This Week in 'Riverdale' News: Bromances, Racism, and New Cast Members

Welcome back to your weekly Riverdale news roundup where we catch you up on all the cast gossip behind the scenes.

A lot of shit went down so let’s get right into it.

KJ Apa Got Vulnerable

KJ opened up to Esquire in a recent interview and he got crazy personal! He chatted about his car crash (which he claims full responsibility for) and how worried he was that Riverdale wouldn’t be a success. He said,

“This whole thing has been moving so quickly, and the show has blown up in a way that no one really expected it to. Before I started shooting the show, I had my questions about it; I wasn’t really sure how it would go. It felt like we were in this bubble. No one had seen it yet, and we couldn’t even imagine it coming out.”

The interview also included a super sexy photo shoot, which we’re currently drooling over.

kj apa interview
Credit: Esquire/Instagram
Vanessa Morgan Gave Her First Interview (As a Riverdale Cast Member)

Earlier this year Madelaine Petsch introduced us to her bestie and new Riverdale actress Vanessa Morgan and now we’re finally seeing her on screen!

Vanessa recently gave her first interview to Teen Vogue and how she originally auditioned for Josie. Obviously, she didn’t make the cut (the role went to Ashleigh Murray) but the director was so impressed with her that they made sure to find a place for her. And thus, she became Toni, aka the new Southside Serpent.

She also admitted to having crazy nerves on her first day, but luckily Madelaine had her back.

“Madelaine brought me in and said “This is my best friend,” and everybody was so nice to me. Everyone is so great, it’s scary.

I was like a new kid at school. I watched all of season one. I loved it. I watched every single episode and the fact that I get to be a Serpent… The last episode, when Jughead puts on his jacket in slow-mo, I was like, “yes.” So when I put on my Serpent jacket for the first time, I had that moment [too].”

Lili Reinhart (Accidentally) Tweeted a Racist Costume

Lili had been showing off her awesome makeup skills for about a week before Halloween when she tweeted out her latest idea: her body covered in black paint, inspired by “the color of her soul.”

But most fans were super pissed because they interpreted the costume to be a form of blackface.

She eventually apologized and said,

“I did not mean for my tweet to come off that way. I can see how it was interpreted as being insensitive, completely. I saw the pic on a Halloween Instagram and didn’t think it would be interpreted as being racially insensitive. I apologize. Never meant any harm. I can see how it could’ve been misinterpreted.”

lili reinhart halloween

Cole Sprouse Called Out His Dog Actor As “Terrible”

Damn, Cole Sprouse does not mince words! He was chatting about Jughead’s dog Hot Dog from season one, and apparently, he was not so impressed with the dog actor.

“This dog was the worst actor I have ever, ever seen. It barks the whole time, it didn’t hit its mark, it broke fourth wall consistently. It was just no good.”

Hot Dog has not returned to the screen since.

KJ Apa and Charlie Melton Have an Epic Bromance (Apparently)

KJ and the new Reggie, Charles Melton, have apparently become bestie! The two lived together while filming and bonded over competitiveness and love of working out. KJ told E! News,

“We’re very similar. We’re very competitive as well, and you can tell a lot about a person by how hard they work in the gym. I think it’s awesome to be able to play with someone who works out as hard as you do.”

Camila Mendes Nailed Her Halloween Costume

While the whole cast had awesome Halloween costumes, Camila Mendes dressed as an angel was perfection. We think the photo pretty much speaks for itself.

camila mendes
Credit: Camila Mendes/ Instagram
Riverdale Creator Shut Down Your Favorite Fan Theory

Fans have obviously been trying to figure out who the Black Hood is and a few are betting on Mary Andrews. But according to the show’s creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, there’s no chance that would pan out. He told Glamour,

“I love Molly Ringwald as Archie’s mom; it would be a really perverse person to take Molly Ringwald and make her a serial killer. That might be even too perverse for Riverdale.”

Missed last week’s news roundup? Check it out here.

Lena Finkel
Lena Finkel is the Editor and Founder of Femestella and The Feminist Health Source. Prior to starting Femestella, she worked at People, InStyle, Tiger Beat, and Sesame Workshop (aka Sesame Street). She loves all things Real Housewives and The Challenge. When she's not busy binge-watching TV, you can find her taking an absurd amount of photos of her tuxedo cat Tom.