Naya Rivera's Glee Co-Stars Respond To Backlash For Their Social Media Silence, As Lea Michele Deactivates Her Twitter

Fans are not happy with several of Naya Rivera‘s Glee co-stars for staying silent about the actress’ tragic disappearance.

As we’ve been reporting, the 33-year-old went missing last Wednesday, July 8, after an afternoon boating trip with her son Josey Hollis Dorsey out on Lake Piru in Ventura County, CA. While her son was found alone in the rented boat and brought to safety, authorities have not been able to locate Naya; Josey says his mother went for a swim and never returned.

Those who knew Naya have been speaking out across social media with prayerful messages about finding her alive, but according to the court of public opinion on Twitter, some simply aren’t doing enough.

One user sparked the conversation this weekend with a tweet condemning silence from Lea Michele, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Chris Colfer:

“I haven’t seen not one of the GLEE CAST MEMBERS POST ABT NAYA EXCEPT FOR @HeatherMorrisTV AND @dotmariejones y’all a need to do better @LeaMichele @JennaUshkowitz @chriscolfer”

Amber Riley was one of the first to immediately clap back and remind people to focus on the bigger picture, which is finding their dear missing friend:

“Show some respect. All our energy is going toward helping find Naya and praying for her safe return and for her family. No one owes anyone online a performance of grief. This is very real and devastating. Focus on Naya and her family. Not us. We don’t matter right now.”

Kevin McHale also acknowledged and broke his silence, tweeting on Sunday:

“I cannot begin to understand what Naya’s family must be feeling. I know the rest of us are completely shattered, but not without hope. Please respect her family & their privacy in this moment. Please refrain from judging those who don’t show their pain on social media.”

We couldn’t agree more!

Fans also came to Colfer‘s defense, who hadn’t posted anything about Naya’s disappearance. One user re-shared an interview clip of his from 2013 where he opened up about the difficulty of grieving in public following co-star Cory Monteith‘s death. The supportive replies appear to suggest he might currently be feeling this way, too.

you and Chris are sayin it best honestly pic.twitter.com/wbno45fxbG

— alli ミ☆ (@1970ZUKO) July 12, 2020

On the other hand, many fans have praised Heather Morris for her public and continued commitment to finding her friend. One person who isn’t taking any of this in stride, though, is Miz Michele. As of Monday, the Scream Queens alum has deactivated her Twitter account and many believe she left the platform due to allegedly being bullied over Rivera’s disappearance. A fan wrote:

“Lea Michele has deactivated her twitter due to be being trolled about Naya Rivera. Has she behaved badly in the past? Yes. She’s owned it and is trying to be better. She’s also pregnant. Is it her fault that Naya’s missing? No. I’m sure she’s as upset as the rest of the Glee cast.”

There were several mean comments also stating “it should’ve been Lea” who went missing instead of Naya. It’s been widely documented the two did not get along during their time on the FOX hit show, but those comments are really messed up. Those two wrongs do not make a right here. Michele’s last IG feed post was her apology for past problematic behavior, first brought up with accusations made by Samantha Ware.

We can understand the collective frustration of followers as this time is incredibly difficult for everyone involved. While a supportive tweet would look nice and satisfy some, there’s no need to play grief Olympics or prove anything to the public. With Monday marking the anniversary of Montieth’s passing, it’s safe to say everyone from the Glee cast is dealing with a lot of heavy emotions at once.

We’re all praying for Naya’s safe return and a resolution to this tragic turn of events. Thinking of her today, and always.

[Image via Adriana M. Barraza/Avalon/Instar/Ivan Nikolov/Joseph Marzullo/WENN]