Vanessa Morgan and Madelaine Petsch. Jack Rowand/The CW
Vanessa Morgan‘s 2-year-old son, River, helped his mom wrap up her time playing Toni on Riverdale.
During the series finale, which aired on Wednesday, August 23, Betty (Lili Reinhart) narrated Cheryl (Madeleine Petsch) and Toni’s journey after they left Riverdale. In a scene from the flash forward, the couple hold their adopted son, who was played by Morgan’s actual child.
Morgan, 31, announced her pregnancy in July 2020, six months after exchanging vows with Michael Kopech. Shortly after Morgan confirmed that she was expecting, news broke that the pair had called it quits. She gave birth in January 2021.
Since then, Morgan has remained tight-lipped about her personal life while offering glimpses at her motherhood journey. She is currently dating James Karnik, who has made appearances with her son in several social media posts.
While filming the final episodes of Riverdale, Morgan gushed about having River on set with her, writing via Instagram in June, “Getting to share Riverdale, one of the biggest journeys of my life, with my son, brings tears to my eyes. I’ll cherish these memories forever. ??.”
Morgan has also documented her friendship with Petsch, 29, as they played an onscreen couple over the years. After bringing Cheryl and Toni’s love story to life, Petsch recently reflected on the bond she formed with Morgan.
“Vanessa has been my best friend since before the show even started. So to play her onscreen love when we have so much chemistry was absolutely wonderful. What I love about her is that even in scenes where we’re just [in the] background, we find ways to make Choni feel real and authentic and like they’re truly in love,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in July. “I think you can really see — especially in the final couple episodes of the season — that what was really important to us is figuring out what our relationship looks like and making sure that it feels authentic and people really are happy with it.”
Petsch went on to say that she was thrilled with how Cheryl’s story came to an end.
“It’s more to me about saying goodbye to these people who made the show [and] put their love into it. So that was quite difficult,” she continued. “But I know it was time to put the red lipstick away and say goodbye to Cheryl. So, I’m excited to say goodbye to Cheryl [and] I think her story has been completed really well. I think people will be happy with it.”