Though Rachel Berry spends her whole life wanting to star on Broadway, Lea Michele checked that box at just eight years old, playing young Cosette in Les Misérables. Her childhood stardom continued from there, as she had roles in Ragtime and Fiddler on the Roof before originating the role of Wendla in Spring Awakening in 2006. Soon after, she was cast in Glee, and she didn’t return to Broadway until 2022 when she played Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, a real meta moment for Gleeks since it’s Rachel’s dream role that she ultimately achieves in the show. Her Broadway return didn’t stop there—Michele now stars in the Chess revival on Broadway as Florence Vassy.

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While he made a name for himself in the viral YouTube sensation A Very Potter Musical, Darren Criss became a star as Blaine Anderson on Glee. During his Glee stint, Criss made his Broadway debut in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying for a three-week engagement (true Gleeks know that’s why Blaine had the rock salt slushie incident, so Criss could take a filming break).

Later, Criss would also star in Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway in 2015 and the 2022 revival of the play American Buffalo. Through May 17, you can see Criss's Tony Award-winning performance as humanoid robot Oliver in Maybe Happy Ending.

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Jesse St. James was no stranger to the stage, and neither is Jonathan Groff, the Broadway vet who played Rachel’s show choir fling on Glee. Groff originated the role of Melchior in Spring Awakening alongside his onscreen co-star Lea Michele, cementing the two’s well-known friendship.

Groff also originated the role of King George in Hamilton on Broadway and won a Tony for playing Franklin Shepard in the 2023 revival of Merrily We Roll Along. He’s currently starring in Just in Time, in which he originated the role of Bobby Darin, through March 29.

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Before he was Will Schuester, the New Directions’ unconventional show choir director, Matthew Morrison was the original Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway in 2002. Originating Broadway roles would go on to become Morrison’s knack; between 2005 and 2015, he also did so in The Light in the Piazza, A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, and Finding Neverland.

Now, Morrison is filling the shoes of his Glee co-star Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin in Just in Time. From April 1-19, he’ll play the song and dance man in his return to Broadway after over a decade.

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Kevin McHale has done a little bit of everything. He's a former boy band member, has played Artie Abrams on Glee, and now makes his Off-Broadway debut as William Barfée in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Prior to this, he made his London stage debut in Stephen Sondheim’s The Frogs at the Southwark Playhouse.

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Another Glee star who got their Broadway start before the show is Telly Leung, who played Wes, one of Blaine’s fellow Warblers at Dalton Academy. His early Broadway credits include Flower Drum Song, Pacific Overtures, and Rent. He was also part of the original cast of 2011’s Godspell revival.

In 2016, he originated the role of Steven in In Transit, and in 2017, he began a nearly two-year run in the title role of Aladdin. Now, you can see Leung as one of the Phantoms in Masquerade, an immersive version of The Phantom of the Opera.

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Alex Newell’s journey started on The Glee Project, a competition show that had participants compete for a guest-starring role on the show. Newell got runner-up on their season but still earned a two-episode appearance as transgender student Unique Adams. When the episodes aired, Unique was one of a few openly trans characters on primetime TV.

Since then, Newell has turned to Broadway, making their debut as Asaka in 2017’s revival of Once on This Island and later originating the role of Lulu in Shucked, for which they won a Tony Award in 2023, and became one of the first openly non-binary actors to do so, alongside J. Harrison Ghee. Most recently, Newell played Matron “Mama” Morton in Broadway’s Chicago.

At just 10 years old, Jenna Ushkowitz, who played Tina Cohen-Chang on Glee, made her Broadway debut in the 1996 revival of The King and I. Then, in 2008, she joined the Broadway cast of Spring Awakening as a swing. After Glee, Ushkowitz returned to Broadway, playing Dawn in Waitress in 2016.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jane Lynch, known for playing the vengeful Coach Sue Sylvester on Glee, portrayed the similarly bitter Miss Hannigan in the 2012 revival of Annie on Broadway. Later, Lynch returned to the stage as Mrs. Rosie Brice in the 2022 Funny Girl revival.

Although she hasn’t made her Broadway debut yet, Amber Riley, who played Mercedes Jones on Glee, has made a splash in London’s West End. Riley originated the role of Effie in the London production of Dreamgirls, winning an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Few Broadway stars have accomplished as much as Idina Menzel on stage. She originated the role of Maureen in Rent both off and on Broadway before she starred in the 2005 film; originated the role of Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway, winning a Tony Award; and also appeared on Broadway in Aida, Funny Girl, Hair, If/Then, and Redwood. On Glee, Menzel played Shelby Corcoran, the coach of rival show choir Vocal Adrenaline, whom Rachel discovers is her birth mom.

Where there is Elphaba, there is Glinda. Kristin Chenoweth, who played former show choir star April Rhodes on Glee, famously originated the role of Glinda alongside Menzel in Wicked. But even before that, Chenoweth won a Tony Award for playing Sally in the 1999 You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown revival.

After Wicked, Chenoweth starred in several Broadway shows, including The Apple Tree; Promises, Promises; and On the Twentieth Century. Most recently, she reunited with Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz in the new Broadway musical The Queen of Versailles.

Melissa Benoist joined Glee as Marley Rose, who became a new member of the New Directions in season 4. Benoist made her Broadway debut playing Carole King in Beautiful in 2018.

Grant Gustin played Sebastian Smythe on Glee, the antagonistic leader of Dalton Academy’s Warblers after Blaine leaves. Gustin made his Broadway debut in 2024's Water for Elephants, originating the role of Jacob Jankowski.

Although she only came to Glee in the last season as Madison McCarthy, Laura Dreyfuss was already busy making waves in the theatre world. She made her Broadway debut as a swing in the 2011 revival of Hair and went on to play Girl in Once. In 2016, Dreyfuss originated the role of Zoe in Dear Evan Hansen and stayed in the role until 2018.

Making a cameo on Glee as rival show choir leader Jean Baptiste, Skylar Astin rejoined his former Spring Awakening co-stars Michele, Groff, and Ushkowitz. Astin originated the role of Georg in Spring Awakening. In addition to Broadway, Astin has appeared in Off-Broadway shows like Little Shop of Horrors in 2022, and he was also in Hollywood Bowl productions, including Rent in 2010 and Into the Woods in 2019.

One of the later Cheerios to join the Glee club is Kitty, played by Becca Tobin, who had her Broadway start a few years before she joined the TV show. Tobin joined the 2009 revival of Rock of Ages on Broadway as a swing and understudy for Cherrie in 2010.

Cheyenne Jackson played Dustin Goolsby, the Vocal Adrenaline coach after Shelby Corcoran, on Glee, but he’s most well-known for his robust Broadway career. He made his debut in Aida and went on to originate Broadway roles in All Shook Up, On the Twentieth Century, and Xanadu. Most recently, Jackson played Cinderella’s Prince/the Wolf in the 2022 Into the Woods revival and Mary’s Teacher in Oh, Mary! in 2025.

Unsurprisingly, Uncle Jesse — slash Emma Pillsbury’s boyfriend Carl on Glee — is a triple threat, and he’s no stranger to Broadway. John Stamos made his Broadway debut in 1995 as J. Pierrepont Finch in the 1995 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying revival, then was the Emcee in Cabaret. He also played roles in Nine and Bye Bye Birdie, and his last Broadway stint was in 2012’s The Best Man.

Playing one of Rachel’s dads, LeRoy Berry, Brian Stokes Mitchell is a major Broadway vet. His acting career spans almost four decades, and he’s originated numerous Broadway roles, including Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime, as well as starred in notable revivals, such as Dreamgirls, Man of La Mancha, Oliver!, and more.

As Rachel’s other dad, Hiram Berry, movie star Jeff Goldblum is also no stranger to Broadway. He made his debut in 1971 in Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona, and later, he originated the role of Tupolski in 2005’s The Pillowman. Goldblum’s last Broadway stint was in the 2012 play Seminar, but he's now beloved by theatre fans for playing the Wizard in the Wicked movies.

You may not have realized it, but Helen Mirren technically guest-starred on Glee, since she played the voice of Becky Jackson in two episodes. On Broadway, Mirren earned Tony Award nominations for plays such as A Month in the Country in 1995 and The Dance of Death in 2022, and she won for The Audience in 2015, when she played Queen Elizabeth II. She'd already won an Olivier for the role in London, where she's starred in numerous theatre productions since she was 18.

Carol Burnett made a Glee cameo as Doris Sylvester, Coach Sue’s mom. The storied comedian and actress also has a robust Broadway background, originating the role of Princess Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress. She also starred in the musical Fade Out - Fade In in the 1960s, and then returned to Broadway in the 1990s in productions of Moon Over Buffalo and Putting It Together. In 2002, she and her daughter wrote the play Hollywood Arms, based on her memoir.

EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg played Glee's Carmen Tibideaux, the intimidating dean of performing arts college NYADA. Goldberg has starred on Broadway herself several times, beginning with her own self-titled show in which she performed comedic monologues as all types of characters. She was also in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Xanadu, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom as Ma Rainey. She also won a Tony Award for producing Thoroughly Modern Millie.

In summer 2026, her newest show, The Whoopi Monologues, will go up at Lincoln Center Theater, starring Kerry Washington and Kara Young as they revive some of Goldberg's best comedy sets.

In season 5, Adam Lambert joined the Glee cast as Elliott, a member of Kurt’s cover band, Pamela Lansbury, in New York. Years after getting his start on American Idol, Lambert made his debut as the Emcee in the 2024 revival of Cabaret. He also notably played Judas in the Hollywood Bowl’s Jesus Christ Superstar in 2025.

Known to Glee fans for her hilarious cameo as Roz Washington, the synchronized swimming coach who temporarily coaches the Cheerios, NeNe Leakes has also starred on Broadway. She made her debut in the 2013 production of Cinderella and then played Matron “Mama” Morton in Chicago in 2015.

Yet another Glee Project contestant, Ali Stroker had a guest star appearance as Betty Pillsbury, Emma’s niece, in Glee. She made her Broadway debut in the 2015 revival of Spring Awakening and later starred in the 2019 Oklahoma! revival as Ado Annie, winning a Tony Award.

Matt Bomer made a cameo on Glee as Blaine’s charismatic older brother, Cooper Anderson. He made his Broadway debut in the 2008 play 8 and returned in 2019 to play Donald in a star-studded The Boys in the Band revival, which was also made into a Netflix film.

Oscar and Emmy winner Shirley MacLaine appeared on Glee as June Dolloway, a New York City socialite who takes Blaine under her wing. MacLaine’s 70-plus-year acting career on stage and screen includes Broadway credits in Me and Juliet and The Pajama Game.

Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker guest-starred on Glee as Kurt’s stylish boss at Vogue, Isabelle Wright. Parker has also been on Broadway since she was a child, notably playing the title character in the original run of Annie. In the 1990s, she played Rosemary in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Princess Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress. After a Broadway hiatus, Parker returned in 2022 to star alongside her husband, Matthew Broderick, in a revival of Neil Simon's Plaza Suite.

The iconic Patti LuPone made a brief cameo on Glee as herself, whom Rachel meets while dining at the famous Theatre District restaurant Sardi’s. LuPone has built a storied Broadway career since the 1970s, with notable stage credits including originating Eva Peron in Evita on Broadway and Fatine in Les Misérables in London's West End. She's also led musicals like Oliver!, Anything Goes, Sweeney Todd, Gypsy, and Company, and she starred alongside Mia Farrow in the 2024 play The Roommate.

Singer Josh Groban also played himself on Glee in a hilarious cameo as the recipient of Sandy Ryerson’s online stalking. Groban made his Broadway debut in 2016, originating the role of Pierre in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. He returned to the stage in 2023 in the title role of Sweeney Todd.

Latin pop star Ricky Martin made a cameo on Glee as David Martinez, Will Schuester’s adult Spanish class teacher. In 1996, he made his Broadway debut as Marius during the original run of Les Misérables and returned in 2012 to play Che in the revival of Evita.

Oscar nominee June Squibb made a brief cameo on Glee as Maggie Banks, a retired Broadway star whom Kurt befriends at her retirement home. Squibb has also appeared on Broadway several times, making her debut in the original production of Gypsy and originating roles in The Happy Time and Gorey Stories in the 1960s and 1970s. She returned to Broadway in 2016 as Josie (a female version of diner owner Joe) in Waitress and most recently starred as Marjorie in the 2025 revival of Marjorie Prime at 96 years old.

Neil Patrick Harris had a cameo on Glee as Will Schuester’s former glee club nemesis, Bryan Ryan. Harris most famously originated the role of Lee Harvey Oswald/Balladeer in Assassins on Broadway and also starred in Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Peter Pan Goes Wrong. In 2025, he led the first revival of the play Art with James Corden and Bobby Cannavale.

Another Glee Project alum, Lindsay Pearce earned a two-episode arc as Harmony, a fellow prospective NYADA student whom Kurt and Rachel meet. Pearce made her Broadway debut as Elphaba in Wicked in 2021, played Janice in the Mean Girls national tour, and starred as Rose in Titanique off Broadway. Currently, she’s playing Fantine in the Les Misérables national tour.

Known as questionable former glee club coach Sandy Ryerson, Stephen Tobolowsky has also appeared on Broadway in the original cast of The Wake of Jamey Foster and the revival of Morning's at Seven.

Samantha Marie Ware played wannabe Warbler Jane Hayward in season 6. Ware made her Broadway debut in 2012 playing Nabulungi in The Book of Mormon.

Nolan Gerard Funk played Hunter Clarington, captain of the Warblers in Glee season 4. He made his Broadway debut as Conrad Birdie in the 2009 Bye Bye Birdie revival.