“Glee” may have ushered in a new era for inclusive television, but one of its beloved stars believes the show would require a bit of fine-tuning if it were to premiere today.
In an interview with The Guardian published Wednesday, Jane Lynch opens up about her recent journey to sobriety as well as a host of new projects, including Season 4 of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and the Broadway revival of “Funny Girl,” starring Beanie Feldstein. Of course, the actor also touches on her Emmy-winning portrayal of the villainous Sue Sylvester on “Glee,” which ended its six-season run in 2015.
Sue was introduced in the Fox musical dramedy series as the fictional McKinley High School’s cheerleading coach and ended up as its principal, bullying glee club director Will Schuester (played by Matthew Morrison) and his students along the way. By the series finale, she has been elected vice president of the U.S. and announces her intention to seek the presidency in 2024.
Lynch told The Guardian that she believes Sue, known for a “problematic” sense of humor, would not be embraced by viewers today. And although “Glee” went off the air more than a year before Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, the actor sees her character ― whom she once compared to former Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota ― as a great admirer of the former president.
“I think there would have been people out there who would have wanted to cancel Sue Sylvester,” Lynch said. “I don’t know that we could have done that show today, and it was only like … we started that 10 years ago.”
As for the character’s political views? “She would be MAGA,” noted the actor, referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” catchphrase.
These days, “Glee” is best remembered for introducing a generation of fans to musical theater as well as its boundary-pushing take on teen pregnancy, bullying, racism and homophobia. As for Lynch, she is enjoying the benefits of newlywed life after marrying her wife, Jennifer Cheyne, last year.
And even though “Glee” may be dated in its specifics, Lynch believes its impact was overwhelmingly positive.
“If I had something like ‘Glee,’ where it was stories that you could relate to on a deep level, that maybe as a person in high school you couldn’t express, yeah, I would have loved it,” she said. “I don’t mean to overstate it, but I do think it might really have helped a lot of kids.”