Glee star Amber Riley speaks out on racism: 'We were told us black girls were expendable'

Lea Michele's former Glee co-stars have spoken out about her on-set bullying allegations. Photos / Getty Images

Amber Riley "doesn't give a s**t" about the row surrounding Lea Michele.

The 34-year-old actress insisted there are bigger issues at hand than the accusations of bullying being made against her former 'Glee' co-star, who has subsequently apologised after Samantha Marie Ware accused her of making her life a "living hell".

Amber hasn't been in touch with Lea - who is expecting her first child with husband Zandy Reich - for two years, but the brunette beauty "reached out" to her in the wake of Samantha's comments.

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A post shared by Lea Michele (@leamichele) on Jun 3, 2020 at 4:03am PDT

She said: "I wish Lea Michele well, I hope that she has an amazing pregnancy, I hope that she has grown.

"That [statement] she put out, I didn't read it because I told y'all I don't give a s**t about it.... She reached out to me, I responded to her and that's where it ends for me. I ain't talk to that girl in two years. I have no hatred or ill will on that end."

Amber insisted she wasn't "going to say that Lea Michele is racist" but admitted the 'Glee' set was "not the most comfortable environment" to work in and she was glad Samantha spoke out in response to Lea's Black Lives Matter tweet.

LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET. I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD “SHIT IN MY WIG!” AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGRESSIONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD... https://t.co/RkcaMBmtDA

— SAMEYA (@Sammie_Ware) June 2, 2020

Amber - who FaceTimed with Samantha earlier this week - added in an Instagram Live interview with Danielle Young: "I'm very proud of her for standing up for herself.

"I am proud of her not being fearful for speaking her truth ... [Her] feeling was, 'I am not going to allow you to jump on what is happening now when you didn't treat me right.' "

The 'Infamous' actress slammed the culture of Hollywood, which regards black actors as "expendable".

She said: "The stories I'm reading about how white women are using their privilege and the fact that they are not fireable, something that I was told once on set after having my own complaint.

"They know that they are not fireable and they use that privilege to terrorise their counterparts. These networks don't have to give a f**k.

"We were even told, we were expendable. The coloured girls, the black girls, are expendable.

"I'm talking about the culture of Hollywood right now and how they treat black characters, black men, black women. I'm talking about the culture."