Ryan Dorsey Says Son Josey’s Eyes Were 'Welling Up' as He Watched Mom Naya Rivera in theGleeConcert Movie (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Late starNaya Rivera’snow 9-year-old son Josey recently had a special moment watching his mom in 2011’sGlee: The 3D Concert Movie.

“He sat there and he watched the whole movie, and you could see his eyes welling up a little bit,” Rivera’s ex-husband and Josey’s dadRyan Dorseytells PEOPLE. “But he’s a strong boy, and he has a lot of content and episodes. His mom will live forever. I think that’s a silver lining of this terrible situation.”

“Pictures are hard enough,” says the actor. “I can’t just sit there and watch her sing. It’s hard for me.”

Naya Rivera; Ryan Dorsey with Josey.Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic;Anais & Dax

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic;Anais & Dax

While this summer will mark five years since Rivera’s death, Dorsey says the reminders are still everywhere.

“Sometimes they’re happy reminders but a lot of times, even if it’s happy, the reality is it’s a lot of what could’ve been, what should’ve been,” he continues. “A lot of second-guessing everything and wondering how things might’ve played out if the tiniest decision we make really changes the course of events of life.”

Naya Rivera in ‘Glee’ as Santana Lopez.FOX Image Collection via Getty

FOX Image Collection via Getty

Since Rivera’s death, Dorsey has been feeling the weight of juggling fatherhood and his career, especially as Josey has started asking questions he can’t answer.

“I love her family so much: her dad, her mom, her sister, her brother, we all get along so good and we’re all still close,” he says. “We’re, obviously, even closer now, and we stay at grandma’s. He’s really close to both sides of his family, and we make sure of that.”

Naya Rivera and Josey Hollis attend the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” at Regency Village Theatre on February 2, 2019 in Westwood, California.Gregg DeGuire/Getty

Gregg DeGuire/Getty

While a party theme is still up in the air, Dorsey says it’ll likely have something to do with robots.

“There was a movie calledShort Circuitin the late ’80s, and he loves Johnny 5,” Dorsey says. “There’s a bunch of replicas out there, and I’ve been trying to find him a Johnny 5 for years. But he still loves Johnny 5, and he’s really into engineering and robots. All the movies I’ve introduced him to from the ’80s, likeE.T.andThe Goonies, he loves them all. He’s such an ’80s soul.”

source: people.com