Ryan Dorsey Says Son Cried Watching Naya Rivera in Glee Concert Movie

Naya Rivera’s son, Josey, had an emotional reaction to watching 2011’s Glee: The 3D Concert Movie several years after her tragic death at 33.

“He sat there and he watched the whole movie, and you could see his eyes welling up a little bit,” Rivera’s ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, told People in an interview published on Sunday, March 9. “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.”

Dorsey, 41, and Rivera, who was best known for her role as Santana Lopez on Glee, were married from 2014 to 2018. Two years after the actors divorced, Rivera died by drowning in July 2020.

Dorsey now raises Josey as a single parent and struggles to rewatch any of Rivera’s past roles himself.

Related: Ryan Dorsey Shares the Last Things Naya Rivera Said to Their Son

Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Glee star Naya Rivera’s ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, is opening up about raising their son alone nearly five years after Rivera’s death. Rivera died in July 2020 while on a boat with her son, Josey, who was then 4. According to reports, Rivera and Josey, now 9, had rented the boat and were […]

“Pictures are hard enough,” Dorsey told the outlet. “I can’t just sit there and watch her sing. It’s hard for me. So many songs make me think about her, like Amy Winehouse‘s ‘Valerie,’ which she sang on Glee, and ‘Sunflower’ by [Post Malone and Swae Lee] because I always used to get her sunflowers on Sundays. I can just see Josey in the back seat bobbing his head and singing that song.”

Looking back on Rivera’s memories further stirs up mixed emotions for Dorsey.

“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 said. “A lot of second-guessing everything and wondering how things might have played out if the tiniest decision we make really changes the course of events of life.”

Most importantly, Dorsey is focused on preserving Rivera’s legacy for their son.

“We made this book of memories for Josey that sits by his bed, and during the holidays he was crying looking at it,” Dorsey recalled. “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.’ It’s hard trying to explain things that you can’t really make sense of no matter what age you are.”

According to Dorsey, he specifically tries “to do good by” his ex-wife by throwing “great birthday parties” for Josey.

“I’ll never be able to do it the way she would do things, but I think I’ve done a decent job for a couple,” he said. “For number 10 [in September] I’m going to throw a blowout. I hope to make her proud by throwing parties like she used to throw for him as he gets older.”