'Glee' Stars Respond to Criticism of GQ Photo Spread

USMagazine, Thursday, October 21, 2010, 5:50am (PDT)

Mark Salling of "Glee" says the Parents Television Council needs to relax: The November issue of GQ, featuring a scantily clad Dianna Agron and Lea Michele, isn't that bad.

"Personally, I think it's not a big deal. ... Lea has every right to do that," he told 102.7 KIIS FM's Jojo Wright.

The parents group said Wednesday that the magazine's photo spread "borders on pedophilia" for the way it sexualizes Agron and Michele, both 24, who play high school-aged characters on 'Glee.' "It isn't good for families," the group contended.

Says Salling, 28, "I mean, come on! We're obviously not in high school. It's tongue-in-cheek that we're in high school, so whatevs. ... There's more important things to worry about in the world."

Agron blogged about the controversy Wednesday night, apologizing to anyone who might be "hurt" or "uncomfortable" by the shot. She stressed, "We are not the first" public figures to pose provocatively.

"Nobody is perfect, and these photos do not represent who I am," she wrote, adding that GQ "asked us to play very heightened versions of our school characters. A 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' version. At the time, it wasn't my favorite idea, but I did not walk away."

If parents are upset over the magazine, it is their job to keep it away from their children, not hers.

"If your 8-year-old has a copy of our GQ cover in hand, again I am sorry," she wrote. "But I would have to ask, how on earth did it get there?"

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