Madelaine Grobbelaar Petsch (born August 18, 1994[4]) is an American and South African actress and social media personality.[5] She is best known for portraying Cheryl Blossom on The CW television series Riverdale (2017–2023).
Petsch was born on August 18, 1994 to Timothy and Michele Petsch, in Port Orchard, Washington.[4][6][7][8] At the age of three, she began dance classes, and two years later enrolled in theater classes. Petsch's parents are from South Africa, and she spent the first ten years of her life dividing her time between South Africa and the state of Washington.[9][10] She attended the Tacoma School of the Arts and relocated to Los Angeles after graduating.[11][12][8] Petsch has one older brother, Shaun, who is three years her senior.[13]
Petsch appeared in a national advertising campaign for Coca-Cola in 2014. In February 2016, she was cast as Cheryl Blossom in The CW's Riverdale,[14] having been pinned for the role since late 2015 after meeting the casting director, who was at the time working on Legends of Tomorrow.[15] The series began filming in September of that year. It premiered on January 26, 2017, and ended on August 23, 2023, after seven seasons.[16][17] In March 2017, she joined the cast of the film Polaroid, which was released in 2019.[18] In January 2019, it was announced that Petsch would star in and executive produce the horror-comedy film Saint Clare, but in 2022, Bella Thorne took over the role.[19][20] Petsch's performances in the horror movies The Hive (2014), The Curse of Sleeping Beauty (2016), Polaroid (2019), Sightless (2020), Jane (2022), and The Strangers film series have garnered her the reputation as a scream queen.
In April 2018, Petsch collaborated with sunglasses company Privé Revaux and released her own collection of sunglasses.[21] Petsch has a YouTube channel, stating that the inspiration to start one was so fans could know the "real her" outside of acting.[22]
At age 14, Petsch began speaking out as a vegan,[23] after having been raised vegetarian. She has also participated in an awareness campaign for PETA.[24]
From early 2017 to February 2020, Petsch was in a relationship with musician Travis Mills.[25] Since August 2022, Petsch has been in a relationship with music manager Anthony Li.[26] As of March 2025, she has been linked to Tyga.[27]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Hive | Current girl #2 | |
| 2016 | The Curse of Sleeping Beauty | Eliza | |
| 2017 | F the Prom | Marissa | Direct-to-video film |
| 2019 | Polaroid | Sarah | |
| 2020 | Sightless | Ellen Ashland | Also co-producer[28] |
| 2022 | Jane | Olivia Brooks | Also producer[29] |
| About Fate | Clementine Pratt | ||
| Hotel for the Holidays | Georgia | ||
| 2024 | The Strangers: Chapter 1 | Maya Lucas | Also executive producer |
| 2025 | The Strangers - Chapter 2 | ||
| Maintenance Required[30] | Charlie | ||
| 2026 | The Strangers - Chapter 3 | Maya Lucas | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Instant Mom | Mermaid | Episode: "Gone Batty" |
| 2017–2023 | Riverdale | Cheryl Blossom | Main role |
| Teen Penelope Blossom | Episodes: "The Midnight Club" and "Citizen Lodge" | ||
| Abigail Blossom | Recurring role | ||
| Poppy Blossom | Episode: "The Witching Hour(s)" | ||
| Rose Blossom | Episodes: "Return to Rivervale" and "The Stand" | ||
| Charity Blossom | Episode: "Return to Rivervale" | ||
| 2020 | The Simpsons | Sloan (voice) | Episode: "The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Acting for a Cause | Jane Bennet | Episode: "Pride and Prejudice"[31] |
| Day by Day | Narrator | Voice role; episode: "Relocation"[32] | |
| 2020–2021 | The Shadow Diaries | Eliza Gold | Voice role; podcast[33] |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Hissy Fit | Riverdale | Won | [35] |
| 2018 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Scene Stealer | Won | [36] | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Hissy Fit | Won | [37] | ||
| 2019 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Musical Moment | Nominated | [38] | |
| Shorty Awards | Breakout YouTuber of the Year | Herself | Nominated | [39] | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Ship (with Vanessa Morgan) | Riverdale | Nominated | [40] | |
| 2022 | Streamy Awards | Best Crossover (with Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes) | Herself | Nominated | [41] |
6.25M
I was the only redhead other than my brother.
As of this writing, Petsch has 16 million followers on Instagram, as well as 4.6 million subscribers to her YouTube channel
