After debuting his new romance in July 2021, Cole Sprouse hasn't necessarily been living the suite life.
In an interview with GQ Hype, published March 30, the Riverdale star opened up about the "online hate" he's received from fans after he confirmed his relationship with model Ari Fournier last year. The two, who first sparked romance rumors in March 2021 when they were seen holding hands, began dating a little more than a year after Cole and his Riverdale co-star Lili Reinhart confirmed their split.
Referring to his past romance with Lili as having had "all this public currency," due to the constant attention, Cole clarified to the outlet that their three-year relationship, which ended in January 2020, was "as real as it gets."
The publication also noted that after Cole and Lili's breakup, not only did some fans take issue with him online, but some also reported him to the brands he was working with at the time—an action that is still happening to this day.
"Followers report everything about Ari and me as bullying, and it gets taken down pretty immediately," he told GQ Hype, referring to their Instagram posts of each other. "Even on my other friends' accounts, it gets taken down."
In August 2020, Cole opened up to his fans about his split from his co-star in an Instagram post, which is something he told the outlet he did because he "felt forced to."
"Lili and I initially separated in January of this year, deciding to more permanently split in March," he wrote alongside a photo of the actress at the time. "What an incredible experience I had, 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. All I'll say about it, anything else you hear doesn't matter."
Fast-forward to July 2021 when Cole joked that it was time to "piss off the 14yos again" by sharing photos of Ari to his Instagram. But despite the continuous reports from fans, Cole and Ari are still going strong and have shared all the snaps they can to prove it.