Kurt Hummel

Kurt Elizabeth Hummel is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school. Kurt is portrayed by actor Chris Colfer, and has appeared as a character on the show since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. ''Glee'' follows the trials of the New Directions glee club at the fictional William McKinley High School in the town of Lima, Ohio, of which Kurt is a member. His storylines in the first season focus on his struggle with his sexuality as he comes out to his father and friends, and deals with his romantic feelings for Finn Hudson, the straight co-captain of the glee club.

In the show's second season, Kurt is forced to transfer to a private school for his own safety after a closeted classmate bullies him relentlessly and then threatens to kill him. Kurt joins the Dalton Academy Warblers, the school's glee club, which is a competition rival of New Directions, and is befriended by their openly gay lead singer Blaine Anderson. Later on, the two become romantically involved. Their relationship has been well received by critics, and they have been named "one of the most beloved TV couples of the millennium" by Jarett Wieselman of the ''New York Post''. Kurt eventually transfers back to McKinley and rejoins New Directions, but continues his relationship with Blaine, who transfers to McKinley in the third season. In the fourth season, Kurt moves to New York City with his best friend Rachel Berry, where he pursues his musical education while interning for Vogue.com. For the remainder of the series, ''Glee'' charts Kurt's life in Lima and New York as he grapples with young adulthood and realizing his career ambitions.

Colfer describes Kurt as projecting a very confident "I'm better than you" personality, despite being a typically scared and anxious teenager. Kurt's solos for New Directions tend to be songs—usually show tunes—traditionally performed by women, which best suit his countertenor voice. His occasionally complex—but always loving—relationship with his father has been a focus for the show. Colfer's portrayal of Kurt has received much critical praise, and he has been the recipient of several awards, including Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards. He has also garnered many award nominations, which include the 2010 and 2011 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Casting and creation

Prior to being cast in ''Glee'', Colfer had no professional acting experience. He originally auditioned for the role of Artie Abrams, performing " Mr. Cellophane" from the musical ''Chicago''. Murphy was so impressed by his performance that the role of Kurt was created for him. To keep the number of students in the glee club constant, a character named Rajish was cut from the show. Kurt's name is inspired by the character Kurt von Trapp from ''The Sound of Music'', a role that Colfer once played as a child. The Hummel surname comes from the popular German Hummel figurines; Colfer explained in an interview that Murphy thought he had their rosy-cheeked complexion. Murphy praised Colfer's abilities despite his lack of formal training, saying, "I just thought he was so talented and gifted and unusual. I've never seen anyone who looks like him or acts like him or sounds like him. You'd think he’d been at Juilliard for six years but he hasn't." Murphy saw something of himself in the young actor, a fact that Colfer says is "completely mind-blowing". Colfer added, "For him to see me in him, I can't even describe it."

After being cast, Colfer said that he was happy "to be a part of something that is so new and different and so needed at this time", and added, "It's good to have something positive, especially for kids in small towns, like myself, who need a little pick-me-up." Kurt has twice been portrayed as a child: in the episode "Grilled Cheesus", a series of flashback scenes show Kurt at the age of eight, in which the character is played by Adam Kolkin. Although Kolkin was thirteen at the time of the audition, which called for an eight-year-old, he was chosen in part because his resemblance to Colfer was "so uncanny even the casting directors were taken aback". Kurt has also been shown even younger—in the episode "The Substitute", club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) comes down with the flu and has a hallucination of the students as preschoolers; all twelve glee club members, including Kurt, are played by very young children.

In December 2010, Murphy announced that the cast of ''Glee'' would be replaced at the end of the third season to coincide with their graduation. He said, "Every year we're going to populate a new group. There's nothing more depressing than a high schooler with a bald spot." He also revealed that some of the original cast would leave as early as 2012: "I think you have to be true to the fact that here is a group of people who come and go in these teachers' lives." Murphy stated in July 2011 that Colfer would be one of the actors leaving at the end of the third season, and Colfer commented on the report, saying, "We had kind of known since the beginning, since we started the show, that these characters were going to grow up and they were going to graduate eventually. I don't think I thought it was going to happen so soon, necessarily, but I think we knew something like this was coming." However, Falchuk later said that while Colfer, along with Lea Michele and Cory Monteith, would graduate at the end of the third season, their graduation did not mean that they would leave the show. Falchuk insisted that "it was never our plan or our intention to let them go.... They are not done with the show after this season."

Storylines

Season 1

In the show's pilot episode, Kurt auditions for the New Directions glee club by performing "Mr. Cellophane" from ''Chicago''. Although he initially hides his homosexuality, many of the other members assume he is gay. He confides that he is gay to fellow glee club member Mercedes (Amber Riley) in "Acafellas", and the two develop a close friendship. In the following episode, " Preggers", Kurt joins the school football team as a kicker in order to impress his widowed father, Burt Hummel (Mike O'Malley), and helps the failing team win its first game by kicking the tie-breaking extra point. His heightened confidence leads him to disclose his sexuality to his father, who not only responds with love and acceptance, but also surprises Kurt by telling him that he has long been aware that Kurt was gay. Kurt quits the football team in " Mash-Up", when Coach Ken Tanaka ( Patrick Gallagher) forces the glee club members of the team to choose between the club and the team.

Kurt competes against the glee club's star singer Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) for a solo on " Defying Gravity" from the musical '' Wicked''. However, after Burt receives a phone call labeling his son "a fag", Kurt intentionally misses the song's high note in order to lose the competition and save his father from further harassment. In the episode "Ballad", Kurt is teamed with club member and quarterback Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), for whom he harbors romantic feelings. He is aware that Rachel is also attracted to Finn, and attempts to sabotage her chances with him by giving her a bad makeover. In "The Power of Madonna", Kurt and Mercedes, dissatisfied with their limited solo opportunities within the glee club, become singers for the school's cheerleading squad, the Cheerios. Although Mercedes soon resigns from the squad, Kurt stays through the National cheerleading competition, and performs a major solo in the routine that wins the Cheerios their sixth consecutive national championship.

Kurt introduces his father to Finn's mother Carole (Romy Rosemont) in the hope that if the two began dating, it would bring Kurt closer to Finn. Finn is initially unhappy when he finds out his mother is in a serious relationship, but he soon bonds with Burt over sports and other traditionally masculine activities. Kurt, who becomes jealous over their growing relationship, briefly attempts to reclaim his father's attention by acting more masculine: he imitates Burt's style of dress, asks him for advice on performing songs by his favorite artist, John Mellencamp, and arranges to have Burt walk in on him kissing cheerleader and glee club member Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris). In the episode "Theatricality", Burt invites Carole and Finn to move in with him and Kurt. Aware of Kurt's attraction to him, Finn is uncomfortable with sharing a bedroom with Kurt. In the hopes of pleasing Finn, Kurt redecorates their bedroom, but Finn is appalled by its fancy appearance and lack of privacy. During the ensuing argument, when Kurt refuses to acknowledge his infatuation, Finn loses his temper and calls the new furnishings "faggy". Burt overhears Finn's words, angrily berates Finn, and throws him out. However, at the end of the episode, when two bullies are about to attack Kurt, Finn redeems himself by defending him.

Season 2

Burt suffers a heart attack early in the second season. He is comatose for several days, and Kurt is terrified that he might lose him. When members of the glee club sing religious songs to comfort him, Kurt, who does not believe in God, feels alienated, and lashes out at them. Burt eventually regains consciousness, and Kurt takes charge of his recovery. In the episode "Duets", Kurt suspects new glee club member and transfer student Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet) is gay and recruits Sam to be his teammate in the club's duets competition. Finn attempts to dissuade Kurt from partnering with Sam by predicting that Sam will be bullied to the point of quitting the club if he sings a duet with another male student. After Burt points out that Kurt may be taking advantage of Sam, Kurt terminates the partnership, and performs a "duet" with himself, singing "Le Jazz Hot!" from ''Victor/Victoria''. With unusual empathy, Rachel notices how lonely and unhappy Kurt seems, and realizes how hard it is for him to be the only publicly gay student at school. She reminds Kurt that the club members value him highly and that he is not alone, and asks him to sing the Judy Garland / Barbra Streisand duet of " Get Happy" and "Happy Days Are Here Again" with her.

In " Never Been Kissed", Kurt goes to spy on the Dalton Academy glee club, the Warblers—New Directions' primary competition for Sectionals—and meets openly gay student Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss), who then flirts with him while singing lead in a Warblers performance of "Teenage Dream". Kurt tells Blaine that he is being tormented by a homophobic bully at his high school, and Blaine convinces him to stand up for himself. When the bully, Dave Karofsky, throws Kurt against a locker, Kurt confronts him, and an increasingly agitated Karofsky abruptly grabs Kurt and kisses him. Before Karofsky can initiate a second kiss, Kurt shoves him away. Kurt and Blaine try to talk to Karofsky about being gay and closeted, but he denies the kiss. The bullying intensifies, and Karofsky threatens to kill Kurt if Kurt reveals their kiss to anyone. After Burt learns about Karofsky's threat to his son, Karofsky is expelled. Burt and Carole get married, but when Karofsky's expulsion is reversed by the school board, the newlyweds decide to spend the money they had saved for their honeymoon on tuition to transfer Kurt to Dalton Academy, which enforces a zero-tolerance policy against bullying.

At Dalton, Kurt joins the Warblers. When the Warblers and New Directions meet at the show choir Sectionals competition, they tie for first place, making both groups eligible for Regionals. Kurt and Blaine become good friends, and Kurt soon falls in love with Blaine, though Blaine is initially oblivious to Kurt's regard. However, in the episode "Original Song", Blaine realizes his true feelings for Kurt, and they share a kiss. To Kurt's disappointment, the Warblers lose to New Directions at the Regionals competition. He transfers back to McKinley in " Born This Way" after Karofsky starts an anti-bullying club with glee club member Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera), and personally assures Kurt that he regrets his earlier threats.

Kurt invites Blaine to the McKinley junior prom in "Prom Queen". The attendees greet Karofsky's election as Prom King with great enthusiasm, but a stunned silence falls when Kurt is declared Prom Queen due to having received an overwhelming number of unwanted write-in votes in the secret balloting. Humiliated, Kurt flees in tears, but is able to calm down and return for his coronation; his comment—"Eat your heart out, Kate Middleton"—garners applause that swells into an ovation. The traditional dance between King and Queen is next, and Karofsky is faced with having to partner with a boy in front of his classmates. He rejects Kurt's suggestion to come out at the prom, and abandons Kurt on the dance floor as the music begins; Blaine dances with Kurt instead. At the end of the season, the glee club travels to the Nationals competition in New York City. Kurt and Rachel sneak into the Gershwin Theatre where ''Wicked'' is playing, and from the stage they sing "For Good", a song from the musical. They both decide to come back to New York after graduation. New Directions finishes in twelfth place at Nationals, and upon Kurt's return to Ohio, he and Blaine declare their love for one another.

Season 3

Blaine gives in to Kurt's urgings and wishes and transfers to McKinley High so they can spend more time together during Kurt's senior year. Kurt and Rachel decide they want to apply to a top school for the dramatic arts in New York City, NYADA, but are intimidated when they meet some of their competition and decide their applications need to include more accomplishments: Rachel proposes that McKinley do ''West Side Story'' as the school musical so she can star in it, and Kurt runs for class president. Brittany volunteers to be his campaign manager, and he accepts, but when he objects to her suggestions for posters and paraphernalia as overemphasizing his sexuality, she decides to run for the office herself. Kurt tries out for the musical, but the directors aren't convinced that he's masculine enough to portray Tony, the romantic male lead, and cast Blaine instead, even though he's only a junior; Kurt is given the minor role of Officer Krupke. When Rachel believes that she might not be cast as Maria, the female lead, she panics and decides to run for class president as well, infuriating Kurt. She eventually withdraws and throws her support behind Kurt, and secretly decides to help him further by stuffing the ballot box in his favor. He nevertheless loses to Brittany, and Rachel is suspended from school for cheating. The same day that Kurt loses, his father wins a special congressional election against Sue.

In " The First Time", Kurt and Blaine discuss whether or not to have sex. When Blaine goes to Dalton to invite the Warblers to see him in ''West Side Story'', he is pursued by a new warbler Sebastian Smythe (Grant Gustin). Sebastian convinces Kurt and Blaine to go with him to a local gay bar—he supplies the fake IDs—and spends half the night dancing with Blaine. When they leave, a drunk and aroused Blaine urges Kurt to have sex with him in the back seat of the car. Kurt refuses, and Blaine walks home. He later tells Kurt that he was just nervous about the possibility of their first time, and that he cares nothing for Sebastian. They kiss onstage in the empty auditorium, and Kurt proposes that they go over to Blaine's house for the night, where they have sex together for the first time. In the episode "Michael", New Directions and the Warblers compete for the right to perform Michael Jackson's music at Regionals by singing his song " Bad". Sebastian, who has been unsuccessful in his attempts to steal Blaine from Kurt, throws a slushie laced with rock salt at Kurt, but Blaine jumps in front of Kurt and is badly injured by it; the cornea in his right eye is deeply scratched and requires surgery. Neither group ultimately uses Jackson's music at Regionals, and New Directions wins the competition. Later, Kurt succeeds in becoming a finalist for NYADA, as does Rachel.

In "Dance with Somebody", Kurt feels that Blaine has been distant, and confides in a boy named Chandler he meets at the local music store. The two hit it off instantly with their common interest of moving to New York after high school. Kurt begins texting Chandler quite often soon after that. Rachel thinks he's being in the wrong that Kurt is cheating on Blaine instead of talking to Blaine about the rut they are in. Blaine finds out about Chandler and is extremely hurt. Both Kurt and Blaine sing Whitney songs to express how they feel about their situation with Blaine singing "It's Not Right but It's Okay" and Kurt singing "I Have Nothing" as an apology. Eventually after having a talk in Emma's office, the two make up and are stronger than ever. In " Goodbye", Blaine is worried that he and Kurt will not make it as a couple after Kurt graduates and moves off to New York. Kurt reassures him that they will be okay as a couple. After graduation, Kurt, Rachel and Finn's letters from the New York schools they applied to come in. Kurt does not get accepted to NYADA.

Season 4

In Season 4, Kurt joins Rachel in New York after she reveals that she is unhappy with her roommate and life at that point. After the encouragement of Blaine and his father, he decides to sell his car and fly to New York, where he finds a loft in Bushwick for him and Rachel to move into. Kurt applies for a job at Vogue.com and his editor, Isabelle Wright, who is also from Ohio, hires him partially based upon his portfolio of outfits and is impressed with his intuition and style. Early on, she leans on his support, and then quickly returns his support when he decides to give Rachel a makeover in the Vogue closet. Instead of being angry, she loves his idea to do a musical makeover for the website and joins in the makeover. Kurt becomes increasingly busy with his job at Vogue, and Blaine cheats on him in Lima. He comes to New York to tell Kurt what happened, and they break up.

Kurt continues working at Vogue throughout the season, and Isabelle encourages him to try to forgive Blaine, and at Thanksgiving, she brings her friends over to their loft and throws him a "kiki." When Kurt reauditions for NYADA, he is initially rejected, because Carmen Tibideaux sees his technical skill and tells him that he can sell a number, but doesn't believe that he is emotional enough to be an artist. Later, when Kurt is at the Winter Showcase to support Rachel, she sees him moved by Rachel's piece, and announces that he will be auditioning after the intermission. Though he initially panics, Rachel convinces him that he doesn't need his bells and whistles to perform, and he chooses to sing "Being Alive" from Company, which impresses the NYADA audience, and he later gets a letter telling him that he has gotten in.

At Christmas, Kurt elects not to go back home, and so his father comes up to New York to set up his Christmas tree and spend some time with him. At this point, he tells Kurt that he has prostate cancer. He also has brought Blaine with him, who tries to win back Kurt's trust, but the trip is uneasy. When Kurt begins at NYADA, he struggles initially to find his place, and meets a student named Adam Crawford, a senior who wants to recruit him for his own show choir, Adam's Apples, and also seems interested in Kurt himself; Kurt eventually asks him out for coffee. While at Will and Emma's wedding, Kurt and Blaine hook up, leaving their relationship in a question, since Kurt is dating Adam, but not exclusive. When Kurt returns to New York, there is a snowstorm, leaving Kurt, Rachel, Santana, and Adam stuck together in the loft watching movies together. Santana strongly hints about Kurt's hook up with Blaine, and after they are back at school, Adam asks Kurt about his feelings for Blaine. Kurt says that he is desperately trying to get over Blaine, and Adam invites him to find their own romantic movie.

When Santana moves in with him and Rachel, Kurt tries to keep Santana from telling Rachel about Brody prostituting himself. But Santana tells Rachel anyway, much to Kurt's dismay. Later, Kurt and Rachel confront Santana for working at a club dancing and try to encourage her to take a dance class from the extension school of NYADA to keep her skills honed. Still working at Vogue, Kurt is put in charge of a ballet gala, and invites Rachel and Santana to help. He and Rachel reveal that they both had experiences with ballet as children, and Kurt started ballet at the age of three years when his mother decided to take him. He bribes Santana to go with a designer dress, and once they are at the gala, she admits she was in ballet as a child too and loved it. When Kurt returns to Lima, it is to be there for his father's doctor's visit, and his anxiety is apparent throughout his interactions with his friends. However, in the doctor's office, Kurt, Burt, and Carole learn that Burt's cancer has gone into remission, and Kurt takes his father to the Glee club to sing "Sunshine of My Life" to him, which Kurt says Burt used to sing to him when he was little.

Season 5

In the season premiere, " Love, Love, Love", Kurt, who is still in Lima, agrees to get back together with Blaine. Emboldened, Blaine decides to ask Kurt to marry him, which he does in an extravagant proposal at Dalton Academy, in the spot where the two met. Kurt accepts. He is back in New York in "Tina in the Sky with Diamonds", and gets a job at the diner where Rachel and Santana are working. He then returns to Lima in " The Quarterback" for his stepbrother Finn's funeral and subsequent memorial, and he grieves with his parents and friends.

Season 6

At the start of the season, Kurt who has broken up with Blaine, returns to Lima because he still loves Blaine. When he returns, he meets up with Blaine and says that he wants them to get back together. Unfortunately, Blaine says that he is dating someone - Dave Karofsky. Kurt starts dating an older guy Walter who he met online. Sue Sylvester, who ships “Klaine”, locks them in an elevator and doesn't let them out until they kiss. After a few hours pass, they share a passionate kiss and agree that it doesn't mean anything.

At Rachel's party, they sing a duet and afterwards Blaine kisses him. Blaine still loves Kurt so he breaks up with Dave. Blaine went to confess his love for Kurt but because Kurt is dating Walter he scraps the idea. Before Brittany's and Santana's wedding Kurt tells Blaine that he still loves him and wants them to get back together. Blaine says the same thing and they kiss. They go to the wedding as a couple. At the wedding Santana and Brittany insist that they should get married. At first they think it's a crazy idea but at the two's insistence, Kurt and Blaine get married alongside them. In 2020, they are still married and are a celebrity couple. Rachel is pregnant with their child, who is assumed to be a girl.

Characterization

According to Colfer, ''Glee''s creators initially "were leaning on urt