Most people recognize Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom, Riverdale’s sharp-tongued redhead in penny loafers. But the woman behind the character has spent years addressing questions about her actual hair color, her dating life, and her own identity. Here’s a fact-checked look at what’s real and what’s rumor.
Born: August 18, 1994 · Known for: Cheryl Blossom on Riverdale · Instagram followers: 22M · Natural hair color: Red · Relationship status: Private (as of 2025) · Sexuality: Heterosexual
Quick snapshot
- Born August 18, 1994 in Port Orchard, Washington (Us Weekly)
- Best known for playing Cheryl Blossom on Riverdale (Us Weekly)
- Natural hair color is red (Cosmopolitan)
- Identifies as heterosexual (Us Weekly)
- Whether she is currently dating anyone as of 2025
- Whether the Tyga rumor was ever a real relationship
- Specific details about her dating life since 2022
- 2017: Riverdale premieres and she becomes known as Cheryl Blossom
- 2020: Stars in the thriller Sightless
- 2022: Confirmed dating Anthony Li
- 2025: No public partner announced
- Her film and television career continues beyond Riverdale
- Potential public updates on her personal life remain possible
Most of what circulates online about her personal life falls into two categories — confirmed by Petsch herself in interviews, or entirely speculative.
Is Madelaine Petsch in a relationship?
Current relationship status of Madelaine Petsch
As of 2025, Petsch has not publicly announced a current partner. She has kept her private life largely out of the spotlight.
Who has Madelaine Petsch dated?
- Anthony Li (2022): In August 2022, Petsch confirmed she was dating Anthony Li, Halsey’s manager, according to Us Weekly.
- Tyga rumor (2019): Petsch was seen with the rapper in 2019, but neither party confirmed dating.
The trade-off: Petsch’s career-focused stance means her relationship status is stable — she’s not married, not engaged, and not hiding anything.
Is Madelaine Petsch a natural redhead?
Madelaine Petsch’s natural hair color revealed
- Natural redhead: Despite persistent rumors that she is a natural blonde, Petsch has stated in multiple interviews that she is a natural redhead.
- No dyeing for the role: In a 2018 interview, Petsch said she is a natural redhead, so the color requires no dye (Life & Style).
- She did experiment with blonde: In 2021, Petsch dyed her hair blonde for a role, which fueled the misconception that she had always been blonde.
Petsch is famous for playing a redhead — and she’s a natural redhead in real life too. Yet the rumor that she dyes her hair red for Riverdale persists, partly because the blonde experiment confused fans.
- No dye needed for Cheryl: Because Petsch is naturally red, her on-screen hair in Riverdale required only styling, not color processing.
- Maintenance: She has discussed using red-enhancing shampoos and conditioners to keep her natural red vibrant under studio lights (Women’s Health).
The sourced record — across seven years of interviews — consistently shows Petsch as a natural redhead.
Is Madelaine Petsch LGBTQ+?
Her sexuality and allyship
- Heterosexual: Petsch identifies as heterosexual (Us Weekly).
- On-screen bisexual character: Her Riverdale character, Cheryl Blossom, is bisexual, leading some fans to conflate the actress with the role (Wikipedia).
- No appropriation: She has been careful to frame herself as an ally, not a member of the community — drawing a clear line between representation and identity.
Petsch’s case highlights how a straight actor playing a queer character can still advance representation — but also how easily identity can be conflated with performance.
The catch: Petsch is a straight woman who played a bisexual character, and her allyship is genuine.
Madelaine Petsch: Career and life timeline
- 1994: Born August 18 in Port Orchard, Washington.
- 2017: Riverdale premieres; she becomes known as Cheryl Blossom.
- 2020: Stars in the thriller Sightless.
- 2021: Dyes her hair blonde for a role, fueling hair-color speculation.
- 2022: Confirmed she was dating Anthony Li, Halsey’s manager, per Us Weekly.
- 2023: Riverdale concludes after seven seasons.
- 2025: No public partner announced.
What this means: the timeline shows that verified public updates about her personal life are rare and usually surface only through direct press coverage.
What we know and what remains unclear
What we know
- Natural hair color is red (Cosmopolitan)
- Identifies as heterosexual (Us Weekly)
- Best known for her role as Cheryl Blossom on Riverdale
What remains unclear
- Specific details about her dating life since 2022
- Whether the Tyga encounter was a confirmed relationship
- Any private relationship details she has not chosen to share
The pattern: the verified record about her personal life is thin, and that is exactly how Petsch seems to want it.
In her own words
I’m a natural redhead, and I love it.
— Madelaine Petsch, Life & Style
For fans sorting through internet chatter about Madelaine Petsch, the picture is cleaner than it seems: a natural redhead, straight ally, unmarried and career-focused, with two known past relationships and one unconfirmed rumor.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Madelaine Petsch’s natural hair color?
Natural red. Despite rumors that she dyes it for Riverdale, Petsch has said in interviews that she is a natural redhead. She briefly went blonde in 2021 for a role.
How old is Madelaine Petsch?
She was born on August 18, 1994, making her 30 years old as of 2025 (Us Weekly).
What are Madelaine Petsch’s most famous movies?
Her most notable film role is in Sightless (2020). She is best known for her television role as Cheryl Blossom on Riverdale (IMDb).
Is Madelaine Petsch LGBTQ+?
Petsch identifies as heterosexual. Her Riverdale character, Cheryl Blossom, is bisexual, and Petsch has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ representation.
Is Madelaine Petsch dating Tyga?
No confirmed relationship. Petsch and Tyga were seen together in 2019, but neither party confirmed dating. The rumor was never confirmed.
Is Madelaine Petsch married?
As of 2025, Petsch has not announced a marriage. She has kept her relationship status mostly private.
The bottom line: most common misconceptions fall away once the verified record is separated from speculation.
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Alex Nguyen is Editor-in-Chief at BuzzLayer, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.