Glee star Kevin McHale shares ‘wild’ encounter with fan who brought up Naya Rivera’s death
"They transitioned into talking about Naya and got really locked on to her," McHale recalled
By Aaron Sugg
Glee actor Kevin McHale has spoken candidly about the emotional impact of losing his late co-star, Naya Rivera, and fans bringing back feelings.
McHale, who is gay, played Artie Abrams on the hit musical-comedy series alongside the actress. He reflected on how her death continues to affect him, particularly during encounters with fans.
Rivera, who portrayed Santana Lopez, one of television’s first prominent lesbian teen characters, drowned in California’s Lake Piru in July 2020.
“A couple of weeks ago somebody said some wild thing to me” – Kevin McHale on a fan speaking to him about Naya Rivera’s death
Speaking on the Zach Sang Show podcast, the 37-year-old recalled an experience while out for coffee, explaining that while fans mean well, their comments can sometimes be overwhelming.
“I don’t quite know how to explain it, but we weren’t even that famous when Glee was on,” McHale said. “There are people who go through this who are wildly famous, and I can only imagine what it’s like for them.
On the effects of the death of Rivera on the Glee cast: “I’m three days into this, and I don’t necessarily want to talk to a stranger about it right now.”
McHale shared that one recent encounter in particular left him stunned. “A couple of weeks ago somebody said some wild thing to me, and I’m just trying to get a coffee,” he recalled.
“They transitioned into talking about Naya and got really locked on to her” – McHale on finding conversations about Rivera difficult
“It’s nine in the morning and you just said something wild to me. I know they probably didn’t mean it how it came out, but damn.”
The actor added that while most fans approach him kindly, conversations about Rivera can still be difficult.
“They came up being nice, saying they loved Glee, and then they transitioned into talking about Naya and got really locked on to her… I was sad, and I’m just like, bro… it’s nine. I don’t know you.”
Another member of main Glee cast who has passed away is Mark Salling. He took his own life in 2018 after pleading guilty to charges of possession of child pornography.