KJ Apa opened up about dealing with disordered eating on "Riverdale"

This post contains discussion of substance misuse, eating disorders and body image.

KJ Apa is opening up about his experiences dealing with addiction and disordered eating.

KJ, who famously played Archie on Riverdale from ages 19 to 25, revealed during a recent appearance on Dylan Sprouse and Brendan Columbus’s Wildmen podcast that his experiences on the set of the CW series bred several unhealthy habits.

“I had so many things that I was doing that were so unhealthy that kind of bred throughout that show, maybe because of…the environment, having my shirt off all the time. Even just experiencing fame,” he shared.

KJ recalled experiencing conflicting feelings about his newfound fame when Riverdale took off, admitting that he was equally disgusted and validated by paparazzi taking his photograph. The actor later noted that he’s now been sober for a year and a half, stating, “Anything that makes me feel good, I will abuse. It’s something that I’ve learned about myself. Even eating. My relationship with eating — especially on that show — was bad.”

“I used to eat donuts all day long. Go back to my trailer, throw up,” he recalled before telling a story he described as “gnarly” but the “perfect way to explain that addictive quality” he possessed.

“I was quarantining in Vancouver,” he began, explaining that he had to stay inside his apartment for two weeks. “I was trying to be sober and not smoke weed or anything. And I remember I was so hungry one night — I was also trying to lose a lot of weight because I was going back to work — and when I’m on a vibe of ‘I’m trying to get back into shape,’ I’m on beast mode.”

“I ordered all of this McDonald’s. I ordered like three Big Macs, a bunch of McNuggets and stuff, fries, milkshake. It’s like 2 a.m. I’m about to beast mode this thing,” he recounted. “I slam like half of it, and immediately it’s like, Why did I do that?”

KJ then shared, “I **** on the rest of the food. I took it outside, I ****** all over it.”

“I go, throw up all the food that I ate…I go back outside about 20 minutes later after lying there in bed being like, ‘I’m hungry again because all the food is now out of my body,’” he continued. “I went downstairs, I go outside, and it’s there, right. I start eating around the ****. I ate the rest of the food and left the soaking **** food there.”

KJ then noted that while he very much “could have ordered more food,” he felt that he needed to eat immediately. Dylan then interjected and said, “And you also needed to punish yourself and make it harder for yourself,” to which KJ agreed.

The candid conversation quickly won praise and support online, with several people thanking KJ for speaking “openly and honestly” about his experience. “Honestly so refreshing to hear a man speak openly and honestly about an eating disorder,” one person said. “I appreciate the vulnerability, men/boys suffer from EDs so much and it’s so under reported,” another added.

“Man this is really so vulnerable of him. A lot of men suffer from eating disorders especially in acting and modeling businesses. I hope others see this and feel less alone,” someone wrote, while another comment read, “Men openly discussing eating disorders!!!!! THANK YOU KJ!!!”

“that’s so heartbreaking but what a brave thing to be willing to talk about it,” one user said. “It's so vulnerable to share details like that, and it's a big deal especially hearing it from men. I'm glad he's doing better now!” another person wrote.

“It’s important that he talks about this. Many young people believe his physique in Riverdale is achievable and also maintainable. I wish actors would openly talk about what it takes to look like that,” someone else said, while one more user agreed, “He was casted as Archie pretty young and constantly had to show his body, I can imagine that could create issues for almost anyone.”

Meanwhile, some internet users praised Dylan’s “emotional intelligence” as they highlighted his response to KJ’s remarks. “The vulnerability share and the emotional intelligence of Dylan instantly clocking — needing to punish yourself. This is going to be a great listen and thank you for sharing this—- you’ve definitely made someone, many someone’s feel seen, validated, and stronger,” one comment read.

“‘You also needed to punish yourself and make it harder for yourself’ ohhhhh boy. That part 😞 shout out to Apa for being willing to share the not glamorous sides of these disorders. I think people who haven’t experienced it often think it’s all about looking good on the outside. How bad could that be? But really, do you know how awful I have to feel on the inside to be so obsessed with how I look on the outside?” another person wrote.

Elsewhere on the podcast, KJ revealed that Dylan’s twin brother Cole Sprouse — who also starred in Riverdale — once punched him “in the face” after discovering that he’d been using drugs again.

After Dylan noted that his brother “likes to get into fisticuffs,” KJ — who is close friends with Cole — said, “Oh, I’ve been around. He punched me in the face…He punched me in the face, and I ran away.”

Dylan then said, “I looked at my brother after that, and I was like, ‘Dude, you could have just died.’ I made the mistake of trying to chase after [KJ]. I was like, ‘Oh, dude, I’m going to get him.’ You were three blocks away by the time I was just getting my bearings.”

KJ added, “I was crying...He hit me because we were in a strip club and, at this time, I was doing a lot of drugs, and a lot of my close friends were worried about me. And he had learned that I was doing drugs again…It was a love punch.”

“It was kind of a wake-up punch,” Dylan added, which KJ agreed with.

You can listen to the full podcast episode right here, and let us know what you think in the comments.

The National Eating Disorders Association helpline is 1-800-931-2237; for 24/7 crisis support, text “NEDA” to 741741.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.

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