TWD Confirms Rosita and Gabriel's Relationship Status

Warning: this story contains spoilers for Sunday's "Outpost 22" episode of The Walking Dead. The romantic relationship between Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos) and Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam) has ended as it started: off-screen. After Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) disappeared, Season 9 episode "Who Are You Now?" jumped six years into the future to reveal the new status quo. Michonne (Danai Gurira) was raising her and Rick's son, RJ (Antony Azor). Daryl (Norman Reedus) retreated into the woods, while Carol (Melissa McBride) reigned over the Kingdom with King Ezekiel (Khary Payton). Maybe the most surprising reveal of all? The unexpected coupling of Rosita and Gabriel.

In The Walking Dead Season 11 episode "Outpost 22," Gabriel and Rosita work together to follow a convoy: a train leading to the labor camp where Commonwealth Governor Pamela Milton (Laila Robins) has shipped their disappeared friends. Among the missing is Rosita's daughter Coco, who she shared with Siddiq (Avi Nash) but has been raising with her boyfriend — and Coco's adoptive father — Gabriel.

Are Rosita and Gabriel Still Together?

Showrunner Angela Kang revealed Rosita and Gabriel had broken up by the time of Season 11C, which followed a six-month time jump after Alexandria's assimilation into the Commonwealth. 

"It's really fun to write for Rosita and Gabriel. They have this kind of interesting relationship — this unexpected love story that they had, and then they broke up, but they continue to work together really well," Kang said on AMC+'s The Walking Dead: Episode Insider. "You have this really fun bond that we enjoy kind of exploring further."

How Did Rosita and Gabriel Get Together?

Years after her breakup with Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), Rosita and Siddiq had a fling that birthed their daughter — Socorro, "Coco" for short — and birthed the "love quadrangle." 

Season 9 reveals Rosita and Gabriel became a couple sometime during the six-year time jump between Episode 905 "What Comes After" and Episode 906 "Who Are You Now?" In Season 10, the "love quadrangle" was between parents Rosita and Siddiq, Rosita's boyfriend Gabriel, and Rosita's long-crushing friend Eugene (Josh McDermitt).

Do Eugene and Rosita Get Together in the Comics?

In the comics, longtime friends Rosita and Eugene become romantically involved after Abraham leaves her for Holly. (On the show, this breakup leads to Abraham's romance with Sasha.) Rosita reveals she had an affair with Siddiq and is pregnant with his child, but Eugene is committed to raising the child as his own.

The Rosita and Gabriel Relationship, Explained

"I had a conversation with Angela and she was really forthcoming about what was going to happen during the entire season," Serratos said on a 2019 episode of Talking Dead. "And then she asked me, 'We're considering touching on that [romance] storyline from the comic book, we're talking about a few people, who do you think it could be? What do you think?' And I was really excited to get to kind of contribute, and [Seth's] name was brought up, and I go, 'That's really interesting.'"

When Kang asked what Rosita looks for in a partner, Serratos said, "She has a lot of respect for herself. She's a very strong individual. And I think the thing she falls in love with in others is their strength — she has to really respect the other person. And she really respects Gabriel."

Does Rosita Die in The Walking Dead?

In the comics, a pregnant Rosita is a victim of the Whisperers. Alpha abducts and decapitates several survivors from the communities — including Rosita and King Ezekiel — and displays their zombified heads on pikes marking Whisperer territory.

Follow @CameronBonomolo and @NewsOfTheDead on Twitter for TWD Universe coverage all season long. New episodes of The Walking Dead's final season premiere Sundays on AMC and AMC+.