Naya Rivera's father is calling for Glee fans to leave Ryan Murphy alone after he accusing him of breaking a promise to the late star's son Josey Dorsey.
On Tuesday, March 9, the actress' dad, George Rivera, hinted on Twitter that Ryan did not follow through on a pledge to provide a college fund for the 5-year-old boy, who is being raised by Naya's ex, Ryan Dorsey. The Glee showrunner posted in response that he and the show's other co-creators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan "have committed to create a college fund" for the boy "through the Naya Rivera Estate Trust" and "have been in repeated conversations with the appropriate executors of her estate."
Following a request from George to "Get the glee tweeters on this !!!!" many fans have expressed messages of support for him and Josey and slammed the showrunner. They also got the hashtag #JusticeForTheRiveraFamily trending.
"Guys, we appreciate all the love for Naya, I feel your sincerity and devotion and I miss her everyday," Naya's father tweeted on Wednesday, March 10. "2 things, pls leave @MrRPMurphy alone about his actions or non actions.. that's for him to solve."
He added, "2nd, DO NOT DONATE to any cause w/ Nayas name unless Rivera Family endorses.."
Ryan has not responded to George's latest posts.
Following Naya's accidental drowning at age 33 in July 2020, the Glee co-creators said in a statement, "Our hearts go out to her family, especially her mom, Yolanda, who was a big part of the Glee family and her son Josey. The three of us are currently in the process of creating a college fund for the beautiful son Naya loved most of all."
"When you are part of the Hollywood elite, some people treat others as they are 'less than' .... vocalize a good game , but it's as shallow as the sets on stage , that they create [sic]," George tweeted on Tuesday. "Promises made in public, only to fade with time and excuses .... even in a unexplainable tragedy ..."
When a fan asked, "did they never open the trust fund for josey ? omg," George responded, "Hahaaaa."
In the Glee co-creators' statement, they praised Naya. The actress played Santana Lopez on the musical comedy series from its 2009 debut to its 2015 finale.
"Naya was a real pro," the Glee co-creators said. "Always on time, always knew her lines (which wasn't easy considering the giant mouthfuls of dialogue we often gave her), always kept everyone laughing on the set. She was warm and caring and fiercely protective of the rest of the cast. She was tough and demanding. She was fun. She was kind. She was generous."
"There were ups and downs during the wonderful and stressful years we spent making Glee," they continued. "We disagreed, we fought, we made up, then we fought some more, than we made up again. The kinds of things that happen in a family. Naya was more than just an actor on our show—she was our friend."