Mark Consuelos as Hiram Lodge.Photo: The CW
Mark Consuelos' time onRiverdaleas a series regularhas come to an end, PEOPLE has confirmed.
The 50-year-old actor has played Hiram Lodge, the villainous father to Camila Mendes' Veronica Lodge, on seasons 2 through 5 of the popular CW teen drama.
Executive producer and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa announced his exit in a statement shared with PEOPLE.Deadlinewas first to report the news on Wednesday, ahead of Riverdale’s season 5 finale, titled, “Riverdale: RIP.”
“So tonight’s episode is Mark’s swan song playing our hunky villain Hiram Lodge onRiverdaleafter four insane, glorious years,” Aguirre-Sacasa said in the statement. “From the moment Mark joined us, he was up for literally anything, a hundred percent committed to making Archie’s life a living hell.”
He continued, “And what’s funny is, Mark couldn’t be more different from Hiram. A classy pro and the sweetest guy, always looking out for everyone. We wish Mark the best and hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Hiram Lodge.”
The CW
Consuelos also bid farewell to his character in a statement of his own.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa for this incredible opportunity,” he said. “Never before has playing a character that was so bad, felt so good. Huge thanks to theRiverdalefandom, to the brilliant crew and amazing cast, whom I consider dear friends and family.”
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Conseulos' time onRiverdalehas been a family affair — his eldest sonMichael, 24, has made several appearances on the series playing a younger version of Hiram Lodge, first in 2018 and again this past August.
“Tonight I have the great honor of sharing the screen with my son @michael.consuelos and the always brilliant @melton they absolutely killed it,” Consueloscaptioneda series of photos of him and Michael ahead of the August episode.
He added a special shoutout to Aguirre-Sacasa “for giving me and my family a memory that will last a lifetime. #riverdale”
Michael, whom Consuelos shares with wifeKelly Ripa, also teased his recentRiverdaleappearance in an Instagram post of his own. In thephoto, the young adult looked like his dad’s twin, wearing a black suit with a tie and reading glasses on the set of the show.
Consuelos and Ripa, who tied the knot in 1996, also share daughterLola, 20, and sonJoaquin, 18.
source: people.com
