'Glee' Season 5 Has 20 Episodes After Naya Rivera Fired for Lea Michele Feud: Cory Monteith Death, Big Sean Engagement Ending Flared Tempers
Sadly, the television show "Glee" is not as cheerful backstage as its fans might expect. Naya Rivera, who plays the role of Santana Lopez in the musical comedy drama, has been fired from the cast due to a rumored feud between her and Lea Michele who plays the lead character, Rachel Barbra Berry. Rumors of the dispute between the two began circulating earlier this month as both actresses stormed off the set after becoming upset with each other. The feud seemed to have continued since then, until "Glee" producers finally decided that the drama behind the scenes was too much of a distraction and have reportedly fired Naya Rivera.
Reports add that Rivera has been "written off" the show, with her character no longer appearing in the subsequent episodes of the current season as well as the upcoming final season.
No exact details have been confirmed about what pushed the producers to fire one of their lead stars, but inside sources indicate that Naya was allegedly jealous of the attention Lea had been receiving from both the cast and the crew. Producers, however, specifically mentioned that their decision was not requested nor demanded by Michele.
Another source mentioned that the two ladies "talked a lot" behind each other's backs, and apparently hated each other.
Furthermore, it appears that tensions were not only existing between Rivera and Michele; animosity looks to have spread to the producers as well. It's no secret to the public that both actresses are going through difficult times, with Michele recovering from Cory Monteith's untimely death and Rivera ending her engagement with former fiancée and rapper Big Sean earlier this month.
Season 5 of "Glee" premiered on Sept. 26, 2013 and is set to have 20 episodes instead of the previous seasons' 22 following Monteith's death. Because of this shortened season, it was also confirmed that that the sixth and final season would be extended to 24 episodes.