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Glee Co-Creator Ryan Murphy Responds to Naya Rivera Accusations

In July 2020, Glee fans learned of the tragic death of Naya Rivera, a victim of drowning while swimming at a lake with her young son, Josey. The outpouring of love and support from across the entertainment industry and social media was tremendous, with show creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan penning a tribute to the singer/actress as well as announcing the start of a college fund in Rivera's son's name. Eight months later, Rivera's father George Rivera is calling out the trio (and Murphy in particular) in a series of tweets. With comments such as, "Everyone needs to know what Ryan Murphy really did … or didn't do !!!", "Promises made in public, only to fade with time and excuses …. even in a unexplainable tragedy …", and "Broken Promises….. fake outrage …. hollow gestures ….. no phone call," George Rivera appears to be accusing Murphy, Falchuk, and Brennan with not following through with their commitment to start the college fund.

Not long after, Murphy took to Twitter to clarify that he, Falchuk, and Brennan have had conversations with the "appropriate executors" of Rivera's estate and are in the process of setting it up through the Naya Rivera Estate Trust. Here's a look at Murphy's response:

Here's a look back at the tribute Murphy, Falchuk, and Brennan penned for Rivera shortly after her death:

We are heartbroken over the loss of our friend Naya Rivera.

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. 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.

Naya is responsible for numerous iconic Glee musical performances- The Adele Mash Up, Valerie, Songbird- but her greatest Glee legacy is probably the humor and humanity that she brought to Santana's relationship with her best friend and eventual girlfriend/wife Brittany (played by Heather Morris). It was one of the first times an openly lesbian, high school relationship was seen on network television and Naya understood what "Brittana" meant to the many young women who were seeing themselves represented on television for the first time. Naya always made sure that Santana's love for Brittany was expressed with dignity, strength and with pure intentions. Naya was always moved by the girls who reached out to her to tell her how much Santana and Brittany's love affected them. Naya's obligation to them- and to all of her fans- was obvious. She had the rare combination of humility and endless confidence in her talent.

Naya was a real pro. 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. 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.

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.

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