Lea Michele is officially a mommy! After a long pregnancy filled with a lot of drama, Lea finally welcomed her first child. She and husband Zandy Reich welcomed a baby boy on August 20, People magazine confirms.
Lea's pregnancy hasn't been an easy one. While the actress was in good health throughout, she faced a lot of backlash as previous behavior came to light. Lea was accused by former castmates of racial microaggressions and general mean-girl behavior.
As Samantha Ware's story went public, many more flocked to share stories of Lea's diva-like behavior. Some pointed out that it wasn't fair to pile on the actress during the third trimester of her first pregnancy. Others felt she got what she deserved.
As the fervor around Lea died down, tragedy struck the Glee cast again. Lea was not part of the gatherings following Naya Rivera's disappearance. When news of Naya's death was confirmed, Lea quietly honored Naya and Cory Monteith, who died seven years to the day that Naya's body was recovered.
Lea was very quiet in the final weeks of her pregnancy. Now she's opening up about her first days of motherhood and sharing her baby boy's name.
Lea Michele has welcomed her baby boy. The actress and her entrepreneur husband, Zandy Reich, welcomed their firstborn on August 20. The baby has been a bright spot in an otherwise turbulent year for Lea.
Lea and Zandy decided to name their boy Ever Leo Reich. He joins a number of other celebrity babies boasting a similar name. Alanis Morissette has a 9-year-old son named Ever. Channing Tatum and ex Jenna Dewan share a 7-year-old daughter named Everly.
It's been only a few days, but Lea is already loving motherhood so far.
"Everyone's happy and healthy, and they're extremely grateful," a source told People.
"[Ever]'s been an easy baby so far."
Lea first announced her pregnancy back in May. Many expectant moms struggled with pregnancy amid stay-at-home orders and other complications the world has thrown our way in 2020. For Lea, she was grateful for the opportunity to stay in the moment.
"Lea has wanted to take it easy for the first part of her pregnancy," a source close to her told E! News.
"She has really enjoyed being present and getting to soak in being pregnant without distractions."
Just weeks after sharing her happy pregnancy news, things took a turn. After Lea tried to speak out in support of Black Lives Matter, Lea's former Glee costar, Samantha Ware, revealed traumatic microaggressions she suffered on set. She condemned Lea for what she perceived as performative support.
As the story came out, more people who had worked with Lea spoke about her being difficult to work with. Many stories regarding her bullying behavior surfaced. Lea apologized, but her apology left much to be desired in the eyes of those who had been on the receiving end of her diva persona.
In that apology, Lea emphasized that not only was her desire to be better for her own self-interest, but it was also important for her as she stepped into motherhood.
"I am a couple of months from becoming a mother and I know I need to keep working to better myself and take responsibility for my actions, so that I can be a real role model for my child and so I can pass along my lessons and mistakes, so that they can learn from me," she wrote.
"I listened to these criticisms and I am learning and while I am very sorry, I will be better in the future from this experience."
Lea went quiet following the apology. She could have never imagined that tragedy would strike the Glee cast at what was already a difficult time for them. Naya Rivera's disappearance rocked the once tight-knit cast. Her body was found on the seventh anniversary of costar Cory Monteith's death.
Cory and Lea were romantically involved at the time of his death, and the anniversary has long been known as a tough time for the actress.
Though Lea wasn't one of the cast members who gathered to search and pray at Lake Piru, she paid tribute to the two in her own way. She shared black-and-white photos of each of them on her Instagram stories. She followed it with a black-and-white cast photo in which everyone was facing away from the camera.
We haven't seen any of Lea's Glee castmates congratulate her on Ever's birth just yet. We also haven't gotten any glimpses at the little guy. Hopefully, when that time comes, there will be an outpouring of support. Nothing excuses Lea's past behavior, but the show's cast knows all too well that life is too short to hold grudges. It's a complicated situation to navigate, but many of them seem to have the grace to figure it all out.
