Cole Sprouse Says He Doesn’t ‘Care’ About Lili Reinhart Breakup Reports: ‘You Have to Poke Fun’
Cole Sprouse says he laughed off news that he and girlfriend Lili Reinhart have broken up.
While attending Variety‘s Power of Young Hollywood at The H Club Los Angeles on Tuesday, the Riverdale star told Entertainment Tonight that while he was “incredibly” annoyed at the rumors, he didn’t take them too seriously.
“I don’t care. That’s the nature of our industry,” he told ET.
“I think you have to poke fun of it a little bit,” Sprouse added. “It’s kind of something you sign up for, but as long as can keep it light and fun, it’s all good.”
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Last month, reports claimed Reinhart, 22, and Sprouse, 27, had called it quits after two years together. The pair, who also play love interests on Riverdale, kept their distance from each other at Entertainment Weekly’s Comic-Con party in San Diego on July 20.
Although Reinhart appeared to take the split in stride, cracking a joke on Instagram after she was seated next to Sprouse and costar KJ Apa at the show’s panel the next day, a source told PEOPLE at the time that the stars’ breakup had long been looming, as things had felt “heavy” in their relationship for some time.
“Their friends didn’t really expect them to last in the long run,” the source said. “At the end of the day, their personalities are very different and their lifestyles often clashed. Things have felt super heavy in the relationship for a while, and it got to be too much. They’re both very professional though and trying to be as amicable and friendly as possible.”
However, things took a turn later that week, when they appeared together on a joint cover of W Magazine.
Both Reinhart and Sprouse shared a photo of the cover on Instagram alongside captions that mocked media coverage of their split and hinted that they were still together.
“BREAKING: A reliable source has confirmed that none of you know s—,” Reinhart captioned her post, while Sprouse wrote, “UNPRECEDENTED: Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart consume the flesh of ‘reliable sources’ to fuel their bacchanalian sex cult.”
The W Magazine interview took place two months prior to the apparent breakup, and the two stars insisted on speaking to the writer separately.
During the interview, Reinhart also briefly alluded to the possibility of a breakup, admitting it would make working together a bit complicated. “If and when we break up on the show, I don’t know,” she said. “It’s weird being with an actor. You deal with s— no one has to deal with.”
A post shared by Cole Sprouse (@colesprouse) on Jul 25, 2019 at 9:58am PDT
Since the magazine’s publication, Reinhart has written about Sprouse on social media — sharing a “sappy” poem on Instagram earlier this month penned in honor of Sprouse’s birthday on Aug. 4.
“I tried to find a poem that I could send to you. Because my words were failing me,” she wrote alongside a photo of Sprouse. “But I searched and found nothing that did you justice.”
“All of these love poems can’t get it right. No one else’s words could ever fit. They haven’t known the fortune it is to love you,” Reinhart wrote, labeling the message a “sappy nighttime birthday poem for @colesprouse.”
Taking a more light-hearted approach to Sprouse’s big day, on her Instagram story, the actress also shared a photograph of Cole and his twin brother Dylan, cropping the image so her Riverdale costar was mostly out of frame.
“Happy birthday baby” she quipped alongside the image.
A post shared by Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) on Aug 4, 2019 at 12:25am PDT
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Asked by ET on Tuesday if he would be writing a similar poem for Reinhart’s birthday on Sept. 13, Sprouse said no.
“I’m not a poet. I do not write,” he said. “I’ll figure out something beautiful.”
