Lea Michele announced that she would not be appearing as Fanny Brice on Broadway’s “Funny Girl” on Wednesday as she would instead be by her 2-year-old son’s side.
Fans who had tickets to see Lea Michele on Broadway performing as Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl” on Wednesday had to settle for her understudy, Julie Benko. The “Glee” alum was at the hospital.
Earlier in the day, Michele made the announcement via her Instagram Stories, as captured and shared by fan accounts, that she would have to step away from the show for at least one night, which amounted to two shows, per the show’s official Instagram announcement.
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“I’m so sorry but unfortunately I will be out of [“Funny Girl”] today,” she wrote. “We are at the hospital with our son dealing with a scary health issue that i need to be here for.”
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She added an additional message at the bottom, writing, “I’m so sorry. Please send us some love and strength.” Michele shares 2-year-old Ever with husband Zandy Reich.
As of press time, Michele has not offered any additional updates, so it is unclear how long what health issues the family is dealing with or how long she might be out.
Benko posted to her Instagram Stories, “Sending a lot of love to Lea today.” She also added a snap from her performance in the lead role later in the evening.
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Michele took over the lead in “Funny Girl” from Beanie Feldstein. Feldstein departed in August 2022 with Michele taking over a month later. The show was originally struggling, but since the change, it’s had a tremendous turnaround, breaking the all-time record for Broadway’s August Wilson Theater previously held by “Mean Girls.”
Originally slated to remain just through the spring, Michele will stay on through the fall. When she first took on the role, she admitted there was some guilt related to Ever.
“I definitely had mom guilt, for sure, of leaving him and not being there 24/7,” she told E! News at the time. “But it was so important for me to show him me doing what I really love.”
She’s definitely taking the time to be there when it’s most important. We send wishes for good health for Ever and the whole family.
