Cole Sprouse Says He Became a “Serial Monogamist” After Losing His Virginity at 14

Riverdale actor Cole Sprouse sat with host Alex Cooper on the latest episode of Call Her Daddy, where he opened up about his Disney Channel days and his relationship with ex-GF and costar Lili Reinhart. The former Disney star’s relationship wasn’t the only personal subject he discussed during the interview. Cole recalled losing his virginity as a teen and revealed how it changed his POV on relationships.

“I was 14 when I lost my virginity, so this is still bowl-cut guy,” the actor said, referencing the infamous haircut he wore during his Suite Life of Zack and Cody era. According to Cole, he met an older girl and made out with her one night during a family trip to Florida. The next night, Cole said that he went back to the girl’s room and asked if she was “DTF.”

Once she agreed, Cole told his brother Dylan to leave their hotel room, unknowingly sparking a lifelong joke between the two of them. “We pass each other and my brother looks at me and goes, ‘What the f*ck are we supposed to do?’ I looked at him and I said another line that he’s never forgiven me for,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘I dunno, go play chess or something.’”

After losing his virginity, Cole “ended up regretting that experience” because the actor claimed he “hadn’t made it special at all.” Cole’s first sexual encounter would go on to play a huge role in how he perceived relationships going forward. “After that, I became truly a serial monogamist,” he said. “I went from long-term relationship to long-term relationship.”

One of those extended ’ships was with Lili Reinhart. Cole and Lili’s relationship timeline dates back to March of 2017, when Cole began posting photos he took of Lili, unofficially declaring her as his muse. They then hard-launched their relationship two months later in April. After three years of dating on and off, the pair sadly broke up for good in March 2020.

“Lili and I initially separated in January of this year, deciding to more permanently split in March. What an incredible experience I had, I’ll always feel lucky and cherish that I had the chance to fall in love. I wish her nothing but the utmost love and happiness moving forward. All I’ll say about it, anything else you hear doesn’t matter,” Cole shared on Instagram that August.

Cole said that he wouldn’t get into the reason behind the breakup “too much.” Originally, he said the breakup was a mutual decision, but on the Call Her Daddy podcast, he confirmed that it was ultimately his decision to call it quits.

“I think if I had loved myself a little more, I probably would have left a little sooner,” he admitted. “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.” This confession came when they were recalling the scrutiny and pressure the couple felt from the public.

Alex asked Cole what it was like working with Lili after they had broken up, and he admitted that it was “really hard” for them both.

“It was hard to suspend all the way we felt about each other and it didn’t afford us the luxury of distance to really overcome that. I know we both did quite a bit of damage to each other.…We’re good friends now, which is awesome. 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. It was time.”

When talking about his relationships, Cole was also asked if he’s ever been cheated on.

“Yeah. By almost every single one of my girlfriends. Emotionally, yes. Very, very much. And my first girlfriend physically,” he answered. He didn’t name names in this part of the interview.

The Disney Channel alum also talked about child acting and explained that his mother got the twins started with acting when they were babies as a means for their family to make money, saying that landing their roles as Zack and Cody was a “golden ticket” for them financially.

Cole also spilled that the Suite Life of Zack and Cody writers took a lot of inspiration from the boys’ personalities for their characters.

“Dylan specifically was a huge bully,” he recalled about his brother as a child, much like his character Zack. “He would beat them up, and then I became known as the twin that would come up and be like, ‘I’m so sorry for my brother.’”

“Wait, I kinda feel like that was your character also on Zack and Cody,” Alex said.

“Yeah, well, I think the writers on Zack and Cody took a lot of cues from our…from, you know, our actual personalities, but, um, yeah, he was a real bully.” Shame on you, Dylan!

The full sit-down is out now on Spotify.

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