However, the Big Sky actor slammed rumors that circulated just months after his ex’s death, insinuating something romantic was brewing between himself and Nickayla after paparazzi photos of the pair shopping together made them appear like a couple.
“The funny thing is, it did look like we were holding hands, but we grazed fingers on the escalator, and then it was this whole thing,” Ryan, who noted that some fans even speculated he and Nickayla had something to do with Naya’s death, explained. “That was the only time I’ve ever addressed anything on social media because it was just so insane.”
Indeed, just weeks after Naya’s death, various media outlets and fans on social media speculated as to why Ryan and Nickayla were spending so much time together. For Nickayla’s part, she shared a lengthy Instagram Story post about simply “showing up” for her nephew.
Ryan likewise pushed back on any negative attention he and Nickayla were receiving amid the dark time in their lives. As he said in a September 2020 Instagram Story, “It’s truly sad that this is the world that we live in, where people were raised to think it’s OK to just spew hatred in general.”
