Millie Rose, also known as Mrs. Rose, is a lunch lady at William McKinley High School as of The New Rachel, the first episode of Season Four. She is the mother of Marley Rose.
Millie is a kind, supportive and compassionate parent, much like Burt Hummel. She's a single parent after Marley's dad left them, and works very hard everyday due to their economic condition. She tries to do right by her daughter and supports Marley and the glee club in all that they do. She is obese and tries dieting in Glease alongside Marley to lose weight.
She is portrayed by Trisha Rae Stahl.
Biography[]
At first, Millie doesn't want Marley to tell anyone they're related, as she is usually the target of cruel jokes made by Kitty, her friends, and sometimes the Glee Club. She wants Marley to be popular and join glee club but Marley is honest and stands up for her mom. When Marley reveals that Millie is her mom the glee club feel bad about teasing Millie and apologize. However it's not until Kitty and Marley make amends, that Kitty stops teasing Marley's mother.
After Marley has joined glee club she starts to have body confidence issues, Millie tries to make Marley confident about her body, but Marley gets an eating disorder. Millie is supportive and uses money given by Sue to pay for Marley to get better.
Millie makes her debut as the new lunch lady at McKinley. Behind her back, the popular crew led by Kitty make mean jokes about her weight. They pressure Artie and the Glee Club into also making mean remarks about her which they do and these are heard by Millie's daughter, Marley.
Marley goes to see her mom after school who is sewing a J-Crew label onto her skirt so they don't seem poor. When Marley displays doubt about getting into Glee Club, her mother is quick to inform her that she has "magic in her throat," boosting her confidence. She also says that she will drive the car a couple of blocks away so people don't see her with Marley, Millie wants to protect Marley from Kitty and her mean remarks.
Later Marley tells her that she was the only person accepted into Glee Club and Millie congratulates her. Marley then informs her that the Glee Club were making fun of her weight, but she brushes it off saying that they're teenagers. Marley says she feels weird having to lie about her but her mom reminds Marley that she didn't have friends at her old school because of her and so she won't let that happen again. Mrs Rose tells her that this is Marley's shot to sit at the popular kids' table and tells her not to blow it.
When Marley sits with New Directions at lunch, Phil and Sugar start saying mean things about Mrs. Rose, angering Marley. Marley calls them out for being mean to which Kitty is taken aback. Marley then argues with Kitty saying "You don't know her, you don't know what her life is like." Kitty fights back asking, "And so, why do you care?" Marley then admits that Millie is her mom and moves saying she thought the Glee Club were different.
Later at her locker, Sam approaches Marley and says he knows her mom sews the labels into her clothes because his parents did the same when they had no money (he and the rest of the Glee Club then convince her to stay in New Directions).
Mrs. Rose is in the cafeteria, serving the students, when Phil and Bobby begin insulting her and her daughter. Jake comes to her defense and tells them to apologize to Mrs. Rose and Marley. The boys refuse, and Jake gets into a fight with the them until they are separated by Mr. Schue.
Marley confides in her mom when she feels down and thinks that she has put on weight after her Sandy Olsen costume for Grease didn't fit when she tried it on. Millie gives Marley some advice; telling her that she didn't raise a victim or a quitter, she raised a star, and tells her that she's thin and beautiful, but she won't stay that way unless she fights for it. In order to help her daughter out she makes a vow for the both of them to get on a strict diet.
When Mrs. Rose reveals to Jake that she has lost six pounds he compliments her and tells her that she looks great. Mrs. Rose then reveals to Jake that Marley talks about him all the time. Jake tells her that he blew his chance with Marley but she says that he can change, just like she did. After that, Bobby calls her a dump truck and tells her to get back to work. Jake, once again, comes to her defense which only fuels Phil to insult her with even more insulting words. Phil and Bobby go on to insult Jake as their friends begin to circle. Just as a fight is about to begin the glee club, led by Ryder come to Jake's defense.
At the beginning of the episode, Marley shows Mrs. Rose her dress for Sectionals. In a voiceover, Marley says that her mom has lost 10 pounds but she hasn't lost quite as much. At the end of Marley's voiceover her mom gives her some advice, "Don't blow it."
At Sectionals, Millie is seen in the audience and as New Directions enter the auditorium Marley gives her mom a hug. Millie can then be seen applauding at the end of the Warblers Setlist. When Marley collapses after New Directions perform Gangnam Style Mrs. Rose looks shocked and worried for her daughter.
Sue gets Millie's name in the staff Secret Santa but she doesn't know who Millie is until Beiste explains that she is a sweet lady who works at the cafeteria and has a daughter in glee club. As Sue begins to ponder about what to get for Millie, she walks past the cafeteria area where she eavesdrops in on a conversation between Millie and Marley about how they can't afford presents or a Christmas tree this year because all of their money is going towards Marley's treatment for bulimia. Millie says that Marley's best gift is to sing for her, to which Marley sings a stripped down, a cappella version of The First Noel, Sue witnesses this and is touched by the scene. When Marley finishes, her mom is proud and Sue knows exactly what to do.
On Christmas Day, the Rose's awaken to find a large Christmas tree with ornaments and Christmas presents in their lounge room. Mrs. Rose wakes Marley and says she was going to go down and was going to call the police when she saw the back-door jimmied open but then found the Christmas tree and gifts. Marley finds an expensive sweater under the tree whilst Millie discovers $800 in one of the stockings. Overwhelmed by their good fortune the mother and daughter hug each other and wish each other a Merry Christmas as Sue and Becky look through a foggy window outside their house with satisfaction.
In Sue's office, Millie thanks Sue for what she did for her and Marley but Sue denies any involvement in what happened. Millie admits that she bribed Becky into telling her everything and tells Sue that she can't accept her money and tries to hand the money to her. Sue tells Millie that she understands how hard it is to be a single mother, and wants Millie to use the money to help Marley get better.
At the end of their talk Mrs. Rose calls Sue to the auditorium as Marley wants to thank Sue for what she did. Sue predicts that it will involve "the Glee Club singing a Christmas song in the auditorium with snow falling on an elaborate winter scene" to which Millie is taken aback. Together, they sit in the auditorium seats as Marley and most of the Glee Club sing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas to them.
Millie doesn't appear in this episode but she is briefly mentioned by Marley when she gives Jake his early Valentine's Day gift. Millie found the typewriter that Marley used to create the cufflinks she gave to Jake.
Marley pours her heart out to her mom about Jake while helping her prepare food in the school kitchen. She explains that at first she was angry, hurt and embarrassed, but now Jake's actions are confusing her. She admits she still misses him, but is glad they didn't go all the way. Millie confesses that she was a bad boy magnet when she was young, so she understands her, but tells her that she needs to find a good guy this time and that it's not only about feelings, but also trust.
Relationships[]
Marley Rose[]
- Main article: Marley-Millie Relationship
Both Millie and her daughter love each other very dearly. Throughout Marley's years at McKinley, Milllie supports her with her issues, worries and problems, such as struggling with bulimia, or her relationships with Jake and Ryder. She has clearly been a devoted mother, and works very hard to provide for her daughter.
Trivia[]
- She gives Ryder extra meatballs on Spaghetti Day. (The Role You Were Born to Play)
- She met Marley's father when she was her daughter's age. (Movin' Out)
Gallery[]
Quotes[]
| “ |
I didn't raise a victim or quitter. I raised a star. You have control over your life and your body. You are thin and beautiful. But, you won't stay that way unless you fight for it. So, starting now, we are on a strict new diet. Together. |
” |
—Millie Rose, Glease | ||