'Glee' actor Kevin McHale initiated Lea Michele-Cory Monteith dating rumors before their public confirmation

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Glee' actor Kevin McHale recently admitted that he had generated a rumor that Lea Michele and Cory Monteith were dating before the 'Glee' actors confirmed their relationship to the public.

Lea Michele was romantically involved with 'Glee' actor Cory Monteith from late 2011 until his accidental drug overdose death in July 2013 at the age of 31.

'Glee' continued for two seasons after Monteith died. Michele, 37, married businessman Zandy Reich in 2019, and the couple has a 3-year-old boy named Ever, as per Us Weekly.

Kevin McHale explains why he started Lea Michele-Cory Monteith dating rumors

In an interview with 'Glee' co-star Jenna Ushkowitz for iHeartRadio's 'And That's What You REALLY Missed' podcast on Monday, December 18, McHale said: "The intention was we were gonna get rumors started that Cory and Lea are dating, and people will watch the show."

McHale, 35, explained: "We had enjoyed two very solid years of success and really great ratings, and it was the first time they had started to go down in a significant way. Because I was the one who was always checking, I was reporting back and we all knew."

They had plenty of time to lounge about and brainstorm ideas as they were filming the episode's last performance, where the glee club songs a homeless shelter with the song 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'

McHale remarked, "I don’t know who came up with it, it might’ve been a group thing. So I talked to Lea. I don’t know if I talked to Cory, I think we did. And you [Jenna] were part of it."

Ushkowitz, 37, struggled to remember specifics, but McHale recalled all the tea and spilled on the podcast.

"I was like, I’m sitting across the room. What if I pretend to take a picture of Jenna and in the background, the very edge of frame, are Cory and Lea being a little extra snuggly?" McHale thought to himself at the time.

He added: "I said, I’ll put it up and wait a little bit for people to notice, and then I’ll delete it, like I did something wrong. Because the intention was we were gonna get rumors started that Cory and Lea are dating, and people will watch the show."

Kevin McHale's 2011 social media post eventually sparked 'Monchele riot'

In an attempt to spread rumors, Kevin McHale posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) and his cast mates wanted updates about Michele and Monteith immediately.

McHale further explained: "Everyone’s like, What’s going on? Have people noticed? I’m like, No, no one’s noticing. No one’s saying anything. And then at the first reference, one person said something — I deleted it … and then it got picked up and was all over."

Anyone who was a Gleek in November 2011 and spent all of their time on social media would recall the "Monchele riot" that ensued after the photo was uploaded.

Monteith and Michele sat in a seemingly candid moment, their faces close together, while Damian McGinty and Ushkowitz smiled for the camera.

Fans might be surprised to hear that the photo was staged, but McHale was even more taken aback when Michele revealed to him that she and Monteith were already dating at the time.

Michele continues to commemorate Monteith's death on Instagram every year. The actress wrote alongside a throwback photo of herself and the late actor in July 2023: "It feels like only yesterday that you were here and yet a million years ago all at the same time. I hold all of our memories in my heart where they will stay safe and never forgotten."

"We miss you every day and will never forget the light you to brought to us all. I miss you big guy. I hope you found Taylor [Hawkins] up there and are playing the drums together."