Jesse St. James, her husband. I forget sometimes [until] I’m reminded that at the end of Glee, Lea was pregnant with our child, and we were married and she’s accepting a Tony.”
@people #JonathanGroff has spoken on who he thinks #LeaMichele’s #Glee character #RachelBerry should want to win the Tony. He and #DarrenCriss are both nominated for best actor. 👀🤭 #TonyAwards #MaybeHappyEnding #JustInTime #Broadway #TonyAwards2025 #Gleeks #GleeTok ♬ Broadway Bound – Atomica Music
In the comments of the viral TikTok clip, Gleeks were quick to point out that Groff misremembered that particular plotline. Though she is married to Jesse at the end of the series, Rachel was actually carrying Blaine and Kurt’s (Colfer) child as a surrogate. (It’s been over 10 years since the finale aired, so we’ll give him a pass.)
In her EW interview, Michele joined the ranks of people correcting Groff. “He said that Rachel Berry would obviously want Jesse St. James to win because I was carrying his child,” Michele said. “But he forgot to remember that I was actually carrying Darren Criss’ baby.”
As for who Michele herself thinks Rachel would root for at the Tonys, she decided that “it’s too hard to say.” She did, however, commend Groff in the end. “He answered it well, he just forgot the plot.”
Criss also gave his two cents when asked by ExtraTV. “It’d be weird if [Rachel] wasn’t [rooting for Jesse],” he said, echoing Groff. “That’d be bizarre. I cosign on that.”
