The Untold Truth Of Vanessa Morgan
Riverdale fans will recognize Vanessa Morgan as Cheryl Blossom's (Madelaine Petsch) girlfriend, Toni Topaz, on the CW series. However, the actress made headlines in May 2020 when she took to Twitter to express that she was "[t]ired of how black people are portrayed in Media."
Following George Floyd's death — he died after former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for over eight minutes in late May 2020 — celebrities took to social media to share their thoughts on police brutality and to support the Black Lives Matter movement. In a tweet on May 31, 2020, Morgan made it clear she was "tired of [black people] being used as side kick non-dimensional characters to our white leaders," adding, "Or only used in the ads for diversity but not actually in the show. It starts with the media. I'm not being quite [sic] anymore."
Naturally, Morgan's costar Lili Reinhart showed her love on social media, writing, "We love you, V. And support you 10000%."
That being said, there's more to Morgan than just being on Riverdale — let's find out more.
Vanessa Morgan says playing a bisexual and and biracial character on 'Riverdale' is 'a lot of pressure'
On Riverdale, Vanessa Morgan plays Toni Topaz — who joins the Serpents, which includes Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), when she arrives in town. Later on, Topaz starts dating Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) on the show, and they quickly become #couplegoals.
"I'm trying to represent to the greatest of my abilities, and playing a biracial, bisexual young woman is a lot of pressure because I want to do a good job of doing that," Morgan told Brief Take in 2018. "I find Toni to be super unique and I just love playing her! She's a super badass chick, and now I love her relationship with Cheryl, it's so great."
The Canada native is proud that Choni's (their couple name) relationship is playing out on television without any sort of bias. "And that's exactly the whole point of it — that love is love," she explained. "We fall in love with different people, regardless of their gender. I love how natural the whole Choni relationship is and I love how people are loving it."
Despite being a series regular, Morgan stated on Twitter in June 2020 that she is going to "fight" for her "black fans" so that they can have a role model on television going forward. "This is for you. We aren't your token black non dimensional characters," she wrote. "This is being black in Hollywood."
Vanessa Morgan is a double threat
Vanessa Morgan has showcased her singing skills on Riverdale many times, and she couldn't help but gush about the "fun experience with the cast" on set. "We're all friends so we were all laughing and dancing," she told Brief Take in 2018 after filming one of the musical episodes. "It was a break from the drama of the series that we're used to, so it was nice to laugh and to be funny for a change."
The actress started singing ballads at weddings when she was just 5 years old, per Nylon. In 2017, Morgan told Flare that she was excited to venture into the music world in real life, too. "Music is something I'm working on right now and I'm trying to work on my demo again." She continued, "I put it on hold again while I was filming in New Zealand but I wrote a song for The Shannara Chronicles this season that they put it on the soundtrack, which is awesome."
In 2019 Morgan and Riverdale costar Drew Ray Tanner, who plays Fangs Fogarty on the show, wrote their debut single, "Sleep When I'm Dead." As of this writing, the duo has plans to release their EP in 2020, per Nylon. Sounds like a match made in music heaven!
Vanessa Morgan and Madelaine Petsch are BFFs in real life
Vanessa Morgan and Madelaine Petsch — who play lovers Toni Topaz and Cheryl Blossom, respectively, on Riverdale — are actually best friends in real life. "... [W]hen I got cast for season 2 I really put that energy out there," Morgan told Brief Take in 2018. "We were like, 'wouldn't it be nice if we were on a show together in Vancouver?,' and that was one year before it even happened!"
She added, "So, looking at it now, what are the chances that not only are we on the same show, but we're also playing girlfriends on that same show?! So, the relationship is even stronger now."
Even though the two have some rather sexy and steamy scenes together, they don't seem to mind one bit. "You know where their mouth has been for one. It's easy. It's like you can choreograph your love scenes. Everything's fun. It's really easy going. It's honestly a really great collaborative thing because you feel comfortable with that person," Petsch told Life & Style in 2019.
In fact, Morgan and Petsch are able to dive right back into their real lives once the day is wrapped. "We'll make out on screen for, like, 30 minutes, and I'll be like, 'Want to go watch a movie?' It's just separating, it's like, well, I'm Cheryl and she's Toni. So, in that moment we are in love," Petsch said. "Then, when it's over, we're best friends again cause we're Madelaine and Vanessa."
Vanessa Morgan's husband dated another celebrity before her
If Vanessa Morgan's husband, Michael Kopech, looks familiar, there's a reason — he actually dated Bravo star Brielle Biermann before he met his future wife. Biermann and Kopech went out for "about two years" before they called it quits, per Bravo, but Biermann told TooFab that their split "needed to happen."
Fortunately, Morgan and Kopech found each other through social media, E! News reported, and started DMing before meeting in Chicago in June 2018. From there, their romance blossomed, and Kopech proposed near the Grand Canyon in July 2019. The lovebirds tied the knot in Florida in January 2020 in front of some of Morgan's Riverdale costars — Madelaine Petsch, Skeet Ulrich, and Drew Ray Tanner — along with close friends and family.
"We both knew the first day we met that 'this is it' and I'm so excited that today officially starts our forever," the singer told E! News at the time. "Today, I vowed to love my best friend for a lifetime and it was a day spent with those we love in a room filled with endless love. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him."
Clearly, the actress is just getting started in Hollywood, and we can't wait to see what else is in store for her.