‘We all know who it is’: Keke Palmer’s on-set horror stories have people convinced that she was bullied by a controversial scream queen

Every Ryan Murphy show comes with a few guarantees. Firstly, you’ll likely get a well-made show on TV — which is good. Then again, you may have have Lea Michele on set — which is… questionable. And finally, there will probably be some behind-the-scenes allegations of racism — which, as expected, is definitely not good.

It seems that everything Murphy touches eventually implodes from within. Whether it’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and its complete lack of boundaries, or Glee and its downright ominous curse, the “Murphy touch” all but guarantees that something problematic will happen sooner or later. This time, it’s none other than the beloved Keke Palmer, who recently shared stories about her experience on the set of Scream Queens.

Allegedly, it all began when one of her Scream Queens co-stars — whom Palmer refers to as “Brenda” in her memoir for anonymity — was in a heated exchange with another co-star. Trying to comfort “Brenda,” Palmer said, “Have fun and respect each other,” to which “Brenda” replied, “Keke, literally, just don’t. Who do you think you are? Martin F— Luther King?” Oh, the microaggression senses are tingling.

When asked by the LA Times who this “Brenda” was, Palmer refused to name her. “I’m not a victim. That’s not my storyline, sweetie,” she told the publication. “I don’t care what her a– said. If I allow what she said to cripple me, then she would.” While Palmer may have chosen to take the high road, her fans will surely hold the grudge on her behalf — and understandably so.

And thus, fans began to speculate on social media — and so did we. So, who might this “Brenda” be? I have a few educated guesses, but let’s first go through Palmer’s Scream Queens co-stars. The show first aired in 2015 and ran for two seasons. The satirical series—still loved to this day—was led by Emma Roberts, with recurring cast members including Billie Lourd, Abigail Breslin, and, of course, Lea Michele.

At first glance, Emma Roberts’ mean-girl persona on the show made it tempting to believe there might be a hint of truth to her role — and to some extent, there is. Her list of controversies is, to put it plainly, uncomfortably long. From a domestic violence arrest to on-set accusations of transphobia, Roberts is no stranger to scandal. However, she isn’t the prime suspect here.

I raise you: Lea Michele. If you don’t remember Michele, she starred in Glee for seven seasons and recently made headlines for her acclaimed performance as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. Yes, she’s talented — but it just so happens that the “she may be difficult, but boy can she sing,” Kurt Hummel quote is far more truthful than anyone might have guessed.

In a now-deleted 2020 series of tweets, former Glee cast member Samantha Marie Ware called out Michele for her hypocrisy after the Broadway star tweeted in support of George Floyd. “Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?! Cause I’ll never forget,” Ware tweeted. “I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would ‘s— in my wig!’ among other traumatic microaggressions that made me question a career in Hollywood.”

This led to a domino effect, with more former co-stars stepping forward. Yvette Nicole Brown, who worked with Michele on ABC’s The Mayor, and Alex Newell of Glee both chimed in. Transgender model Plastic Martyr claimed that Michele yelled at her in the restroom at an Emmys ceremony, and actor Dabier Snell said Michele refused to let him sit at a table with her when he guest-starred on Glee in 2014.

While we can’t say with certainty that Michele is “Brenda,” her history shows a consistent pattern of alleged discriminatory behavior. It doesn’t help that Palmer follows all her Scream Queens co-stars on social media — except Michele. Yikes.