“This little boy … man … I couldn’t be any prouder of someone,” the actor, 37, captioned a Thursday, January 21, Instagram photo of the little one smiling with “swag” from the North Carolina Panthers NFL team. “At such a young age, he’s endured more than anyone should at five years old. Without even fully realizing it, he lives the #keeppounding mantra every day with his resilance [sic].”

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The West Virginia native went on to write, “You’re so strong, so brave and so kind. I will always be proud of you and we will always #keeppounding because that’s all we can do. To everyone that had a tough 2020 … you will never forget it, we think about it every day and I feel for you and vibrate alongside you on that frequency. I hope you can find some way to go on with your days, to persevere — no matter how hard it is. All the love.”

Josey wore tie-dye pajamas in the social media upload. While his hair was covered by a Panthers beanie, Dorsey showed photos of his son’s new buzzcut in October 2020 after years of long locks. “Wanted a cut like his boy Hunter,” the Ray Donovan alum wrote via Instagram at the time. “Ocean 12 meets C-Mac. Happy Sunday. #keeppounding.”

The hairstyle came three months after Rivera died in a drowning accident at age 33. The Glee alum’s body was found in Lake Piru, California, in July 2020 after a boating day with Josey.

The actress’ sister, Nickayla Rivera, moved in with Dorsey and her nephew in September 2020. He addressed the decision in an Instagram Story video, explaining, “You’re gonna need all the help you can get as a single parent trying to build your career and navigate this disaster with your child. … At least you have someone there with you to talk to or just sit in silence and be sad with. You don’t have to deal with it completely alone.”

The Justified alum noted that Josey had asked for the Los Angeles native, 27, to move in “because she’s now the closest thing that he has to a mom.”

Dorsey added at the time: “I think to myself, how lucky I am to, to still have my mom and to have her help out in my life still. And then I think about how he won’t have that same opportunity in his future.”

He and Naya wed in July 2014 in Cabo, welcoming their baby boy the following year. The former couple finalized their divorce in June 2018.

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Riley Cardoza