Vanessa Morgan who plays Toni Topaz on The CW series, Riverdale revealed earlier this summer that she was expecting her first child. At the start of the actress’s maternity leave beginning ahead of the baby’s birth, Vanessa has confirmed that her pregnancy and absence will be written into the upcoming fifth season of the hit Archie Comics-inspired series.
“Officially on maternity leave!!!! Ahh!!” Vanessa wrote on Instagram. “Feeling grateful to my showrunner & producers for being so accommodating & writing my pregnancy into the show! Also proud of my body for allowing me to still work almost 9 months preggo. Now time to have a baby! lol Happy Holidays everyone”
The actress previously confirmed her pregnancy after deciding whether to keep it under wraps from the public.
At the time she wrote: “Was debating keeping this part of my life hidden but I knew people would see pictures eventually with my belly & I wanted you guys to hear it from me. I do want to keep this chapter of my life private but did want to be the first to share the news. I am overjoyed to be welcoming my baby boy into the world this January ? It’s almost like everything I thought mattered in this life has completely changed. We’re here for such a greater purpose and life is so precious.”
Vanessa was in the news earlier this year, months before her pregnancy announcement where she condemned the producers of Riverdale.
She commented on how the entertainment industry depicts characters of colour and the types of roles actors of colour are called upon to play and then things got more personal. Vanessa said she knew her co-stars supported her, she commented about the way her character was written and her pay scale putting the management firmly in the crosshairs.
She pointed out in response to one fan’s comments that she is “the only Black series regular, but also paid the least.”
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Riverdale’s executive producer released a statement following her tweets on the matter, saying that they hear her and would do better to honour her and the character she plays. The fifth season of Riverdale will premiere on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 on The CW.
The series will jump ahead in time at some point in its new episodes with the first batch set to conclude the high school-set storylines for many of the show’s teenage characters.