Has an onscreen romance sparked a behind-the-scenes relationship? According to People, Riverdale stars Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart may be dating in real life, and my shipper heart is too excited for words.
For the uninitiated, Sprouse plays an updated version of Jughead Jones on The CW series, while Reinhart portrays Betty, the "girl next door" who has a low-key dark side. Midway through the show's freshman season (the series will return in the fall), Jughead and Betty began dating, inspiring a group of fans to proudly wave their Bughead flag. Now, People alleges that the romance extends when the cameras aren't rolling. According to the report, Sprouse and Reinhart were spotted canoodling at San Diego Comic-Con's Entertainment Weekly party, when the cast was in town to promote the show.
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As much as the news pleases my Bughead-loving soul, there's a chance that this isn't really the romance for the ages. For one thing, the Riverdale cast is notoriously tight: They've been spotted vacationing together, hanging out at Coachella, and being all over one another's Snapchat stories and Instagram feeds. It's possible these two are just very close, and their affection was mistaken for romance.
Back in August of 2016, Reinhart wished Sprouse a happy birthday with a cute, but very platonic, Instagram pic:
"Wishing the happiest of birthdays to my pal, Cole."
While we can't definitively speak to the relationship between Reinhart and Sprouse just yet, we can dish about what's going on between Betty and Jughead. Apparently, season 2 will bring trouble in paradise for the couple, with a student at Jughead's new school on the Southside causing a rift in their romance. According to showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Toni Topaz, portrayed by Vanessa Morgan, may bring trouble for Bughead.
"Bughead is pretty strong, and pretty undeniable, and pretty epic, but you know even the most epic of romances has trouble — and trouble often comes as a third party," he hinted. "So yes, it is conceivable that Toni will potentially test the limits of Bughead."
Only time will tell if Reinhart and Sprouse will reveal themselves to be a real-life couple — or if their onscreen one will be able to weather this particular storm.