Naya Rivera Makes First Public Appearance Following Death of Ex and Glee Costar Mark Salling
Naya Rivera stepped out for the first time following the news of her ex-boyfriend and Glee costar Mark Salling‘s death.
The actress, 31, was in New York City on Wednesday for her appearance on Total Request Live where she promoted her upcoming YouTube Red Originals series, Step Up: High Water. During the show, Rivera was not asked about Salling’s death or their previous relationship.
Salling was found dead on Tuesday in an apparent suicide just a month before he was to be sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography.
Rivera and Salling starred on Glee together from 2009 to 2015 during which she portrayed cheerleader Santana while he played jock Puck. During the early seasons of the Fox series, their characters had a brief romance.
Off-camera, Rivera and Salling dated as they filmed together. But in her 2016 memoir, Sorry Not Sorry, she wrote that he dumped her at the request of his publicist, who said she wasn’t good for his image.
Salling was charged with possession of child pornography in 2016, and pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor back in October 2017, agreeing to a plea deal in December that involved serving four to seven years in prison with a supervised release for 20 years.
“When Mark dumped me, I thought it was the worst thing ever, but can you imagine if that didn’t happen? And I was laying there in bed when the battering ram came through the door?” Rivera wrote after hearing about Salling’s charges.
“I think everyone should have that one relationship where you look back and ask yourself, ‘What the hell was I thinking?’ You’ll learn something and you won’t regret it,” she continued. “Unless, of course, that relationship was with someone who had a sizable stash of child porn on his computer. Then, by all means, regret everything.”
While Glee cast members Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch shared their reactions to Salling’s death. Rivera has yet to comment.
If you or someone you know is showing warning signs of suicide or considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255), texting the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or seeking help from a professional.
