Glee original cast: who starred in musical series, what happened to them, where are they now, who has died?

Ryan Murphy’s Glee was one of the biggest TV shows in the United States from 2009 to 2015,with cast stars such as Lea Michele and Chris Colfer

The musical comedy lasted for a total of six seasons and pulled in an average of nearly 10 million viewers per episode in its early years. During that time, the show won four Emmys and four Golden Globe Awards.

However, over the last decade the show has had a turbulent public image with reports of onstage bullying by the characters and a series of fatal tragedies. These stories are explored in a new docuseries called The Price of Glee.

While celebrating the show’s huge mark on pop culture and its unprecedented success, The Price of Glee sheds light on the intense pressure of being catapulted into stardom while also delving into the tragedies that befell the cast and crew of Glee.

Here we take a look back at the original cast of Glee from 2009 and look at where the stars are now.

Where are the Glee cast now?

Cory Monteith

Cory Monteith was a Canadian actor and musician who portrayed the role of Finn Hudson in Glee.

Monteith died of mixed drug toxicity in July 2013 during the filming of seasons 4 and 5 of Glee. Monteith dated lead character Lea Michele off screen in the year leading up to his death.

His co-stars mourned his character’s death in a special episode in season five titled The Quarterback.

Mark Salling

Mark Salling was an American actor and musician who played the role of Noah Puckerman in Glee.

Salling featured in all six seasons of the show and his performances earned him a Teen Choice Award for male Breakout Star.

In 2017, Salling pleaded guilty to two counts of child pornography and agreed to spend time in jail. The 35-year-old actor died by suicide in January 2018.

Naya Rivera

Naya Rivera was an American actress, musician and model who was known for her role of Santana Lopez in Glee.

She was briefly in a relationship with co-star Mark Salling during the early years of the show.

Rivera landed roles in Devious Minds and Step Up High Water after Glee ended.

Rivera married actor Ryan Dorsey in 2014 and the pair welcomed a son a year later.  Rivera and Dorsey separated in 2018 after a four year marriage.

The 33-year-old died in July 2020 whilst boating with her four-year-old son and she was announced dead from accidental driving with the investigation claiming she exhausted herself while saving her son’s life.

Lea Michele

Lea Michele is an American actress, songwriter and author. She became a childhood star in Broadway productions such as Les Miserables and Ragtime before joining the cast of Glee.

Michele was one of the main characters on Glee and played the role of Rachel Berry in all six seasons.

Michele has featured in Scream Queens and The Mayor since leaving Glee. She has also released a total of four music albums since leaving the show.

Michele remains a star in Broadway and her most recent performance came in the revival of Funny Girl in 2022.

Amber Riley

Amber Riley is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones in Glee.

The 36-year-old has remained in music since leaving the show. She won season 17 of Dancing with the Stars in 2013 and appeared as a judge in the BBC One musical theatre talent show Let it Shine.

Riley continued her TV show success by winning season eight of The Masked Singer.

Dianna Agron

Dianna Agron played the role of antagonist head cheerleader Quinn Fabray during her time on Glee.

Since wrapping up with Glee, Agron has featured in films such as Novitiate and Hollow in the Land. Agron married Mumford & Sons guitarist Winston Marshall in 2016 however, the pair divorced four years later.

Chord Overstreet

Chord Overstreet is best known for his portrayal of Sam Evans during his time on Glee.

Overstreet has taken up a career in music since leaving the show and has released singles such as Speed of Sound and Hold On.

Overstreet starred in the romantic comedy film Falling for Christmas alongside Lindsay Lohan.

Chris Colfer

After playing the role of Kurt Hummel in Glee, Colfer began writing children’s, middle grade and young adult books. He has published a total of 18 books.

He is working on a film adaptation for one of his books The Land of The Stories: The Wishing Spell.

Colfer has been in a relationship with his partner Will Sherrod since 2013.

Heather Morris

Heather Morris is an American actress, dancer, singer and model who is best known for her portrayal of Brittany S Pierce in Glee.

Morris has starred in a number of films since leaving the show including: LA La Living, Psycho Wedding Crasher and Moon Manor.

Harry Shum Jr

Harry Shum Jr starred as Mike Chang during his time on Glee.

Shum has enjoyed great success in TV since leaving the show and has featured in popular shows such as Shadowhunters, Tell Me a Story and Grey’s Anatomy.

Shum has been married to partner Shelby Rabara since 2015.

Kevin McHale

Kevin McHale is best known for his role of Artie Abrams in Glee.

Since leaving the show he been the host of Virtually Famous on E4. He also has a podcast called Showmance which recaps on former Glee episodes - he co-hosts the podcast with fellow star Jenna Ushkowitz.

Jenna Ushkowitz

Jenna Ushkowitz is a South Korean- born American actress, singer, producer and podcast host. She played the role of Tina Cohen-Chang in Glee.

Ushkowitz pursued a career in Broadway after leaving Glee and appeared in The 24 Hour Plays. She has since starred in Yellow Fever, Hello Again and 1 Night in San Diego.

How to watch Price of Glee

The Price of Glee is a new three-part limited series which premiered on Monday 16 January. It is available for viewers to stream on Discovery.

The documentary delves into the lives of cast members both on and off set with never-before seen interviews and stories of the dark behind the scenes drama that occurred.