‘Riverdale’ Star Lili Reinhart Defends Co-Star From Trolls Who Apparently Think The Series Is Real
As much as we’d all love for Riverdale to be real, we’re sorry to say that it’s not. The milkshakes are likely just props (or even worse, low-calorie substitutes) and KJ Apa‘s abs aren’t perpetually oiled. Y’all do realize this, though… right? Because as it turns outs, there seems to be a serious disconnect on the internet right now. Fortunately, Lili Reinhart, who plays Betty Cooper on the show, is taking a stand.
Following the most recent episode of the series, Shannon Purser, who plays Ethel Muggs, received a disturbing amount of cyber backlash after her character (emphasis on this word) kissed Jughead Jones, played by Cole Sprouse. Now, of course, as we all know by now — Cole and Lili are dating IRL, but that’s hardly reason enough to attack an innocent actress for doing her J-O-B.
According to PopBuzz, diehard Jughead shippers called Shannon “fat” and “ugly.” Beyond that, the outlet also reported that the Sierra Burgess Is a Loser star clapped back in a since-deleted series of tweets. “All the stans who finally feel comfortable calling me fat/ugly now that Ethel has interfered with their ship,” she wrote alongside a popular Spongebob meme.
“I’m not stressed about it, trust me. I just wonder what these people will think in like 10 [years] when they remember their Twitter and realize they insulted and attacked real human beings for their character on a TV show,” the 21-year-old added.
After a Riverdale fan account on Twitter retweeted a story from Teen Vogue about the harassment Shannon has faced, Lili added some commentary of her own.
Adding to that. Shannon is my friend, and it is embarrassing that people felt the need to attack her personally for something that happened on a SHOW. Written by WRITERS. You are not a fan of mine if you treat my friend like this. https://t.co/Yu7aEIGHyk
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) October 30, 2018
“Adding to that,” the 22-year-old began. “Shannon is my friend, and it is embarrassing that people felt the need to attack her personally for something that happened on a SHOW. Written by WRITERS. You are not a fan of mine if you treat my friend like this,” she expressed matter-of-factly.
In conclusion: Riverdale is fake. Thanks for coming to our TED talk.