Despite rumors that "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy is "tormenting" the cast, Dot-Marie Jones, who plays Coach Beiste, says that's just not the case. Jones blames the rumors on something the characters at William McKinley High School are far too familiar with: bullying.
"It's the bullies putting the [criticism of 'Glee'] out there," Jones tells me, denying that any disharmony exists between the show's cast and creator. "There's something special about the show, and it's Ryan. ... Everybody tries to shoot it down."
She knows a lot about what it's like to be an outsider, says Jones, because she was 5'6" going on 6'1" in the eighth grade.
"I'm sorry I can't hide 6'3". I didn't fit into the norm or what people assume as norm. I'm bigger than my three brothers," Jones explains.
But according to the no-nonsense actress, bullying is only getting worse.
"I think that it's gone way beyond [what] it did 30 years ago, when I was a kid," Jones says. "Because of the extent of the bullying -- it's so persistent, there's the Internet, it's cyber, it's persistent! These kids, no matter where they are, they cannot get away from it."
She added, "A lot of parents are saying, 'Well, I was bullied too. You'll get over it.'" But according to Jones, tough love is not the answer here.