Naya Rivera‘s adorable son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, is following his mother’s footsteps into show business. The “Glee” star’s son has signed on for his first film role, a part in the upcoming “The Burning Valley” from director Evan Coury, per IMDb. The 11-year-old’s father, actor Ryan Dorsey, also has a part, according to the cast list.
Naya died in a boating incident that was ruled a drowning on July 8, 2020. She and her son had taken out a pontoon boat on California’s Lake Piru. Josey was found by himself on the boat approximately 3-and-a-half hours after they departed from the dock. The then-4-year-old was wearing a life jacket, but Naya heartbreakingly was not.
Naya Rivera’s Ex-Husband on Keeping Her Memory Alive for Their Son
In February 2025, Dorsey told People, “We made this book of memories for Josey that sits by his bed, and during the holidays he was crying looking at it. 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.'”
The 43-year-old, who split from Naya in 2018 after almost 4 years of marriage, shared a snap of Josey having fun on Halloween 2025 dressed in a Ghostbusters costume.
Josey, who already has his own Instagram account, recently shared some things he was up to on his Stories, which included attending his first concert, a Bruno Mars show on his “The Romantic Tour.”
Naya Rivera Was Preceded in Death by Her ‘Glee’ Costar Cory Monteith
7 years before Naya’s tragic drowning, Cory Monteith, who co-starred with her on “Glee” as Finn Hudson, died at age 31 from a fatal combination of drugs and alcohol which was ruled an overdose.
Shortly afterwards, Naya paid tribute with a statement that was published by E! and other outlets. It read, “The entire ‘Glee’ family and I are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Cory was and always will be a part of my own family and a good friend. He was a special part of this world and will forever be missed. My heart goes out to Cory’s family and Lea and while we are grateful for everyone’s well wishes, privacy during this time of grief is greatly appreciated.”
Naya’s reference to Lea (Michele), who played Rachel, was because the starlet was in a relationship with Monteith at the time of his death.
3 years later, Naya discussed Monteith in her book, “Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, & Growing Up.” She wrote that she pondered on how Cory could have possibly been saved, and wished she could have done something to help. “Like, maybe that one time when it was just the two of us walking to our cars, maybe if I would have just walked a little bit slower and hadn’t been in such a hurry to get home, maybe he would have seen it as an opportunity to bring something up.”
Later on the page, she concluded, “Cory’s gone, and I miss him, and that is what it is. The only consolation I have is that I’ve always trusted that God has a plan for me, and he must have had one for Cory too, even if I don’t understand it.”
