‘Glee’ Star Calls Out ‘Diabolical’ Fans for Saying Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera Deaths Were Part of a ‘Curse’

“Glee” star Kevin McHale had strong words this week for fans who speculate about a “curse” that caused the deaths of several of the show’s actors. “Let me log off today because the way too many of you talk about real people who have passed as a ‘sacrifice’ or a ‘curse’ in regards to a tv show is f–king diabolical and untethered from any sort of humanity or reality,” he said on X Wednesday. “Get f–ked.” let me log off today because the way too many of you talk about real people who have passed as a "sacrifice" or a "curse" in regards to a tv show is fucking diabolical and untethered from any sort of humanity or reality. get fucked. — Kevin McHale (@druidDUDE) July 29, 2026 Certain segments of the “Glee” fandom have long discussed a curse that afflicted the show created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. Those “untethered” fans, as McHale put it, speculate that this curse is at fault for the deaths of stars Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera and Mark Salling. Monteith died in 2013 at the age of 31 after a heroin overdose while he was still starring on the show as Finn Hudson. A Season 5 episode titled “The Quarterback,” written by Murphy, Falchuk and Brennan, later featured Finn’s death and was made in tribute to Monteith. Salling later died in 2018 at the age of 35 in an apparent suicide by hanging. This came soon after he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and shortly before he was set to begin a prison sentence of four-to-seven years. Rivera died in 2020 at the age of 33 after she was declared a missing person when her four-year-old son was discovered alone on a boat at Lake Piru in California. This curse was discussed in a highly criticized 2023 documentary “The Price of Glee.” Responses to McHale’s post were filled with “Glee” fans who, like him, are exhausted by the deaths being framed in such a way. “It’s so f–king disrespectful to their memory and to their families and friends,” said @joejnasgirl. “I’ve always spoken up about it, and I’ll keep saying how cruel and thoughtless it is.” I’ve always HATED seeing people talk about this. It’s so fucking disrespectful to their memory and to their families and friends. I’ve always spoken up about it, and I’ll keep saying how cruel and thoughtless it is. It pisses me off so much!!!!!— tata 🏒 ミ☆ (@joejnasgirl) July 30, 2026