Jughead and Betty may be #couplegoals on the hit drama Riverdale, but actors Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart are (or were) extremely private about their real-life romance. The couple reportedly got together in 2017, and fans fawned at their every move—but after Comic-Con 2019, rumors of their breakup started swirling.
We’re taking a look back at their relationship—and trying to decode where their relationship stands today.
March 18, 2017
Fans were already shipping Cole and Lili from the moment Riverdale premiered in January 2017, but the real-life dating rumors started when Cole posted this photo of Lili in a field of flowers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRyiMLGAYQx/?utm_source=ig_embed
April 22, 2017
The next month, Cole posted another photo of Lili frolicking through a field of flowers, but this time the caption was much more telling. Fans quickly decided that it must be Cole’s admission of love.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTNSkJJFwYb/?utm_source=ig_embed
June 12, 2017
Lili responded to a quirky photo of himself Cole shared on Twitter. Her response included the heart eyes emoji, the fire emoji, and…ahem…just take a look for yourself:
https://twitter.com/lilireinhart/status/874455438024204289
July 22, 2017
During an interview at Comic-Con 2017, fans spotted Cole and Lili sneakily caressing one another’s hands in an interview.
via GIPHY
Lili was photographed wearing Cole’s jacket later that night.
Cole really did give his jacket to Lili I'm- pic.twitter.com/jsVGbq1bFG
— Bread Inside (@emilysprentits) July 23, 2017
August 4, 2017
Lili wrote a sweet birthday message to Cole in an Instagram post.
“To the man who has showed me more beautiful places in the past year than I have ever seen in my whole life. Happy birthday, Cole. Thank you for all the adventures and here’s to many more.”
No big deal, right? Right?!
September 13, 2017
Cole and Lili held hands on the cover of Entertainment Weekly.
…But in the accompanying interview, Cole seemed to suggest that his relationship with Lili was all in fans’ heads.
Since the show began, people have wanted Lili and I to be together. People have wanted Lili and Camila to be together. People have wanted KJ and I to be together. People have wanted every actor on this show to be in a union that they could make real. Truthfully, it’s very pleasing that people talk about Lili and I in that way because it means that we’re resonating so strongly that people really want that to be true.
October 17, 2017
Cole shared another stunning photo of Lili to his Instagram. He captioned it “410,” which was mysterious to fans. Could it be referring to a date? Or an inside joke between the two? Either way, we were swooning.
October 25, 2017
On Live With Kelly and Ryan, Cole admitted that he doesn’t mind making out with Lili. “They’re contractually obliged to give me as many kiss scenes as possible this season,” he joked. “I wrote it into my contract.”
January 1, 2018
The pair spent New Years together in Hawaii!
Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart with a fan today in Hawaii! pic.twitter.com/G9Dbk71zSO
— Riverdale News (DAILY) (@_riverdalenews) January 2, 2018
January 10, 2018
Lili refused to open up about her and Cole’s relationship to V Magazine.
“People are just dying to know information about if I’m in a relationship or not. I understand the interest, but it’s called a private life for a reason. And it’s not something that I owe the world.”
March 25, 2018
While promoting their upcoming season, the cast of Riverdale attended Paley Fest 2018. When it came time for audience questions one fan (and Bughead hero) decided to ask the question everyone was dying to know:
“Cole and Lili, there’s been a lot of rumors of you guys dating. …Are you dating?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpxwX6KvWbQ&feature=youtu.be
“No comment,” Cole whispered awkwardly into his mic.
April 2, 2018
Cole and Lili got caught kissing in public! During a press trip to Paris, France, paparazzi caught this photo:
April 4, 2018
Two days after the Paris kiss, they basically confirmed their relationship. TMZ caught the pair at LAX airport and asked them if it was a big decision to go public with their relationship.
Lili’s response? “It’s obvious.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRgz6c6yuyk
April 17, 2018
The couple may have had a romantic getaway in Mexico. Although they never posted a photo together, some eagle-eyed fans spotted what looks to be Lili’s shadow in one of Cole’s vacation photos.
View this post on Instagram
May 7, 2018
Finally! Lili and Cole made their red carpet debut at the 2018 Met Gala.
July 2, 2018
During an interview with Harper’s BAZAAR, Lili talked about her struggles with talking about her relationship publicly.
“I’m not okay talking about my relationship, I’m not going to tell you my love story. That’s just not appropriate right now.”
July 27, 2018
After filming the third season of Riverdale, the two got together to watch the blood moon lunar eclipse. Lili documented her night with Cole on her Instagram story.
August 4, 2018
On Cole’s twenty-sixth birthday, Lili posted an Instagram photo of Sprouse captioned:
“It seems as if the world would still be a stranger to me, if not for you. I’m so thankful that our paths intertwined to form this beautiful adventure~Happy birthday, my love.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmEFDjtAWUs/?utm_source=ig_embed
August 12, 2018
Cole and Lili attended the 2018 Teen Choice Awards along with their Riverdale castmates. Although they did not win, Cole and Lili were nominated for Choice TV: Ship and Choice TV: Liplock.
However, they very noticeably did not walk the red carpet together or pose for pictures together. A fan also captured a photo of the show’s seating arrangement which showed Cole and Lili sitting near each other, but with an empty seat between them.
August 30, 2018
While filming Riverdale season 3, Lili posted a photo of her and Cole posing in France.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnHVMoMA7c1/
September 10, 2018
Cole posted a photo of the pair almost kissing. Simply captioned “It’s pretty, pretty late”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BniXTt3ntBD/?utm_source=ig_embed
September 13, 2018
For Lili’s twenty-second birthday, Cole posted a gorgeous photo of Lili. Along with the picture, Cole wrote, “Both the birthday and the gift. My little muse, happy birthday my love.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnriRFaH346/?utm_source=ig_embed
October 1, 2018
In an interview with Who What Wear, Lili opened up about why keeping her relationship private is so important to her.
I think it’s just that I’m so protective over it. It’s not something the world needs to know about, because if you give them anything, they are just going to want more. I’m not going to hide away from my relationship or hide away from what’s going on in my life, but what does happen in my relationship is so private, and I cherish it a lot. He does as well. A relationship is a very intimate thing, and I want it to be between me and him, not me, him, and the world.
October 13, 2018
Lili shared a sweet photo of Cole on a beach with the caption “I hope you don’t mind.” Cole hilariously commented back, “Are you guys dating”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo5jNw4h6e_/?utm_source=ig_embed
November 10, 2018
After Idris Elba won People’s Sexiest Man Alive, Lili weighed in with her own thoughts in an Instagram story. She posted a photo of Cole with the caption “my 2018 sexiest man alive.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqAIV24l09B/?utm_source=ig_embed
November 22, 2018
Big step! Cole traveled to North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with Lili’s family.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqfrVy0AvBf/
January 6, 2019
Rumors first started circulating about the couple breaking up when they didn’t go to the Golden Globes together, and it had been a noticeably long time since the couple had been seen together.
At the time, though, Cole was out of the country with Riverdale costar KJ Apa.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsDEBcql1QD/?utm_source=ig_embed
February 11, 2019
However, just in time for Valentine’s Day, Cole and Lili set the record straight about their relationship. Amid break up rumors, Cole posted a photo of Lili laying in the snow.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtxM_UZHPce/?utm_source=ig_embed
March 7, 2019
Lili supported cole at his movie premiere for Five Feet Apart. The couple posed together on the red carpet, holding each other close.
April 29, 2019
Lili shared a video of Cole getting licked in the face by a cute pup. Someone in the background says “She thinks that you’re Dylan,” referring to Cole’s twin brother. “She does the same thing to Dylan.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw0-Ew1gJOx/?utm_source=ig_embed
July 22, 2019
Rumors began swirling that Sprousehart was over. This time, it seemed real. Multiple sources reported that the couple called it quits after 2 years together, though the pair held off on addressing the public.
According to Us Weekly, “The Riverdale co-stars were spotted keeping their distance from each other at the Entertainment Weekly Comic-Con party in San Diego on Saturday, July 21. They both mingled with Riverdale castmates at different times, but were rarely seen together.”
Cole told a friend that they broke up, the site reported, and he ended up going home with costars Apa and Camila Mendes.
Sources close to the couple also said that the two won’t be living together while filming the next season of Riverdale, reported E! News.
Despite their alleged split, the costars seemed cordial when they sat next to each other during the show’s panel on July 21. Lili even later joked about her ex and Apa goofing off. “Please don’t put me between these two ever again” she joked in an Instagram caption of the trio.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0NKSuvg7oc/
Fans, needless to say, were having a hard time coping with the thought of the real-life couple splitting.
Lili and Cole broke up and now I don’t know if I believe in love anymore.
— Katelyn Christine (@klovee013) July 22, 2019
But wait…after a “very messy breakup” earlier in the summer, they’re “currently on much better terms,” a source told E! News.
July 25, 2019
And then, well, there’s this, posted by Lili:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0WOffWgXJk
What do we know?
August 4, 2019
Lili took to Instagram to wish Cole a happy birthday with a romantic poem.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0u84u1AH_U/
So, we might never know the truth about this intensely private couple. Sometimes they sit together, sometimes they don’t; sometimes they let the public in, and sometimes they don’t. No matter what, what we’ll always be Bughead stans.