There are several reasons why Glee was considered one of the greatest hits of modern television during its prime. The series, created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, was intended as a made-for-TV movie, but premiered as a series in May 2009. Throughout its six seasons, the audience grew to love the distinctive characters who came from very different social groups, but had one thing in common: being part of McKinley High’s Glee Club. This group, initially integrated by students who were generally considered to be high school losers, grew over time, turning into an extremely popular club, as well as a talented one.
The cast has fluctuated over the years, but some of the main stars were Lea Michele, Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, and Heather Morris. As it was a fairly large cast of rising stars, more than once, there were feuds and fallouts that made headlines, some even years after the series finale. The vast majority of these problems involved the main actress Lea Michele, regarding her behavior towards her own co-stars and even guest actors. Also, due to some of the tragedies that affected several cast members, including the deaths of Cory Monteith and Naya Rivera, fans started to theorize about a potential series curse.
Scandals aside, Glee was truly a world-renowned teen series, having been nominated several times and even receiving a number of awards, including two Golden Globes for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy. Its performances and songs are still in the audience’s memory to this day. Another factor that contributed to the great success of the show were the starring appearances of many popular actors, singers, and celebrities playing small roles in certain episodes, which boosted Glee’s ratings and gave notoriety to the celebrities. Some of them were even granted awards for their appearances in the series. In this article, will review the top eight celebrity guest appearances of Glee, ranked.
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8 Kate Hudson
FOX
Kate Hudson joined the cast in season four to play Cassandra July, a dance instructor at the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts, where Rachel was studying, for a few episodes. But contrary to the teenager’s relationship with her former mentor Will Schuester, Rachel and Cassandra didn’t get along since the beginning. She was too hard on Rachel, saying she would never make it. Yet, by the end of her cameo, Cassandra ended up confessing to her student that she was treating her like that because she truly believed she was capable of succeeding and she wanted to bring out the best in her. Over the course of her participation, Hudson actually performed a few songs, including “All That Jazz” as a duet with Michele.
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7 Sarah Jessica Parker
Just like Hudson, Sarah Jessica Parker joined the cast in the fourth season of the show. She played Isabelle Wright, editor of Vogue magazine, who became Kurt’s mentor after discovering his interest in fashion. Along with teaching him lessons about the industry, Isabelle helped Kurt with some life and love advice on his long-distance relationship with Blaine, and even attended his mentoree’s Thanksgiving celebration. Among the songs performed by Parker throughout her Glee guest appearances was the mash-up of “Let’s Have a Kiki/Turkey Lurkey Time.”
6 Idina Menzel
Fox
Although Idina Menzel appeared in many episodes throughout the series’ six seasons, she was not considered to be part of the original cast, which earns her a spot on this list. The singer and actress, who gave voice to Frozen’s iconic Queen Elsa, first appeared in the series’ opening season as Shelby Corcoran, director of the rival group Vocal Adrenaline. Shortly, it was revealed to the audience that Shelby was none other than Rachel’s biological mother, with whom she shared a musical talent. Shelby left her position with Vocal Adrenaline by the end of the first season, when she adopted Quinn and Puck’s baby daughter, and reappeared in a few episodes in the third and fourth seasons to help Rachel with some auditions and personal problems. While Menzel performed a number of songs during her cameos, some of the best known were “Funny Girl” and “Poker Face,” duetting the latter with Michele.
5 Ricky Martin
In the 12th episode of the third season, the Glee Club met David Martinez, who was introduced as the hottest Spanish teacher in the history of Ohio. This character was portrayed by Latin singer Ricky Martin, who was able to convey in David his cheerful and magnetic personality. The teacher joined the staff of McKinley High to replace Will in his position as Spanish teacher, as Will felt he was not fit for the role and preferred to concentrate his efforts on the Glee Club. David was invited to participate in the Glee Club, where he performed a partially Spanish version of “Sexy and I Know It” and “La Isla Bonita” alongside Rivera.
4 Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth was another actress and singer who, like Menzel, took part in a large number of the series’ episodes, but was not an official member of the cast. She portrayed April Rhodes, a singer who was Will’s classmate at McKinley High School. This young woman decided to drop out of school to fulfill her dreams of making it on Broadway, but when that didn’t go according to plan, she drank her sorrows away. Many years later, Will invited her to join his Glee Club when he discovered that April was broke and had major drinking problems. Chenoweth appeared throughout the first and second seasons, and some of her most memorable performances were “Alone,” alongside Matthew Morrison, and “Maybe This Time.”
3 Britney Spears
Britney Spears is the only star on this list who took part in Glee performing as herself. In the second episode of the second season, the New Directions crew wanted to celebrate the pop queen’s career with a week devoted entirely to her discography. Meanwhile, when some of the students visited the office of dentist Carl Howell (played by the brilliant John Stamos), they hallucinated from the anesthesia, leading to some of this episode’s musical performances. While Spears didn’t sing any of her songs in the show, they did revisit some of her greatest hits, while exploring the histrionic and amusing Brittany S. Pierce a bit more.
2 Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris’ performance on Glee was such a success that, in addition to earning rave reviews from the audience, he won an Emmy Award for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. In the 19th episode of the first season, Bryan Ryan was presented. Just like April Rhodes, Bryan was also Will Schuester’s Glee Club partner in his youth, but grew up resenting music and the choir because his life did not turn out as he had expected, becoming a bitter and angry adult. As a grown-up, and a member of the school board, Bryan suggested eliminating the Glee Club to prevent the students from experiencing the same fate that befell him. But both Will and the New Direction students were able to help Bryan reconnect to his passion for music, thereby saving the Glee Club. Harris sang three songs in this episode, the most remembered being “Piano Man,” alongside Morrison.
1 Gwyneth Paltrow
The top ranking goes to this actress, who also received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in a few episodes of Glee’s second season as Holly Holliday, the substitute teacher who took over the Spanish class and the Glee Club when Will got sick. While the student body had some reservations about Holly, she quickly won them over by paying attention to what they actually wanted to sing in the Glee Club, using innovative methods and costumes to teach Spanish, and genuinely caring about them. Despite all this, she proved to be unfit to handle the students, so Will eventually came back to take over the classes. Paltrow’s performance in Glee resulted in a number of memorable songs and solos, though the most famous to this day was the mash-up of “Singin’ In The Rain/Umbrella,” featuring McHale and Morrison.
