Gleeky

s-leep asked: isnt one of rachels dads supposed to be black? thats what it said in the first episode!!

I’m answering this publicly because about 99% of the comments we’ve gotten on the posts about Rachel’s dads have concerned this.

The pilot episode showed pictures of Rachel with her two dads, and yes, one was black. However:

The men in those photos were likely hired only to be part of this one scene. We have no idea whether they can sing (or act, for that matter), or whether they would be available to be on the show three years later.
When looking for actors to fill the role of Rachel’s dads, I suspect the casting team was looking more for acting and singing ability than they were for people who resembled the picture from the pilot. In other words, they were probably casting based on talent and availability, not on race.
Multiple actors have played the same character on this show already. For instance, “young Finn” has been played by both Jerry Phillips (Pilot) and Jake Vaughn (The Substitute). Young Rachel and young Kurt have also been played by more than one actor or actress.

I understand that this show has had continuity issues in the past (and still does, frankly), but this one is so insignificant that we really shouldn’t be getting worked up about it. Let’s all agree to be cool about it, k?

ETA: Many of you have asked me to add to this answer that yes, Brian Stokes Mitchell is in fact black. He’s more light-skinned than the man in the picture in Pilot, and I think the photos we’ve seen have been a little overly-bright, but he is part African-American.