Lili Reinhart Defends Shannon Purser For Kissing Cole Sprouse On Riverdale

Lili Reinhart isn't here for cyberbullying. The 22-year-old Riverdale star clapped back at fans of the show who bullied her co-star Shannon Purser for something that went down in a recent episode. 

Some backstory for those not caught up on Riverdale: Shannon's character Ethel Muggs returned during the third episode of Season 3. Fans were shocked when Ethel and Cole Sprouse's character, Jughead Jones, kissed. Not only is Jughead dating Betty Cooper, played by Lili, he's also dating Lili IRL. Fans then unfairly took their anger about the plot twist out on Shannon. 

"All the stans who finally feel comfortable calling me fat/ugly now that Ethel has interfered with their ship," Shannon wrote on Twitter after experiencing a barrage of insults from internet trolls. "I'm not stressed about it, trust me. I just wonder what these people will think in like 10 years when they remember their Twitter and realize they insulted and attacked real human being for their character on a TV show."

Shannon has since deleted her post, however, Lili came to her friend's defense on Twitter, as well. When on Riverdale fan account tweeted, "Your daily reminder that bullying a cast member over a FICTIONAL ship is never ok. Please get a grip on reality," Lili retweeted the message and added some words of her own. "Adding to that. Shannon is my friend, and it is embarrassing that people felt the need to attack her personally for something that happened on a SHOW. Written by WRITERS. You are not a fan of mine if you treat my friend like this."

Now that's girl power. Hopefully, Shannon's haters got the message: it's never OK to bully someone online. 

Photo: Getty / The CW