LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actor Kevin McHale has talked about his less-than-stellar moments when he spent time on the 'Glee' set. In his podcast 'And that's what you really missed' that he hosts with Jenna Ushkowitz, he recalled the time when his costars Naya Rivera and Ushkowitz stepped up when he was unwell. In 2011, when he was ill his two costars held an intervention to prevent him from using steroids.
The 'Glee' ran on the Fox Network from 2009 to 2015. The story takes place at the fictitious William McKinley High School and is based around a choir competition as its diverse members deal with societal concerns. McHale played Artie Abrams in his breakout role.
McHale said he wasn't really in a bright place when he was shooting 'Glee'. Naya, his former costar who sadly died from drowning, is credited with helping him get on the right path after his steroids episode. On the podcast, McHale, 35, said that he had been "sick as a dog" during a hectic filming period and had been given the steroid prednisone to deal with the symptoms.
'I was sick as a dog on all kinds of medicine'
McHale said, "We had just started filming the Super Bowl episode at this time. I think we were filming two episodes at the same time [and] in the middle of it, flying to England. I was sick as a dog on all kinds of medicine, including prednisone. It turned me into a monster."
But he noted that it did "give him the courage" to "fight" for his solo in the "Thriller/Heads Will Roll" mashup performed during the season 2 episode, "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle." The 'Glee' actor said that Ushkowitz, 37, and Rivera, who sadly died in July 2020 at age 33, confronted him about his steroid use when they were eating dinner with costar Cory Monteith on the aircraft to England.
He said, "You were all like, 'So, hey, why are you taking these steroids?' I'm like, 'Well, because I'm sick, I'm supposed to take them." He added, "You were like … 'I think you should stop taking them.' And I was like, 'Why?!'," as reported by People.
'You're not sleeping. You’re acting crazy. You need to stop taking them'
Then, McHale claimed that his costars warned him, "You're not sleeping. You’re acting crazy. You need to stop taking them.” The actor promised to stop right away after being stunned by their comments. He said, " I hadn't slept in days,” he admitted, "I was losing my mind.”
Ushkowitz, who portrayed Tina Cohen-Chang on the show, admitted the medication was initially "needed" and "necessary," but McHale said he was still happy he stopped using the steroid. He described the experience as "a hard lesson to learn," as per reports.
Ushkowitz and McHale's first joint 'Glee' podcast, 'Showmance', was released in 2019. The endeavor started out as a chance for the two to talk about how their on-screen connection turned into an actual friendship off-screen, but it gradually changed into a 'Glee' review podcast.
