Actress Lea Michele has deactivated her Twitter account after seemingly receiving a lot of backlash from fans for not speaking out about her former Glee costar Naya Rivera‘s disappearance.
For those who missed it, the 33-year-old was reported missing on Wednesday, July 8. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department told Us Weekly that Naya rented a motorized pontoon boat on Lake Piru near Los Angeles, CA. But when she didn’t return on time, the staff went looking for her and discovered her 4-year-old son, Josey, alone on the boat.
Then, during a press conference on Thursday, July 9, police confirmed that the missing person search has changed to a recovery mission, and that the Fox star was “presumed dead.”
“The fact that she was seen in the water shows there is a high likelihood that she drowned,” Captain Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department said. “The son said they were in the water swimming together. He came up and got back up on the boat, but she did not. He was found on the boat by a passerby. He was found fast asleep on the boat by himself.”
Many stars have posted tributes and issued prayers for Naya. But when people started to notice that Lea hadn’t spoken out about the situation online, they started to slam her. She then deleted her entire account on Saturday, July 11.
Amber Riley took to Twitter to ask people to “show some respect,” writing, “All our energy is going towards helping [to] 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 retweeted her message, adding, “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 and their privacy in this moment. Please refrain from judging those who don’t show their pain on social media.”
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