Skip To Content

    "Glee" Is One Of The Most Problematic Shows In TV History, And Here Are 17 Moments To Prove It

    Please don't tell me "it's just a joke."

    We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us some of the most problematic moments from Glee. Here are the eye-opening results.

    Note: Some of these submissions include topics of sexual assault, eating disorders, and suicide.

    1. When Mr. Schue brought in April Rhodes (his old high school classmate) to help the glee club, but she had sex with an underage Puck and gave an underage Kurt wine during the school day instead.

    April Rhodes tells Kurt, "Just drink it — good Chablis should always have a little bite"

    2. When the show made a horribly insensitive pun/joke about Sue "committing sue-icide" by "overdosing" on gummy vitamins.

    Sue telling Emma and Will: "I was told to take enough Vitamin A and you drift off into a blissful oblivion"

    3. When Ryder confided in the glee club about being molested as a child by an older woman, and Artie didn't understand his trauma because he thought it was "cool" he was "hit on" by an "older woman."

    Ryder says "When I was 11, I was molested by my babysitter" and Artie says, "Like, as in a girl? Like, a teenage girl? Why are you ashamed of this?

    4. When Sue recruited members of Mr. Schue's glee club for her own and called them over using horribly racist and other offensive nicknames.

    Sue calling out to members of the glee club, nicknaming them: "Wheels, gay kid, Asian, other Asian, Aretha, and Shaft"

    5. When a drunken Blaine insisted on having sex with a sober Kurt in the backseat of his car, and when Kurt repeatedly said no, Blaine got angry with him and stormed off.

    Kurt telling Blaine he didn't want to have sex with him because he was drunk, and Blaine getting out of the car and walking away

    6. When Finn made Marley feel guilty for fainting at Sectionals because of her eating disorder, and she was forced to apologize to everyone for it.

    Marley telling Finn: "I was naïve and insecure and self-centered, and now Glee Club's over"

    7. Also, when Ryder found Marley making herself vomit in the bathroom during Grease and told her, "I don't wanna kiss a girl that's got puke on her breath" (which we were made to believe was romantic and caring but was actually...beyond horrible).

    8. When Tina rubbed VapoRub on an unconscious Blaine while he was sick in bed because she had a crush on him.

    9. When Shelby — Rachel's birthmother and teacher at McKinley High School — had sex with an underage Puck during his senior year.

    Puck telling Shelby: "The advantage of being in a relationship with a younger dude is I've still got four more rounds in me before I need a steak sandwich and Coke Zero"

    10. And when Sam, another student, made out with and dated the school nurse.

    The nurse says "You want to hit up a concert with me... ?" and then they kiss

    11. When Glee made fun of Britney Spears in the episode "Britney 2.0," making light of Spears' mental health and abusive relationship with the paparazzi in 2007.

    Brittany smashing a blog camera with an umbrella; the Daily News cover of Britney Spears smashing a car with an umbrella

    12. When they tried to be mindful and tackled an episode on the dangers of school shootings, but totally missed the mark when they titled the episode "Shooting Star."

    The glee club huddling and comforting each other in the choir room; a screenshot of the episode title, "Shooting Star," in the lower righthand corner

    13. When Sue date-raped Principal Figgins and threatened to post a picture of them online if he didn't give her her job back.

    Sue posing with Principal Figgins in bed, with his shirt off while she's smiling

    14. When Mr. Schue had this creepy, happy expression on his face once Santana and Mercedes started shaking their butts during their "River Deep, Mountain High" duet.

    15. When Artie sex-shamed Rachel and Blaine while directing West Side Story and claimed that if they didn't have sex with their real-life partners, the play would suffer.

    Artie telling Rachel and Blaine in the theater: "How do you expect to convey the human experience to an audience when you haven't opened yourself to one of humanity's most basic ones?"

    16. When Finn was really unmindful and referred to Sue's baby — who had Down syndrome — as "retarded."

    Finn says, "You know, I thought you would have known more about being an underdog after you helped us win Nationals and had a retarded baby, but you—"

    17. And when Mr. Schue dressed up in this racist outfit and sang "La Cucaracha" to his Spanish class, thinking he was giving them a proper history lesson.

    Mr. Schue in a sombrero singing "La Cucaracha" with Finn