Rewritten Title:
"Naya Rivera’s Ex Reveals Son Josey’s Heartbreaking Reaction to Late Mother’s Footage"

Key Adjustments:

• Streamlined structure while preserving all critical details (ex-partner, son’s emotional response, context of footage).
• Used concise phrasing ("Reveals" instead of "reveals their") and "Late Mother" for clarity and emotional resonance.
• Maintained focus on the core sentiment without extraneous words.

Naya Rivera’s Son Josey, 9, Emotionally Reacts to Late Mother’s Glee Footage
(Image: Ryan Dorsey and Josey smiling in an Instagram photo. Caption: Ryan Dorsey shares son Josey’s emotional journey after Naya Rivera’s tragic passing.)

Ryan Dorsey, ex-husband of late Glee star Naya Rivera, revealed their nine-year-old son Josey’s poignant reaction to watching his mother in the 2011 documentary Glee: The 3D Concert Movie. In a recent interview with People, Dorsey, 41, shared that Josey “welled up” while viewing the film but remained strong. “His mom will live forever. That’s the silver lining,” Dorsey said, referencing Rivera’s enduring legacy.

Rivera tragically drowned in California’s Lake Piru in July 2020 at age 33 during a boating trip with Josey, then four. Despite her saving him from the unanchored boat, she succumbed to exhaustion and strong currents. Josey, who witnessed her final moments, has struggled with guilt. “He feels he could’ve thrown her a rope, but it had a spider,” Dorsey explained. “I reassure him it wouldn’t have reached.”

(Image: Naya Rivera performing in Glee. Caption: Rivera’s role as Santana Lopez made her a beloved figure on Glee.)

Dorsey emphasized preserving Rivera’s memory for Josey, including a bedside memory book. “During the holidays, he cried looking at it,” he said. While Dorsey finds it difficult to watch Rivera’s performances, he focuses on honoring her through parenting, like organizing birthday parties she’d approve of.

The family now lives in West Virginia but visits Rivera’s relatives in Los Angeles frequently. Dorsey also disclosed the emotional toll of Rivera’s disappearance, calling the five-day search for her body “the worst of my life.”

(Image: CCTV footage of Rivera and Josey at Lake Piru. Caption: Rivera and Josey at Lake Piru hours before her drowning.)

In 2022, Ventura County settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Dorsey, citing the rental boat’s safety violations. Over 25 others have drowned in the hazardous reservoir.

Dorsey, who was married to Rivera from 2014–2018, plans to detail their relationship in a memoir. He’s currently filming for Apple TV+ and will appear in CBS’s Tracker. Meanwhile, Josey enjoys sports, violin, and theater, thriving despite the loss.

(Image: Rivera and Dorsey at their 2014 wedding. Caption: The couple married in 2014; their son Josey was born a year later.)

“Life isn’t fair, but we focus on being good people,” Dorsey told Josey—a lesson ensuring Rivera’s spirit endures.

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