Gleeks, rise! The Hummels are back.
Chris Colfer reunited with his screen dad, Mike O’Malley, in a chance encounter at an airport on Thursday.
“Always love running into family at the airport!” Colfer wrote on Threads, with a heartwarming photo of the actors who formerly portrayed Glee‘s Kurt and Burt Hummel embracing. As if back in character, Colfer sported a massive smile, while O’Malley pointed his finger at Colfer in pride with a poker face.
“Love ya, Dad!” Colfer wrote.
It’s been 10 years since Glee graced TV screens. The camp, comic, yet often tragic look at the disparate members of a high school glee club ran on Fox for six seasons, from 2009-2015.
Colfer played Kurt Hummel across the series run. Hummel was a trailblazing character, an initially troubled, closeted young singer who gradually comes out of his shell, embraces his queerness, and becomes one half of the enduringly beloved screen couple “Klaine” with Darren Criss’ Blaine Anderson.
One of Kurt’s most touching storylines revolved around his relationship with his father, the stereotypically football-loving, car-repairing tough guy Burt, played by O’Malley. While Burt initially tries to suppress some of Kurt’s more visibly queer attributes, he learns to accept his son, eventually becoming one of his most enthusiastic supporters.
Glee often spurred spirited discourse and could divide critics, but it was always an awards darling. Colfer and O’Malley were both nominated for Emmys for their work, and Colfer ultimately won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2011.
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The Glee crew has faced losses over the years — including the deaths of core cast members Cory Monteith and Naya Rivera — but various alums have found time to reunite in different combinations since the show ended. Last year, for instance, O’Malley and Criss reunited in time for the 15th anniversary of the show’s premiere. O’Malley referred to Criss in the caption of the picture he shared of them on social media as a “Heckuva son-in-law.”
