Cole Sprouse says he and Lili Reinhart dated longer than they should have because they were working together on 'Riverdale': 'There was a lot of pressure'

• Cole Sprouse spoke about dating "Riverdale" costar Lili Reinhart from 2017 to 2020.
• Sprouse said the breakup was "really hard" but now, they're "good friends."

Cole Sprouse spoke candidly about his past relationship with "Riverdale" costar Lili Reinhart and admitted that they stayed together longer than they should have because they worked together.

"It was really hard for both of us, and that's OK," Sprouse said on the latest episode of the podcast "Call Her Daddy," hosted by Alex Cooper and released on Wednesday.

Sprouse and Reinhart met through their roles as on-screen love interests Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper on "Riverdale," based on characters from Archie Comics. The show premiered on The CW in January 2017 and will be ending with its upcoming seventh season, airing on Wednesday, March 29.

Sprouse and Reinhart were romantically linked the same year that "Riverdale" debuted on TV and became an instant hit.

Breakup rumors persisted throughout 2019 and 2020. In August 2020, Sprouse put the speculation to rest by confirming that he and Reinhart broke up.

"Lili and I initially separated in January of this year, deciding to more permanently split in March," he captioned a photo of Reinhart that he posted on Instagram.

On the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, the former Disney Channel star said that working together on "Riverdale" post-split was difficult because "it didn't afford us the luxury of distance" to "overcome" their feelings for each other.

"I know we both did quite a bit of damage to each other, and that we're good friends now, which is awesome, Sprouse said. "We work really well together now. But I think that was exactly where we both needed to be."

The actor said that he and Reinhart's real-life relationship came about organically, and was a by-product of them relocating to Vancouver, Canada to film the teen drama.

"We were in a foreign city working a very intense schedule, 14 hours a day, oftentimes 6 days a week, alone," he said. "And we really leaned on each other while also going through the elected trauma of this incredible overnight success."

Sprouse said there was also "a ton of criticism" and "a ton of expectation."

"And I think we did the best we could, really," he said. "I really do think we did and I'm very grateful in very many ways I was able to go through it with someone who was going through the exact same set of circumstances as me. But also, in very many ways, all the cliches about dating someone you work with are very true."

When Cooper asked if their relationship lasted longer because they were colleagues, Sprouse replied: "Absolutely."

"There was a lot of pressure towards other people, really," he said. "I think if I had loved myself a little more, I probably would have left a little earlier. But I just felt like I had to take care of a lot of people around me, which was not good for me. I probably should have exercised a bit more selfishness in that situation."

Sprouse said that his decision to be private about his relationships was a bit detrimental because people began speculating that he cheated on Reinhart. He was referencing being linked to model Kaia Gerber in April 2020, when, unbeknownst to fans, he and Reinhart already split.

"We didn't make a big deal when we split," Sprouse explained. "So afterwards, I was photographed as a single man dating other women and I think it caused people to think there was something dubious going on. I took a moral stance that I was never gonna talk about it, didn't need to be said. But I have realized now in hindsight that I probably should have said something almost right away."

Sprouse said that in choosing not to clear up the confusion, the rumors and gossip ended up "affecting me and my mental health quite a bit afterward."

Regardless, the "Friends" alum said that he doesn't really regret his past decisions.

When asked why he and Reinhart broke up, Sprouse said, "I won't go into that too much, but I will say it was mutual."

He then revealed that he was the one to end the relationship after Cooper called him out for describing the breakup as "mutual."

"I left," he said. "But to be honest, when you're in a relationship for that long and someone leaves, it's not like someone's like 'WHAT?' It's not a surprise. I don't like to say, 'Oh, I split.'"

"It was time," Sprouse added. "And I think in very many ways, this was right before COVID, so it also gave us the space, because we got locked down, which I think was good."