The Truth About Naya Rivera And David Spade's Relationship
UPDATE: On July 13, 2020, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office confirmed Naya Rivera's body has been recovered at Lake Piru. In a press conference, Sheriff Bill Ayub said, "We are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera.
The original story follows below.
Glee alum Naya Rivera was declared missing on July 8, 2020, after she disappeared during an outing with her young son, Josey, at Lake Piru in Southern California, NBC Los Angeles reported. Rivera is presumed dead in a drowning accident, authorities confirmed in a press conference the following day.
As fans wait for more information about Rivera's whereabouts, there is renewed interest in her background. This curiosity extends to her love life, and the admittedly surprising connection she had with Joe Dirt star David Spade. But first, let's rewind: Rivera was engaged to rapper Big Sean from October 2013 to April 2014 and was married to Ryan Dorsey from July 2014 until June 2018. It was during the actor's separation from Dorsey in 2017 that she sparked relationship rumors with Spade.
Rivera was 30 years old at the time and Spade was 52, meaning that there was quite an age gap. Not to mention the fact that he's known as a quirky comedian and she had established herself as an onscreen stunner who was skilled at both singing and acting. Of course, you can't predict where or when romance will strike.
So what is the truth behind the time that Rivera spent with Spade? We explore this pairing below.
Naya Rivera and David Spade's romance was 'casual'
In March 2017, Naya Rivera and David Spade ignited dating rumors when they were reportedly "seen giggling and hugging while at the Halekulani Hotel pool in Waikiki," Hawaii, according to Entertainment Tonight. But that's not all they were spotted doing!
"The pair went for a short swim, hugged and had lots of body contact in the pool," an eyewitness told ET while adding that the stars "kept to one side of the pool where there was the most covering from prying eyes." When they weren't in the water, Rivera and Spade reportedly "sat on lounge chairs and talked animatedly" for around an hour and even shared a kiss. The witness noted that the pair "were very happy" and "looked pretty comfortable together." Another source added that "they had a fun time together."
While Spade was in Hawaii for the Here Comes the Funny Tour along with fellow funny celebrities Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider, who were there with their families and joined Rivera and Spade in the pool, the actress was reportedly in the area with a friend. However, she spent additional time with Spade — who she had apparently known "for a little bit through friends," according to a source, per ET — when the two went to a restaurant together while in Waikiki. And things didn't end when they got back to the mainland.
The stars were keeping things 'casual' before it ended
"It's casual," a source told Us Weekly in April 2017 when Naya Rivera and David Spade continued to spark interest regarding their potential relationship. The insider added that the two were simply "having fun" together. Beyond that, when Rivera and Spade were spotted at celebrity hotspot Nobu during a night out in Malibu the same month, a source told E! News: "David really likes Naya." Apparently, although the pair was "trying to keep things private," they had "hung out a couple of times since Hawaii."
Indeed, they were apparently so keen on spending time together that they were seen again on another date night in West Hollywood in May 2017. According to Us Weekly, the two "enjoy[ed] a romantic dinner date at Catch L.A." They also happened to look rather snazzy during their night out, as he "donned a blue suit, a white button-down shirt, and a striped blue tie," and she "looked stunning in a silver, tiered Marchesa gown..."
However, one month later, the romance seemingly ended, Us Weekly noted. The parting might have had something to do with Ryan Dorsey, as Rivera called off their divorce in October 2017. And, frankly, we may never know all the details about Rivera and Spade's time together as they both kept tight-lipped about what happened.
Both Naya Rivera and David Spade tried to brush off the romance rumors
Whatever happened between Naya Rivera and David Spade, they apparently weren't willing to open up about their somewhat brief romance. That being said the actress took to social media at the beginning of April 2017 to seemingly address the situation while she was still seeing Spade. However, she used a cheeky Instagram filter while jokingly telling the camera, "Holy s**t guys. The Easter bunny and the f***ing tooth fairy are for sure dating. I just saw them." Granted, that may have been as unlikely of a pairing (or perhaps more likely?!), but it was obvious that Rivera's point was to keep the situation lighthearted and silly.
Spade took a different approach and decided to deny, deny, deny. When TMZ caught up with the actor while out in public just a few days later and prodded the star for any information about Rivera, Spade offered an indirect (yet possibly telling?) response, saying, "Don't believe everything you see in the pool," seemingly referring to their time in Hawaii. Clearly, these two weren't about to kiss (or have plenty of dinners together) and tell. As of this writing, Spade hasn't addressed Rivera's disappearance.
Now that we've covered Spade's link to Rivera, let's take a look at her past with Big Sean.
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