Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart’s Relationship Timeline From Meeting on ‘Riverdale’ to Now

March 2017

Riverdale officially premiered on the CW in January 2017. Relationship rumors started buzzing about the two that following March when Cole shared a dreamy photo of Lili lounging in a daisy field. He shared another picture of the blonde beauty frolicking outside a month later with a cryptic poem about time passing.

July 2017

The rumors came to a head when the costars were seen kissing and holding hands during San Diego Comic-Con. “Cole and Lili were holding hands and looked really coupley,” an eyewitness told Us Weekly at the time. “Also, the way he grabbed her waist to bring her in for a photo seemed more than friendly.” 

August 2017

Lili penned a sweet message on Instagram to her ~rumored~ beau for his 25th birthday. “To the man who has showed me more beautiful places in this past year than I have ever seen in my whole life,” she wrote. “Happy Birthday, Cole. Thank you for all of the adventures, and here’s to many more.” 
That same month, their costar Skeet Ulrich told Entertainment Tonight Cole and Lili share a “special connection” off-screen. “You just hear them talking to each other like they’ve been best friends for 20 years. So it’s a good sign,” he gushed.

October 2017

Cole joked on Live With Kelly and Ryan about how much he likes making out with Lili while filming Riverdale. “[There will be] a little bit more of that, which is going to be good,” he said about sexy Bughead moments on the upcoming season. “They’re contractually obliged to give me as many kiss scenes as possible this season. I wrote it into my contract.”

November 2017

Cole speaks on his relationship with Lili, which he won’t confirm … or deny. “Whether you dismiss those rumors or whether you encourage those rumors, it’s giving people who are, in my opinion, a bit entitled to your personal life more power,” the former Disney kid told People magazine. “People can speculate all they want … People speculate about me with every member of the cast practically, but it’s really no one’s right to know. It’s also sexy, these parts of the relationships that are just yours.”

January 2018

The pair are spotted getting cozy while vacationing in Hawaii over the holidays.
Despite the photo evidence, Lili refused to speculate on her love life during an interview with V Magazine later that month. “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,” she said. “But I’m not at a point in my life where I’m ready to openly confirm, deny or talk about a relationship that I’m in because I think it’s brutal to have a relationship in the spotlight where I can be scrutinized by anyone and everyone.”

March 2018

The two finally publicly address their relationship (kind of). A fan asked, “Are you dating?” during a Q&A with the Riverdale cast at PaleyFest in L.A. “No comment,” Cole said with a big smile as Lili stayed quiet.

April 2018

The A-listers are seen packing on the PDA during a trip to Paris. Later that month, they were seen soaking up the sun in Mexico together. 

May 2018

They *finally* make their red carpet debut at the Met Gala. 

July 2018

Despite it seeming like the two were opening up a bit more about their relationship, Lili shut down questions about Cole during an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “I’m not OK talking about my relationship,” she said. “I’m not going to tell you my love story. That’s just not appropriate right now.”
Later that month, Lili shared a hilarious Instagram Story about her and Cole watching the Blood Moon lunar eclipse after wrapping Riverdale season 3. The photos included the blonde beauty looking extremely invested in her “best bud” as he appeared to be completely disinterested.

August 2018

Another year, another sweet birthday wish. This time, Lili dropped the L-bomb while wishing Cole a happy 26th birthday. “It seems as if the world would still be a stranger to me, if not for you,” she gushed on Instagram. “I’m so thankful that our paths intertwined to form this beautiful adventure. Happy Birthday, my love.” 
Later that month, the cast of Riverdale attended the 2018 Teen Choice Awards, but Lili and Cole did not walk the red carpet together. 

September 2018

Cole shared a topless photo of Lili to celebrate her 22nd birthday. “Both the birthday and the gift. My little muse, Happy Birthday, my love,” he captioned the steamy photo. 

October 2018

Lili opened up a bit about her romance and why she keeps things so private. “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,” she told Who What Wear. “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.”

November 2018

After People announced Idris Elba as the Sexiest Man of the Year, Lili shared a photo of Cole on her Instagram Story with the caption, “My 2018 sexiest man alive.” Hubba hubba.

February 2019

Feeling the V-day love. “Quite actually the only thing keeping me sane is @lilireinhart,” Cole wrote about his girlfriend on Instagram. She added her own sappy post with the caption, “You make me very happy. Happy Valentine’s Day, my love.”

March 2019

The two were very loved up on the red carpet during the premiere of Cole’s film Five Feet Apart. 

July 2019

After nearly two years together, news broke that the couple had split. During the 2019 Comic-Con party, Cole was overheard telling a friend that he and Lili had ended things, Us Weekly reported. 
Shortly after, W Magazine published a joint interview with Cole and Lili that also alluded to them going their separate ways. The publication wrote that the pair were “appearing together in a magazine when they were, in reality, uncoupling.”
The longtime loves quickly rectified the situation on social media. “None of you know s—t,” Lili captioned a photo of her and Cole from the publication. Her beau wrote on his own page, “UNPRECEDENTED: Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart consume the flesh of ‘reliable sources’ to fuel their bacchanalian sex cult.”

September 2019

While fans were confused by events of the summer, Lili publicly confirmed that they were back together while talking about their Halloween costume plans. “I think I’m leaning in towards a character for Halloween,” she told Coveteur. “I think I’m going to do it with my boyfriend, Cole. I don’t want to spoil it if it’s not going to happen, but it’s a TV duo.”

May 2020

RIP, Bughead. After a lot of speculation, Cole and Lili broke up again, Page Six reported on May 25. “Cole and Lili split before the pandemic hit, and have been quarantining separately. They remain good friends,” a source told the outlet.

August 2020

Speaking with Refinery29, Lili described the pain she’s felt in the last year as “f–king rough,” adding “there’s no other way through it than just through it.” 

“I’ve seen a lot of people when it comes to heartache and grief and breakups, and they try to get that void filled with sex, with coke, with food, with drinking, [but] the void is still there,” Lili continued. “I took the road less traveled and just dealt with my s–t.”

August 2020

“Lili and I initially separated in January of this year, deciding to more permanently split in March. What an incredible experience I had,” Cole wrote via Instagram on August 19 following his ex’s candid interview about her heartbreak. “I’ll always feel lucky and cherish that I had the chance to fall in love. I wish her nothing but the utmost love and happiness moving forward. [That’s] all I’ll say about it, anything else you hear doesn’t matter.”

He added, “Also, her movie comes out soon! I’m sure she’s just as incredible in it as everything else she does. Thanks, guys.”