Every Time the ‘Glee’ Cast Roasted the Show After the Musical Comedy Ended

Credit: Miranda Penn Turin/FOX

Every Time the ‘Glee’ Cast Roasted the Show After the Musical Comedy Ended

A slushy in the face for the messy Glee plotlines! Years later, many of the stars of Glee have been outspoken about their disdain for the source material and its often tone-deaf, inappropriate content.

While appearing on the “LadyGang” podcast in August 2021, Darren Criss (who portrayed Blaine) was asked about the “worst cover” that was performed on the former Fox musical-comedy, alongside cohost — and former costar— Becca Tobin.

“Oof, that’s too hard; there’s too many versions of songs,” he quipped. After a brief debate, the pair agreed on “The Fox” by Ylvis from the seventh episode of season 5, even noting it was “conventionally understood as a huge ‘oops.’”

“It was so weird,” the American Crime Story alum explained. “It was one of these 15 minutes of fame for this song and they just decided to put it into the show. I had fun because it was ridiculous.”

The Golden Globe nominee recalled the number's weirdness during the interview. “The more absurd it is, the funnier it is to me,” he said. “So I’m sure there were people who were like, ‘What the f—k is this?’ and I was like, ‘I know, right?!’”

Criss’ admission is hardly the first time one of his former costars called out the show for its messy plotlines, confusing character arcs or bizarre song choices. Jenna Ushkowitz, who played Tina on the show, told Tyler Oakley in a May 2019 YouTube video that there were “lots” of messy story lines across the show’s six seasons. During a YouTube quiz, the Broadway alum joined Kevin McHale to dish about the weirdest ones, in which McHale also shared his disdain for the weirdness that was their “The Fox” number.

“[The moment he noticed the show was bizarre] was me turning to the camera during ‘What the Fox Say,’ and just being, like, [he made a sassy face],” McHale told Oakley at the time.

The show's creator, Ryan Murphy, even had a few choice numbers that he regretted putting on during the show's heyday. During a February 2017 interview on Watch What Happens Live! With Andy Cohen, Murphy revealed what he thought was the show's worst performance.

At the time, a caller asked the Hollywood creator which song he “regrets” the most, to which Murphy quickly replied, “I am mortified that we did ‘Gangnam Style’ by Psy. I will say, like, not our finest moment.”

The Fox show, which began airing in 2009, followed the William McKinley High School glee club, the New Directions, as they worked to balance high school with competitive show choir aspirations. During the episodes, the cast — including Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Dianna Agron, Matthew Morrison, Naya Rivera and more — sang a variety of musical covers and original numbers that corresponded to the weekly plot or a character’s season-long arc.

Scroll below to relive all the times that the Glee cast roasted their own show after it went off the air:

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'I'm Still Standing'

McHale recalled to Oakley in May 2019 that he cannot believe the show got away with several scenes, including a musical number he performed with Dianna Agron. After Agron's character, Quinn, got into a car accident, the two students sang the Elton John hit together.


“How crazy was that? Both in wheelchairs,” he recalled. “Inappropriate … The things we got away with.”

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Jenna Ushkowitz Recalled Her ‘Weirdest, Craziest’ Night on Set

Ushkowitz also remembered the weirdness that was their “The Fox” cover. “We were hiding in the indoor plants on the stage and we’re singing ‘What the Fox Say,’” she told Oakley in a 2019 interview. “And it was just the weirdest, craziest night.”

Credit: Miranda Penn Turin/FOX

Most of the Cast ‘Hated’ the Show

In March 2020, McHale revealed that several of his former costars did not enjoy their time on the show during a March 2020 appearance on the “Dating Straight” podcast alongside Ushkowitz.

“I never hated it … some people did,” he recalled. “I was the last one to break.” For her part, the Waitress alum chose “Gangnam Style” as the moment the show jumped the shark. During the interview, the two friends agreed that season 5 was a particularly “rough” point of the show and “pretty tone-deaf” looking back. McHale noted that viewers who watched the show “now,” would be “shocked” by its content.

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Darren Criss on the ‘Weirdest’ Cover

Criss noted on the “LadyGang” podcast in August 2021 that “The Fox” was a particularly bizarre number they performed. The University of Michigan alum said, “We were so deep into the show, we were, like, fourth or fifth season, and we were so delirious from the absurdity of it."

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Kevin McHale Thought ‘What the Fox Say’ Storyline Was ‘Crazy’

While there have been plenty of insane storylines on the show, “The Fox” was a turning point for McHale. “We’ve done a lot of crazy things, and I’m, like, down for whatever,” he told Oakley in the YouTube video. “That was the first time I was, like, hmm.” 

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Heather Morris Called Her One-Liners ‘Dumb’

The Dancing With the Stars alum recalled to Vulture in April 2010 the moment she realized her character of Brittany would have an expanded role on the show — with a subtle dig at the show’s writing.


“I was in a scene with Mark Salling and Jane Lynch, this scene in Sue’s office when she’s trying to recruit us to be in her own rival glee club, when she was ranting on about how I was this Dutch girl from the red-light district, and he was this Jewish guy,” she remembered. “Ryan Murphy was watching and I heard this hysterical laughing. He walks in, like, ‘Heather Morris: You looked so confused, and it’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.’ It was literally from that moment on, it just kept getting worse and worse, the dumb things I was saying.”

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The Show’s Vibe Shift After Cory Monteith Died

McHale told the Huffington Post in May 2015 that the show’s tone shifted tremendously after the death of Monteith in July 2013, noting that, at the time, it was challenging for the writers to determine a new direction for the show since he was one of the major players. The musician even alleged that the new vibe of the show contributed to the downfall of the show’s popularity.

“Towards the end, there weren’t that many people watching Glee,” he noted. “We’re off the air for a reason.”

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Jayma Mays Didn’t Leave ‘by Choice’

In October 2013, Mays (Emma) told the U.K.’s Metro the real reason why her character left the show early.

“It wasn’t my choice,” she told the outlet before her departure. “The creators decided to do it. We knew it was coming last year – some other characters will also be leaving this season. It’s very sad to be going ... It’s about getting new blood into the show. I really enjoyed playing Emma. I don’t know how I’m written out yet – I’m so curious.”