Cole Sprouse Says Navigating Break-Up With ‘Riverdale’ Co-Star Lili Reinhart Was “Really Hard”: “We Both Did Quite a Bit of Damage to Each Other”

Sorry Bughead fans, Cole Sprouse just dropped a major truth bomb about his split with Lili Reinhart! The actor said he only stayed in the relationship for as long as he did because they were costars.

Sprouse and Reinhart met while filming The CW series Riverdale, which premiered to cult success in 2017. The two respectively portray Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper, both based on the characters from the popular Archie Comics series. 

Sprouse, known from Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Reinhart, who held her breakthrough role in the teen series, dated off and on from roughly 2018 to 2020. 

In today’s (March 8) episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, Sprouse credits the longevity of their relationship to starring in the same show. 

“You had a relationship with a cast mate on Riverdale. How did you navigate a breakup with someone that you work with?” asked the host.

In response, the former Disney actor said, “It was really hard.” He continued, “I think the work-thing got difficult because it was hard to suspend all the way we felt about each other. It didn’t afford us the luxury of distance to really overcome that.”

The actor added, “I know we both did quite a bit of damage to each other, but we’re good friends now.” Sprouse continued to say that he and Reinhart “leaned on each other” while dealing with the overnight success of Riverdale and the criticism they received.

“I think we did the best we could. I’m very grateful I was able to go through it with someone who was going through the exact same set of circumstances as me,” he shared.

Cooper then asked, “Do you think it lasted longer because you were working together?” to which Sprouse answered, “Absolutely.” He went to say that if he “loved [himself] a little more” he would’ve left the relationship earlier.

As the conversation continued, the actor also addressed the cheating rumors that spurred following their split – which he blamed on being a “private” person. “I took a moral stance that I was never going to talk about it, but I realize now in hindsight that I should’ve said something right away,” Sprouse explained, adding that he’s a “sucker for validation” and wants people to think he’s “a good guy.”

When asked about the specifics regarding the break-up, Sprouse said that it was mutual and then confirmed that he made the first move. “I left,” he said. “To be honest, when you’re in a relationship for that long and someone leaves, it’s not like someone is like ‘What?’ It’s not a surprise.”

The actor dropped a few more big reveals during the conversation, sharing that he lost his virginity before his twin, Dylan Sprouse. He also compared seeing other Disney actors from his time to “running into someone from high school.”