Cory Monteith's Friend Thinks His Lea Michele Stories Will 'Shock People'

The Price of Glee docuseries investigates the phenomenal rise and ultimate tragedy that followed the hit musical series Glee. One contributor has set the record straight on persistent rumors surrounding star Lea Michele.

Glee launched to worldwide acclaim in 2009 but, over the years, the show's reputation has been tainted following the deaths of three cast members and rumors of a toxic atmosphere on the set.

The new three-part series, The Price of Glee, arrives on Monday, January 16, on ID and on Discovery+. It details previously untold stories from behind the scenes of the hit show, and details circumstances that led to the deaths of Cory Monteith, Mark Salling, and Naya Rivera.

Monteith's friend and former roommate, Justin Neill, has contributed to the docuseries, and he spoke to Newsweek ahead of the show's launch.

Neill said he had to run it by someone very important first, before agreeing to speak on The Price of Glee.

"I wanted to talk to Cory's mom and just say, 'listen, the producers approached me.' The story has never been really told [by] people who actually knew Cory and I wanted her to first approve of me doing it and letting her know that this is going to come from a place of love—from somebody who knew him and cared about him," Neill told Newsweek.

The Price of Glee features testimony from people who knew the cast of Glee, including friends, family, crew members, stand-ins, and extras. Neill saw it as an opportunity to share stories about the Monteith that he knew, rather than the character he played, Finn Hudson.

"I want his legacy to be the Cory I knew: goofy, smart, gangly, awkward, generous, funny and I wanted people to know that side of him," he said.

Almost ten years ago, on July 13, 2013, Monteith was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room after suffering a "mixed drug toxicity" consisting of heroin and alcohol. Before starting his role on Glee at the age of 26, Monteith had received treatment for addiction and had been sober for years.

The trailer of The Price of Glee suggests there may be someone or something to blame for Monteith's death.

"I don't think Glee is to blame at all. I think, if anything, fame for him was so stressful," Neill said. "I could see it from Cory's point of view—Cory saw it as his work. He comes from a blue-collar background. By the time he was 19 or 20, he was roofing in Canada in the winter. So, you compare that to being in the show, he was always very grateful for his success."

The entire cast of Glee became international sensations after the show launched. They went on to win numerous awards, bagging chart-topping albums, and go on a sold-out world tour.

In 2022, former Glee cast member Dianna Agron reflected on the show for Newsweek. "It's complicated. It's so interesting to think about because I think that when I think about our experiences, the joyful moments rise to the top," Agron said. "And I think that the sadness we have experienced, it's very real. It's not anything I would wish for anybody—to know those feelings of losing friends or partners or family members."

Neill says Monteith found his newfound fame difficult as there was no blueprint for it. Fortunately, there was one cast member who had experience with it and could help him.

"I think that Lea really helped them deal with that. She's really the only one who dealt with [it], who had been around fame before on Broadway."

Michele, currently back on Broadway performing Funny Girl, has been hit with accusations of poor behavior on the set of Glee. Former cast members like Samantha Marie Ware, Alex Newell, and later even Naya Rivera discussed difficult interactions with Michele during Glee's run.

Neill spent plenty of time with Michele while she was dating Monteith, and shared his personal experience with her.

"I wasn't on set so I can't speak to that, but Lea was really good to me," Neill said. "I think things that would shock people is like, she would come over with three bags of food and be like 'I'm making eggplant parmesan.' And I'm like, 'what? Yes, this is awesome.'

"Obviously, I've heard the rumors too, but I could just go with how she treated me. And she always treated me with respect."

The Price of Glee touches upon the accusations leveled at Michele since the show wrapped up in 2015.

All three parts of The Price of Glee premiere back-to-back Monday, January 16, starting at 9/8c on ID and will be available to stream the same day on Discovery+.