Keke Palmer weighs in on conspiracy theory that Lea Michele can't read

Keke Palmer is pushing back on the internet conspiracy that her former co-star Lea Michele can't read.

The actress, promoting her just-released memoir "Master of Me," addressed the online rumors that her "Scream Queens" co-star is illiterate in an interview on "The Toast" podcast on Tuesday.

Palmer, after hosts Jackie Oshry Weinreb and Claudia Oshry informed her of the rumor, was baffled that the theory exists.

"Damn, that's crazy. Why do people do this stuff?" The "Password" host said.

The hosts then jokingly asked Palmer if she'd seen Michele read on set. She admitted she hadn't, but said "don't nobody see me reading a book on set!"

"I know that she can read, y'all," Palmer said. "I ain't never seen her reading, but I know that she can read. She's got to! Y'all know that girl can read."

The rumor emerged after podcasters Jaye Hunt and Robert Ackerman posted a Facebook Live video in 2017 presenting a slideshow that allegedly proved their theory that Michele can't read or write.

In an appearance on the Jezebel podcast "DirtCast" in 2018, Hunt and Ackerman said they based the theory on an anecdote from late "Glee" actor Naya Rivera's memoir "Sorry Not Sorry," which recounts Michele's alleged refusal to improvise scenes in the jukebox musical network series with actor Tim Conway.

The "Funny Girl" star has responded to the rumor over the years, including in 2018, when she responded to a fan who said she is probably "laughing her head off right now" about the conspiracy theory.

"Loved READING this tweet and wanted to WRITE you back," Michele said in a since-deleted tweet, according to People and Buzzfeed, "literally laughing out loud at all this."

Lea Michele on 'Funny Girl,' 'Glee' controversies and illiteracy conspiracy theory

That same year, she appeared on "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen" and addressed the "45-minute-long video" that sparked the conspiracy theory. The video suggested, among other things, that director Ryan Murphy reads her lines to her.

"Ryan called me, he's like, 'Do people think that I have the time in my life to come and do this?'" she said. "I got accepted to NYU. It's the most bizarre thing."

Years after the rumor continued to be discussed, she told The New York Times in 2022: "I went to 'Glee' every single day; I knew my lines every single day. And then there's a rumor online that I can't read or write? It's sad. It really is. I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn't be the case."

Contributing: Edward Segarra

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Keke Palmer weighs in on internet rumor that Lea Michele can't read