What happened to Naya Rivera? Ex Ryan Dorsey details their son Josey's guilt over not being able to save the 'Glee' star 5 years after her death

Late actress Naya Rivera's ex-husband Ryan Dorsey recently opened up about her death for the first time and its impact on their son, Josey. In an exclusive interview with People magazine, published on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, Dorsey revealed that the nine-year-old continues to experience guilt over not being able to save his mother.

The Glee actress drowned in July 2020 while swimming in Lake Piru, California, during a boating trip with Josey, who was just 4 at the time.

According to local authorities, Josey told them Rivera had pushed him up on the deck after their boat had drifted away. Police believe she didn't have enough energy to save herself.

Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey at the Raising The Bar To End Parkinson's event - Source: Getty

Talking about Josey, Dorsey told the publication:

"Something he’s said over and over is that he was trying to find a life raft, and there was a rope, but there was a big spider on the rope, and he was too scared to throw it."

He continued:

"I keep reassuring him, ‘Buddy, that rope wasn’t going to be long enough.' That obviously still sticks out in his head because he feels like he could have saved her."

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Josey was found asleep on an adrift pontoon boat that Naya Rivera had rented just hours earlier

Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey briefly dated in 2010 before getting back together in early 2014. They married soon after, and in September 2015, Rivera gave birth to their son, Josey Hollis. The couple eventually divorced in June 2018.

In his interview with People, Dorsey explained that over the years, the 9-year-old continued to remember moments leading up to his mother's death. He recalled it was windy and being worried about getting in the water, but Naya Rivera told him, "Don't be silly!"

According to the outlet, Josey was found asleep on an adrift pontoon boat that Naya Rivera had rented just hours earlier. However, the search for the actress' body continued for five days, which Dorsey described as the "worst five days of his life." He noted:

"If we’d have lost both Naya and Josey, I don’t know how I would continue on with my life. I don't know what I would've done, but I'm sure it wouldn't have been good."

Ryan explained that the last thing Naya Rivera said before she went under was her son's name, adding that it rocked his world that Josey had to witness her last moments. Dorsey also confessed that he didn't treat his son like a "normal kid" because of what he has gone through, elaborating:

"For me, it’s not a big deal if he hears a bad word or if he sees someone get killed on TV. I don’t know if that’s a bad way to go about raising him, but it is the cards we were dealt."

Elsewhere in the interview, Ryan Dorsey revealed that he first found out that Naya Rivera was missing through her stepfather. At the time, he was in a supermarket buying food for a barbeque at his friend's place. Dorsey explained that he "collapsed into a pallet of drinks," fearing the worst. He immediately drove 145 miles to Lake Piru to get to his son.

Dorsey also confessed holiday times have been tough, especially for Josey. He explained that they made a "book of memories" that sits beside the nine-year-old's bedside, adding that he was crying looking at it. He continued:

"You can only give him a hug and tell him, 'I know, life is not fair. Bad things happen and there's no reason for it, and you just have to do your best to be a good person.'"

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Naya Rivera's family filed a lawsuit against Ventura County for "wrongful death" and "negligent infliction of emotional distress" on behalf of her son. The suit was privately settled in 2022.

Dorsey and Josey have moved to West Virginia since, and the pair are looking forward to celebrating the latter's 10th birthday in September.

Ryan is set to appear in an upcoming episode of CBS's Tracker.