The ‘Glee’ Cast Has Come a Long Way — See the Former Stars Then and Now

It’s been over five years since Glee aired its sixth and final season and the cast has come a long way from then to now. Many have moved on with their careers and personal lives, but they reunited in July 2020 for an unfortunate reason: to mourn the death of former costar Naya Rivera.

On July 13, Rivera was confirmed dead after she went missing in Lake Piru, California. The late actress was reported missing on July 8, hours after renting a pontoon boat with her son, Josey Dorsey. A boat rental shop employee found Josey alone but safe and told authorities his mother went swimming but never returned. A search and recovery mission was launched immediately, and her body was found five days later.

Naya Rivera and Her Son Josey's Sweetest Moments

“[Josey] and Naya swam in the lake together at some point during their journey,” Sheriff Ayub said during a press conference. “It was during that time that her son described being helped into the boat by Naya. He told investigators that he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water.” The officer added, “She mustered enough energy to get her son onto the boat but wasn’t able to get herself.”

Later that day, several former Glee stars reunited at the lake to honor Rivera. They also showed their support online. “Rest sweet, Naya. What a force you were. Love and peace to your family,” wrote Jane Lynch.

“How can you convey all your love and respect for someone in one post?” Chris Colfer wrote. “How can you summarize a decade of friendship and laughter with words alone? If you were friends with Naya Rivera, you simply can’t. Her brilliance and humor were unmatched. Her beauty and talent were otherworldly. She spoke truth to power with poise and fearlessness.”

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“I’m not religious by any means, but you’d be hard-pressed to convince me that Cory [Monteith] didn’t help find our girl today,” Kevin McHale shared on Twitter. “These two, in many ways, were the male and female versions of one another. So nice, cared deeply, were stupidly talented, the most fun, and really really good people.”

Rivera’s body was discovered on the seventh anniversary of Cory Monteith’s death. To honor both, Lea Michele shared two black and white photos of each of them on her Instagram Story.

To keep Glee’s legacy alive, scroll through to take a look at the cast then and now.