Chris Colfer Not Leaving ‘Glee’: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Glee fans can rest easy. Chris Colfer will not be leaving the cast of the Fox series. A hacker sent tweeted a message from Colfer’s account that read, “Due to personal issues, I have been let go from the cast of GLEE. Explanations will come shortly,” according to a statement by 20th Century Fox TV.

Colfer has played Kurt Hummel on the singing dramedy since the show began in 2009.

Here’s what you need to know about Colfer’s hacked tweet and the next season of Glee.

1. Chris Colfer’s Twitter Was Hacked

(Twitter/@chriscolfer)

Colfer’s manager and 20th Century Fox TV, which produces Glee, have both confirmed the Golden Globe winner’s Twitter account was hacked. The television production studio released this statement to TVLine on the false report:

We’ve been alerted that Chris Colfer’s Twitter account has been hacked. Rumors of his dismissal from Glee could not be further from the truth. We love Chris and look forward to working with him again this season.

The tweet has since been taken down from Colfer’s account.

2. Glee’s Sixth and Final Season May Be Shortened

(Brian Bowen Smith/FOX)

Glee‘s ratings plummeted to a series low during the fifth season. The finale brought in only 1.9 million viewers and led to Fox benching the series until midseason 2015, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Fox Chairman Kevin Reilly told reporters on a conference call about the scheduling change in May:

The order currently is for 22, but we’re actually going to sit down with Ryan and really talk about how we’re going to end it and figure that out. The advantage of having it on later in the season is that we don’t have to feel the pressure of delivering. We can do them in a row. We’re going to sit down and talk about exactly the best way to end the show and how many [episodes] that is.

The fifth season was cut from 22 to 20 episodes. The season began with a goodbye tribute to late star Cory Monteith, who unexpectedly died of a drug overdose in July 2013.

3. ‘Glee’ Didn’t Fire Co-Star Naya Rivera Either

Colfer isn’t the only Glee cast member to be allegedly fired from the show recently. In May, Fox and Naya Rivera‘s team denied reports that she had been fired from the show. “There is no truth to the rumor Naya has been fired from the show,” 20th Century Fox TV said in a statement. “She remains under contract to Glee.”

Glee creator Ryan Murphy also told People that any drama between stars Rivera and Lea Michele had been “completely fabricated”:

I don’t think there is a story between Naya and Lea. Naya’s coming back next year, Lea’s coming back next year – anybody ever in that cast has an open invitation to come back and finish the character they so beautifully started.

4. Colfer Plays Kurt Hummel on Glee

Colfer plays the male diva Kurt Hummel. His character is gay, like Colfer, and is in constant competition with his best friend and rival Rachel Berry. Watch a performance of “Defying Gravity” by Colfer, Michele and Amber Riley‘s Mercedes in the video above.

Colfer originally auditioned for the part of Artie on Glee. He didn’t get it, but casting agents liked him so much they created the role of Kurt named after The Sound of Music character, according to Colfer’s IMDb bio. Colfer had played the character in a community theater production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.

5. Colfer Wrote His Own Chidren’s Book Series

Colfer wrote the children’s book series The Land of Stories. The books are about twin siblings who fall into a world of fairy tales.

Colfer’s young adult novel Struck By Lightening was made into a movie, starring him. Watch a trailer for the 2012 movie above.