Lea Michele addresses rumours that she can't read

Glee star Lea Michele has addressed persisting online rumours that she can't read or write.

The actress, 36, made the revelation in a new interview where she admitted that she is only just learning how to be publicly vulnerable.

She told the New York Times: "I went to Glee every single day; I knew my lines every single day.

"And then there's a rumour online that I can't read or write? It's sad. It really is. I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn't be the case."

Alamy / AJ Pics

This is not the first time that the actress has addressed the rumours.

Back in 2018, she seemingly tried and failed to debunk it on Twitter.

She tweeted: "Loved READING this tweet and wanted to WRITE you back. Literally laughing out loud at all this. Love you!!!"

As reported by Page Six, the conspiracy theory is the work of the hosts of the One More Thing podcast, Jaye Hunt and Robert Ackerman.

They claimed in a Facebook video that Michele is illiterate because she had her first Broadway role in Les Misérables at the age of eight.

This was at a time when most children are still developing their literacy skills.

Hunt and Ackerman attempted to add further weight to the theory by referencing Naya Rivera's memoir, Sorry Not Sorry, where she claimed Michele failed to improvise her lines on set.

The pair said that they thought it was odd that the actress never addressed the claim and therefore concluded that she couldn't read or write.

Alamy / MediaPunch Inc

Unfortunately for the actress, if the Twitter responses to her latest comment on the rumour are anything to go by, people still think she can't.

One Twitter user wrote: "No mention of her actually reading the lines. Just that she knew them."

"Sad she won't be able to read this tweet," added a second while a third wrote: "The way she didn't even deny it."

A fourth remarked: "So you knew the lines… but didn't necessarily read them? We know the truth Lea."

"She should get on live and read the comments to prove us wrong," dared a fifth social media user.

Meanwhile, a sixth suggested: "She could do a good PR campaign by donating to charities that focus on literacy. Start a Dolly Parton book club. So much. But she says this?"

Michele announced her return to Broadway in July, revealing that she will be taking over as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl this month.