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How Riverdale Co-Stars KJ Apa and Vanessa Morgan Bond Over Being Parents on Set

After welcoming babies less than a year apart, Vanessa Morgan opened up about her special friendship with Riverdale co-star KJ Apa, saying the actor “just gets it” when it comes to parenting.

By Spencer Lubitz, Ashley Joy Parker Jul 24, 2022 9:52 PMTags
Watch: Is KJ Apa MARRIED? Riverdale Star Addresses the Rumors!

KJ Apa and Vanessa Morgan are leaning on each other as they (exhaustingly) navigate life as new parents.

Their Riverdale characters, Archie Andrews and Toni Topaz, may not be the closest of pals, but, IRL, the co-stars have formed a new bond after welcoming their first children with their partners. In an exclusive interview with E! News, Vanessa revealed that she and KJ talk about their little ones "all the time" when on set.

"It's really nice having somebody on set who gets it, and who understands what parenting is like, understands the exhaustion," she told E! News on July 21.  "And who understands how beautiful it is."

Vanessa, 30, gave birth to her son River in January 2021, amid her divorce from Michael Kopech. KJ, 25, welcomed his first child with girlfriend Clara Berry—a son named Sasha—in September 2021.

As parents, the actress noted the sacrifices she and her co-star have to make, saying they "can't just do the things that everybody else can."

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Love Lives of Riverdale Stars

"We can't just go out on a whim and be like, hey, let's go out for a drink," she explained. "We have a kid, and we usually bring our kids to everything. KJ is really good with that too. We kind of bring our kids everywhere so that they experience everything and that they're very socialized."

Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic

River and Sasha have also become friends, with Vanessa adding that she has "cutest pictures of them just like chilling on the couch with their bottles like looking like the boys in their diapers."

While Vanessa is now relishing in motherhood, she recalled her "very stressful" experience giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic and having to undergo an emergency cesarean section.

"I was so scared but I was like, well, obviously I didn't carry a baby for 10 months for him not to make it," she recalled. "Your mom instincts just kind of come in and I just knew I had to do that. It was so painful when they numb your body for it, but you know, he made it, he's all good." 

After welcoming River, Vanessa was left with a scar, which she recently honored with a new tattoo.

"This specific tattoo originated from the Japanese word 'Kintsugi,' which is broken pottery with gold and the meaning behind that is that it's considered more beautiful for having been broken," she explained. "I love the meaning behind that and I thought that was a perfect way to honor my scar." 

Rich Polk/Getty Images for Gold Bond

To care for her new ink, which she has been planning for a long time, Vanessa partnered with Gold Bond in part of its My Scar My Story campaign.

"When I heard about Gold Bond's campaign, they're celebrating real skin stories, I said 'that's something that I want to be a part of,'" she said. "I think that's a perfect way to not only do it, but encourage people to embrace their real skin stories."

She added, "It was really special to honor my C-section scar. I feel like I'm more beautiful for having gone through that surgery and bringing my son into the world."

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