Ryan Dorsey Says He's 'Grateful' to Naya Rivera as He and Their Son Josey Remember the Late Actress on Her Birthday
- - Ryan Dorsey Says He's 'Grateful' to Naya Rivera as He and Their Son Josey Remember the Late Actress on Her Birthday
Becca LongmireJanuary 14, 2026 at 1:05 AM
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Ryan Dorsey/Instagram (2)
Ryan Dorsey and the late Naya Rivera's son Josey holds pink balloons; former couple with Josey -
Ryan Dorsey and his son, Josey, 10, paid tribute to the late Naya Rivera on what would have been her 39th birthday on Monday, Jan. 12
Dorsey shared two clips on his Instagram Stories, showing his and Rivera's son Josey holding multiple pink heart balloons before letting them go in a park
"Grateful for giving us our sweet boy @joseydorsey," Dorsey wrote to Rivera, who died at age 33 on July 8, 2020
Ryan Dorsey and his son Josey are paying tribute to Naya Rivera on what would have been her 39th birthday.
On Monday, Jan. 12, Dorsey, 42, shared two clips on his Instagram Stories, showing his and Rivera's son, Josey, 10, holding multiple pink heart balloons.
The first video showed the youngster walking down some steps, before he released the balloons in a second clip, looking up to the sky.
"Grateful for giving us our sweet boy @joseydorsey," Dorsey wrote alongside two praying emojis.
Ryan Dorsey/Instagram
Ryan Dorsey and the late Naya Rivera's son Josey holds pink balloons on what would have been the actress' 39th birthday
The late Glee actress — who died on July 8, 2020, at age 33 — welcomed her first and only child, son Josey, with ex-husband Dorsey on Sept. 17, 2015.
Rivera and Dorsey tied the knot in July 2014 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, three months after she ended her engagement to rapper Big Sean. The pair were married for two years before the actress ultimately filed for divorce in 2016, when Josey was 14 months old.
Josey and his mom had been swimming off a rental boat in Lake Piru in Ventura County, Calif., when she got into difficulty and drowned.
Speaking to PEOPLE in February 2025 in his first sit-down interview since Rivera's death, Dorsey said that their son still holds guilt for not being able to save his mom.
"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," Dorsey shared. "I keep reassuring him, ‘Buddy, that rope wasn’t going to be long enough.'"
Dorsey said that Josey, who was only 4 at the time, also remembers that it was windy that day, and he described being worried about getting into the water, but his mom told him, “Don’t be silly!"
After some time swimming, Rivera noticed the boat — which hadn’t been equipped with an anchor or flotation devices, points that Dorsey included in the wrongful-death lawsuit he filed on behalf of Josey against Ventura County that was settled in 2022 — was drifting.
She told Josey to swim back, and he remembers grabbing “the tanks” and pulling himself “around the boat,” Dorsey said.
Ryan Dorsey/Instagram Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey with their son Josey
The incident report previously said that Rivera drowned after exhausting herself getting Josey back on the boat. After five days of searching, Rivera's body was found on July 13 in a remote part of the lake.
“He said that the last thing she said was his name, and then she went under, and he didn’t see her anymore," Dorsey — who moved from L.A. to his home state of West Virginia with his son around three years ago — told PEOPLE.
"It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments,” he added.
While they certainly still have their hard moments, Dorsey told PEOPLE last February that Josey is "such a happy kid."
"He wakes up happy, all energy," he shared. "I’m trying to be the best parent that I can be and raise a good little man. He gives me a reason to keep going with my life."
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Dorsey's latest social media posts marking Rivera's birthday come after he shared a sweet post on Instagram to celebrate Josey's 10th birthday in September.
"120 months… 521.78 weeks, 3,652 days gone by in a flash….🥹," Dorsey wrote in the caption of the post, sharing photos of Josey posing at his birthday celebration with a crown, necklaces and cake smeared over his face.
View this post on Instagram
"Our sweet baby boy @joseydorsey is 10❗️❣️," Dorsey continued. "I cannot believe how fast you’ve become the strong, curious, funny, bright and intelligent 10 year old that you are today."
Other photos in the post showed Josey posing with birthday balloons, holding a snake and fixing his tie in the mirror.
"I love you more than all the stars ✨ in the galaxy," Dorsey added in the caption. "I’m so proud to be your Dad, my guy‼️❣️❣️."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
