Lea Michele Reveals Why She Hasn't Watched Glee 's Tribute Episode to Cory Monteith

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There's only one Glee episode Lea Michele hasn't seen.

During the first performance of her An Evening With Lea Michele: Life in Music tour, the Scream Queens alum, 35, revealed she has never watched Glee's tribute episode to late star Cory Monteith.

In a video captured by an audience member, Michele reflected on performing her rendition of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" as Rachel Berry in the 2013 episode titled "The Quarterback."

Monteith, who played Finn Hudson on the FOX series, died on July 13 of the same year of a drug overdose.

"I think if I don't watch it, it just kind of feels like Finn is still there," Michele said while on stage at City Winery in Washington, D.C., last week. "So this [song, 'Make You Feel My Love'] is really special."

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In the clip, the Broadway star also opened up about how she came to perform the song on Glee in honor of Monteith — whom she dated off screen from 2012 until his death — after series creator Ryan Murphy asked her to choose a tune for her character to sing in the episode.

"I don't even remember what I was listening to at the time. Like, nothing. I was just in such a hole," Michele said, addressing the crowd.

"I'm grateful that [Murphy] asked me. I really, really, really am. Because it needed to be something that felt real for me. But it was also so hard," she added.

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Michele also said that much of what Glee fans watched on "The Quarterback" mirrored her experiences in real life.

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"A lot of what I say to [Matthew Morrison's] character in that classroom were exact words that I said to Ryan after everything," she said. "I said I don't want to be treated with kid gloves. I want to just come back to work and be with everyone because this is the only way I'm going to feel better."

Christopher Polk/Getty Images Lea Michele and Cory Monteith

The Spring Awakening star said that filming "Make You Feel My Love" was "really hard," adding: "I would film it, and then I would run off, and then I would come back. And it was wild and hard, but we healed together, and this song helped."

Michele — who married Zandy Reich in 2019 and welcomed son Ever Leo in August 2020 — paid tribute to Monteith on Instagram on the ninth anniversary of his death earlier this month.

She shared a photo via Instagram Story of herself and her former costar filming an episode of Glee in New York City in 2011. The pair smiled lovingly at each other in the snap.

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Monteith, then 28, was dressed sharply in a tux, while Michele carried a mixed bouquet of flowers that popped against her light blue dress. She kept the tribute simple, with a single heart emoji below the photo.

Beginning Sept. 6, Michele will return to the Broadway stage to take over the role of Fanny Brice in the revival of Funny Girl; Beanie Feldstein will play her final performance July 31.