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Glee creator Ryan Murphy says he is “committed” to creating a college fund for the late Naya Rivera’s 5-year-old son, Josey.
A rep for Murphy told Entertainment Tonight that Murphy and his Glee co-creators have been in contact with the actress’ estate to move forward with creating a college fund for her son. This statement comes after the late star’s father, George Rivera, called Murphy out, saying that he hadn’t followed through on his promise.
“Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan have committed to fund and create a college fund for her child through the Naya Rivera Estate Trust, and have been in repeated conversations with the appropriate executors of her estate,” the statement reads.
The creation of this college fund is something the Glee creators promised to do following Rivera’s death last year, but since it hasn’t been completed yet, Naya’s father took to Twitter to express his disappointment.
On Tuesday, replying to a 2020 tweet about Murphy setting up a fund, George tweeted, “Everyone needs to know what Ryan Murphy really did ... or didn’t do !!! I’m about to blow up this story .... and make sure he’s knows that I know.”
He went on to tweet, “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. Promises made in public, only to fade with time and excuses .... even in a unexplainable tragedy …”
“Broken Promises..... fake outrage .... hollow gestures ..... no phone call,” George added.
Naya Rivera passed away in July 2020 following a tragic boating accident on Lake Piru with her son. Shortly after her body was discovered and her death was confirmed, the creators of the beloved Fox musical series, which Naya starred in, paid tribute to the late star and promised her family they’d make a college fund for Josey.
“We are heartbroken over the loss of our friend Naya Rivera,” the trio wrote at the time. “Naya wasn’t a series regular when we cast her on Glee. She didn’t have more than a few lines in the pilot. But it didn’t take more than an episode or two for us to realize that we had lucked into finding one of the most talented, special stars we would ever have the pleasure of working with.”
They continued, “Naya could act, she could dance and she could sing (could she ever sing!). She could nail a joke as well as she could crush you with an emotional scene. She could move between being scary tough and deeply vulnerable with ease. She was a joy to write for, a joy to direct and a joy to be around.”
They concluded their statement, writing, “Our hearts go out to her family, especially her mom Yolanda, who was 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.”