Naya Rivera will appear on 'Glee' as a recurring guest star

LOS ANGELES, July 9 (UPI) -- Naya Rivera will return to Glee as a recurring guest star.

The 27-year-old actress is being demoted from her status as a series regular. Rivera has portrayed Santana Lopez on the program for all of its five seasons, and reportedly requested the change herself for the upcoming sixth and final season.

The news comes amid recent rumors the star had been fired from the show. Reports said Rivera was let go due a feud with Lea Michele, but the actress' rep asserted in a statement that the rumors were untrue. Fellow co-star Chris Colfer fell victim to a hoax last week that claimed the actor had been let go over personal issues.

"We're working on the last season now, and it really feels like it's getting back to its roots, which I love," co-creator Ryan Murphy told TVLine. "It's getting back to what I was initially interested in with the show, which was arts in school. The last season is really about the importance of arts education in our high schools... I think people will like it."

The final season of Glee premieres on Fox this fall.