Nickayla Rivera Opens Up About The Horrific Bullying She Endured After Her Sister's Death
After more than four years, Nickayla Rivera has made a return to YouTube and she is opening up about the terrible bullying, inappropriate speculation, and unnecessary gossip that was fired at her following the death of her sister, Naya Rivera, in 2020. The "Glee" actor was initially reported missing for five days during a boating trip until her body was recovered at Lake Piru, per Deadline. The wild amount of hate Nickayla experienced is one of the many discussions she wants to share with her YouTube community, specifically "topics that may be hard sometimes, but are real and truthful and honest."
She noted in her first "im back" video that she is "happy to show you a little piece of me." The second "allow me to reintroduce myself" video follows her timeline of branching out on her own as a model in New York City; returning to Los Angeles with a lowered self-confidence; experiencing the shock and pain of her sister's death; and starting to heal with journaling, therapy, and putting herself first.
"I can say that I am a completely changed person," Nickayla admitted. "Now I look at life for what it is — an opportunity to show the world who you are through your authentic self and nothing else." This change in perspective has led her to share vulnerable insights into the online negativity she has encountered.
Nickayla Rivera is speaking her truth
Nickayla Rivera begins her YouTube video titled "the real tea" by acknowledging an article that was released months after her sister's death. The article featured photos of Nickayla with her sister Naya Rivera's ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, and many incorrectly speculated that they were holding hands. The article then reported on Nickayla moving in with Dorsey, which made rumors even worse. She clarified, "I agreed to move in to help raise my nephew." Her father previously spoke with Entertainment Tonight about the tabloids, brushing them off and praising his daughter for doing the right thing.
The skewed article led to "evil comments ... name-calling, death threats," and many more opinions that cruelly compared Nickayla against her sister. "I had never even imagined that people would be able to comment things like that," she admitted in the video. Nickayla called out the cultural obsession with celebrity, particularly everyone's desire to "know what the tea is," and her response is, "No one wants to look at what's in their own cup." She called out the inability for people to mind their own business, constantly looking at others instead of focusing on mental health.
She referenced the American Red Cross' blood shortage crisis, stating these are the things that "are important to know," not celebrity proposals. Nickayla left her audience with an uplifting message: "I am going to continue to speak my truth, be my authentic self, and spread love and positivity as much as I can. And I hope you will too."