Riverdale Star Lili Reinhart Reveals Alopecia Diagnosis

Riverdale alum Lili Reinhart has revealed that she was recently diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder alopecia. Reinhart, who portrayed Betty Cooper across all seven seasons of The CW's Riverdale, took to TikTok to break the news, posting a video subtitled "was just diagnosed with alopecia in the midst of a major depressive episode." The video shows Reinhart lip-syncing to a TikTok audio saying "I'm pushed beyond the limits of what a person should be pushed to endure," as she sits under a red light therapy lamp. The caption says "Red light therapy is my new best friend #alopecia #mentalhealth."

According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, Alopecia effects as many a 6.7 million people just in the United States. Although the exact cause of alopecia is alone, it results in hair follicles being attacked by a person's immune system, causing hair loss.

@lilireinhart

Red light therapy is my new best friend. #alopecia #mentalhealth

♬ original sound – Sam Huberty

What's Next for Lili Reinhart After Riverdale?

Shortly before Riverdale wrapped up its seventh and final season, Reinhart was cast in Hal & Harper, a new television series created by Cha Cha Real Smooth's Cooper Raiff. The series will star Raiff and Reinhart as two young siblings with their single dad (played by Mark Ruffalo) who is making them grow up too fast — so much so that the 7- and 9-year-olds would be played by adult actors. The series will also star Addison Timlin (Blackout) and Havana Rose Liu (No Exit). 

"I have a lot of sort of dramatic, deep roles in my future after Riverdale, definitely roles that you have not seen me in," Reinhart said in a 2022 appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "I'm an adult! I'm an adult woman and I'm going to start playing those more adult roles. That's on my horizon, and I could not be more excited."

Where Is Riverdale's Final Season Streaming?

In August of this year, Riverdale's seventh and final season was available to stream on Netflix. The final batch of episodes culminated the Archie Comics-inspired show with a lot of heart, surprises, and a touch of the supernatural.

"A lot of times on TV shows, you don't know when something's ending, so it's a privilege to know the end is here and be present in that," Riverdale executive producer Sarah Schechter said in an interview earlier this year. "It felt like the end of an era."

"I think it fits in with other iconic coming-of-age shows," Schechter added. "It's something we can be proud of and that will continue to be discovered. So many of my friends' kids are watching Gilmore Girls and just love being able to go into that world and spend time with all those characters. And I think that'll be part of the legacy of Riverdale as well. Also, it's a legacy of network television, making that many episodes, of having the chance to tell that many stories for that many characters."

What do you think of Lili Reinhart's alopecia diagnosis? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!