Heather Morris is apologizing after making "insensitive" remarks about Glee co-star Mark Salling.
On Monday, Dec. 21, the actress issued a statement of remorse over her comments about Mark. She wrote, "To all those who felt triggered by my message, I want to sincerely apologize for the harm I caused. Whether you, a friend, a family member has been a victim of pedophilia, I realize my words may have been insensitive to your experience and for that I can't express enough how sorry I am."
The 33-year-old previously responded to negative comments about the late actor on Friday, Dec. 18. She told critics that despite the charges of possession of child pornography, which Mark plead guilty to prior to his suicide, he remains a member of the Glee "family."
She added, "We did not loose (sic) just 2 cast members, we lost 3. And it is SO incredible tough to have to act like that 3rd one is invisible, because even though his actions are unjustifiable, he was a part of our family at one point and he was mentally SICK."
She went on to sarcastically thank people for treating her "with such disrespect and unkindness during a time that I can't get through a day without balling my eyes out at the loss of my entire Glee family."
At the time of his passing, Mark was the second Glee actor to die under tragic circumstances.
In December 2015, the actor was arrested for possession of child pornography, but he committed suicide before his sentencing in March 2018. At the time, his attorney Michael J. Proctor said in a statement, "Mark was a gentle and loving person, a person of great creativity, who was doing his best to atone for some serious mistakes and errors of judgment. He is survived by his mother and father, and his brother. The Salling family appreciates the support they have been receiving and asks for their privacy to be respected."
His 2018 suicide was preceded by the accidental overdose of co-star Cory Monteith in July 2013. And in July 2020, Naya Rivera drowned while swimming with her son, Josey, who survived the incident.