Cory Monteith’s Friend Reflects on Glee Star's Relationship With Lea Michele

Justin Neill, friend of the late Cory Monteith, looked back on the actor’s relationship with Lea Michele in an exclusive E! News interview. Here are the memories he shared of their romance.

By Kelly Gilmore Jan 14, 2023 9:03 PMTags
Watch: Naya Rivera's Dad Speaks Out in The Price of Glee Docuseries Trailer

Justin Neill doesn't need to be in a glee club to sing Lea Michele's praises. 

Justin, who is a former roommate of late Glee star Cory Monteith, looked back on having a front-row seat the co-stars' relationship. According to Justin, the actress left a lasting, positive impression.

"Lea was awesome to me," Justin told E! News in an exclusive Jan. 12 interview. "She would literally go food shopping, come over to the house and make eggplant parmesan for us. And she was the kind of entertainer [who] would just think about everything."

Justin noted that he and another close friend were often Cory's plus two to events, which allowed them to form a bond not only with Lea, but also with her parents, Edith and Marc Sarfati.

"It would be us and Lea's parents hanging out all the time," Justin recalled. "And I loved her dad. He was such a funny guy."

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Cory Monteith: Remembered By Friends & Costars

Lea and Cory, who played Glee's Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson, respectively, met on set of the Fox series in 2009. The actor died in July 2013 of an accidental drug overdose. At the time, he and Lea were dating.

Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Chrysalis

Cory is not the only Glee star to have passed away in recent years. Mark Salling, who played Noah "Puck" Puckerman, died by suicide in 2018 and Naya Rivera, who held the role of Santana Lopez, drowned accidentally in 2020.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The actors' deaths are discussed in the upcoming Investigation Discovery docuseries The Price of Glee, in which Justin served as a contributor.

Looking back on agreeing to be a part of the docuseries, Justin exclusively told E! News his goal was to shine a light on Cory's legacy beyond his onscreen character.

"The number one thing for me was I wanted to talk to his mom and make sure this was alright with her," Justin recalled, "and let her know it was extremely important for me to tell the story of who Cory really was."

All three parts of The Price of Glee premiere Jan. 16 at 9/8 CST on Investigation Discovery and will be available to stream the same day on discovery+.

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