Riverdale creator vows to 'do better' following star's criticism of black characters on the show

The creator of Riverdale, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, has pledged to “do better” after criticism from star Vanessa Morgan over how black characters are portrayed.

Last week, the actress, who plays Toni Topaz in the hit show, shared on Twitter that she was “tired” of black characters being shown as “thugs, dangerous or angry, scary people” or being “sidekick non-dimensional characters to white leads."

After her fans criticized some of her co-stars, she tweeted, “My role on Riverdale has nothing to do with my fellow castmates/friends. They don’t write the show. So no need to attack them, they don’t call the shots & I know they have my back.”

Morgan also stated that going forward, she would be more selective about her roles. “To my black fans, I have now made it my purpose to fight for us. To the six-year-old me who had no role model that looked like me on TV. This is for you. We aren’t your token black non-dimensional characters. This is being black in Hollywood. I will fight for YOU," she said.

“And I will no longer take roles that don’t properly represent us. PERIOD," the actress added.

On June 4, Aguirre-Sacasa responded to Morgan's claims and apologized to the actress. “We hear Vanessa. We love Vanessa. She’s right. We’re sorry and we make the same promise to you that we did to her," he wrote on Twitter.

“We will do better to honor her and the character she plays. As well as all of our actors and characters of color. Change is happening and will continue to happen. Riverdale will get bigger, not smaller. Riverdale will be part of the movement, not outside it," he assured Morgan and fans of the show.

“All of the Riverdale writers have made a donation to @BLMLA," he added, speaking about the organization, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles. "But we know where the work must happen for us. In the writers’ room.”

Additional reporting by PA