Madelaine Petsch Calls Out Cole Sprouse for Advice He Wouldn’t Follow
Madelaine Petsch says Cole Sprouse pulled her aside during the Riverdale pilot to warn her about dating co-stars—an ironic bit of advice she revisited on the Call Her Daddy podcast.
Madelaine Petsch has one of those very Hollywood stories that manages to be both good advice and a little hilarious in hindsight: Cole Sprouse once told her not to date co-stars. She listened. He didn't.
The advice (and the irony)
On Call Her Daddy, Petsch said Cole pulled her aside during the Riverdale pilot and gave her a ground rule for surviving a long shoot with an attractive cast.
"If I can give you one piece of advice, Mads... Don't — hey, don't hook up with any of your co-stars, okay?"
She called it the best advice she's ever gotten and says she stuck to it — she's never dated a co-star. The twist, of course: Cole later dated his Riverdale co-lead Lili Reinhart.
Cole and Lili: the quick timeline
Sprouse was one of the leads of The CW's Riverdale alongside KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, and Camila Mendes. He didn't exactly follow his own rule when it came to Reinhart. They kept things mostly private, but here's the broad strokes:
- May 2018: They go public with a joint Met Gala appearance.
- January 2020: They separate (Sprouse later confirms this timing).
- August 2020: He addresses the breakup on Instagram, saying he felt lucky to have fallen in love and wishing Reinhart "nothing but the utmost love and happiness" moving forward.
Reinhart, for her part, stayed mum about the breakup, tweeting that she wouldn't talk candidly about something that personal. On-screen, Jughead and Betty remained one of the show's fan-favorite couples — which made the off-screen conversation even louder while it lasted.
What Petsch is up to next
Petsch is steering straight into rom-com territory with Maintenance Required, arriving on Prime Video on October 8, 2025. It's directed by Lacey Uhlemeyer and co-stars Jacob Scipio, Madison Bailey, and Katy O'Brien.
The setup is classic enemies-to-lovers: Petsch plays Charlie, a mechanic shop owner who's been anonymously venting to her online confidant, Beau (Scipio) — only to discover he's actually her business rival. Feelings ensue. Complications follow.
It's landing not long after The Stranger: Chapter 2, where Petsch returns as Maya Lucas. That sequel got knocked around by critics, but a third movie is already in the works, with Petsch set to come back again for The Stranger: Chapter 3.
Where to watch, and your turn
Riverdale is streaming on Netflix. Maintenance Required premieres October 8, 2025 on Prime Video.
Do you side with Cole's advice about keeping it professional on set, or is it inevitable when the chemistry is real? And who's your all-time favorite Riverdale couple?