It seemed a little odd that when Riverdale star Vanessa Morgan announced her pregnancy — as well as shared photos from her baby’s gender reveal party on July 24 — her husband Michael Kopech wasn’t seen or mentioned in any of the photos or videos. It turns out, less that a month after the newlyweds discovered on May 20, 2020 that Vanessa was pregnant, he filed for divorce! The 24-year-old Chicago White Sox pitcher filed the paperwork on June 19 in Morris County, Texas, not far from where he grew up in the town of Mount Pleasant, TX. He cited they had “no children” in his filing, which appeared online.
The details of Michael’s divorce paperwork have now been sealed by the court, ever since the Chicago Tribune‘s July 27 inquiry in the matter, as the paper was the first to report on the split. A rep for Vanessa confirmed to the publication that Michael is the father of her unborn baby, while his reps did not respond to the paper’s inquiries. The actress noted in her pregnancy announcement that their baby was “made with so much love.”
Michael’s divorce filing comes just five months after the couple’s ultra-romantic wedding at the Historic Walton House in Homestead, Florida. The pro-athlete proposed to the actress, who plays Toni Topaz on the CW drama, in July 2019 while under a waterfall during a camping trip to Lake Havasu, AZ. They showed off her massive diamond ring in Instagram photos of the happy moment. The couple’s first date in 2018 was on an architectural tour of Chicago, which was also the first time they met in person after some Instagram flirtations. The last time Vanessa shared an Instagram post featuring Michael was on April 30, 2020, when wishing him a happy 24th birthday and calling him her “quarantine boo.”
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Vanessa announced on July 24 that she is expecting a baby boy in January 2021. In her Instagram post, she shared photos from the morning she took her positive pregnancy tests on May 20, 2020. She also included videos smiling and full of joy at her gender reveal party, where she was surrounded by pals as she popped a ballon with blue dust and blue hearts in it. However, Michael was conspicuously absent from all of the photos and videos, as well as from her IG post caption where she didn’t tag him.
“Exciting news… I am overjoyed to be welcoming my baby boy into the world this January,” Vanessa began, using “my” instead of “our” when discussing her child with Michael. “This little guy has already brought me so much happiness and a feeling of such a greater purpose. I cannot wait to meet you!!” she continued. Vanessa added, “Lil one you were made with so much love & already exude a light so strong it warms my belly. Thank you God for this blessing. I’m just so happy & can’t wait to dedicate everyday to being the best mommy I can be.”
Michael isn’t playing in the current MLB COVID-19 shortened season, as on July 10 he he opted out of taking part due to “personal reasons.” “We recognize that reaching this decision is incredibly difficult for any competitive athlete, and our organization is understanding and supportive,” Sox General Manager Rick Hahn said in a statement, adding the team was looking forward to “welcoming him back into our clubhouse for the 2021 season.”
Reality TV fans know Michael from his relationship with Kim Zolciak’s daughter Brielle Biermann, 23. They had a bitter split in March 2018 after two years of dating. He appeared on her family’s Bravo show Don’t Be Tardy. Vanessa and Michael made their first red carpet appearance as a couple in Sept. 2018.