Riverdale's KJ Apa Details His Role as Samoan Chief
KJ Apa is sharing the map that led to him being granted an important title in his Samoan community.
The Riverdale alum detailed how he became a Samoan chief in his New Zealand village of Moata'a, revealing that the tradition dates back generations.
"The title that my dad has is a very old title that's in our family called Tupa'i," KJ explained during an Aug. 13 appearance on the Today show. "He got his title—I think it was about five, six years ago. And his father had it, so it was bestowed upon him after his father passed away."
That's why the 28-year-old was thrilled to be offered the privilege of carrying on the "beautiful tradition" after being given the title of Savae chief during a 2022 ceremony. As he put it, "It's an honor to be able to receive that from my village too."
However, KJ—who shares son Sasha Vai Keneti Apa, 4, with ex Clara Berry—admitted that his acting career has taken some precedent over carrying out responsibilities as a chief in his Moata'a community.
“I give all the responsibilities to my dad,” the Map That Leads to You star joked. “He goes over there a lot for me."
However, he honors his upbringing in other ways, adding, "I just think Samoans are so proud of me kind of showing my work to a world stage and [the fact that] I get to do that is so amazing.”
Plus, KJ noted that he's not the only actor representing the Samoan people in Hollywood, highlighting that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is also a proud member of the community.
“It’s a very small community of people, Samoans. But they are everywhere," Kj shared. "Look at Dwayne Johnson, he’s really the guy.”
And while this may be the first time the I Still Believe actor has shared the full story behind his chief status, he's been open about how seriously he takes the honor since he was granted the title in 2022.
Sharing a photo of himself at the special ceremony on Instagram at the time, KJ wrote in the caption, "My goal is to serve my family and my village (Moata’a) Thank you God."
(E! and Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
For more on the personal lives of the Riverdale cast, keep reading.
Following her 2020 split from Cole Sprouse, the actress sparked romance rumors with Ozark actor Spencer Neville in April 2022 at Coachella.
And a year later, she confirmed her relationship with actor Jack Martin, when the couple was seen sharing a passionate kiss at the Los Angeles International Airport.
In June 2020, Lili also opened up about her sexuality, sharing on Instagram, "Although I've never announced it publicly before, I am a proud bisexual woman."
Though she dated costar Charles Melton for more than a year during the show, E! News learned in December 2019 that they had split.
Camila sparked romance rumors with internet personality Rudy Mancuso in November 2022, before going public their relationship in January 2023.
The Riverdale golden boy, known as Archie Andrews, confirmed his romance with model Clara Berry in early February 2020 and welcomed their son Sasha in September 2021.
However, Clara revealed in February 2024 that the pair had split.
The actor has moved on from his Riverdale romance. In February 2021, Cole confirmed he's dating Canadian model and influencer Ari Fournier.
After three years together, E! News learned in February 2020 that the actress and boyfriend Travis Mills had called it quits.
In August 2022, she began dating Anthony Li, Halsey's longtime manager.
"It's been a cute 9 years of knowing you," she wrote on Instagram in 2023 while celebrating their anniversary, "but even cuter 1 year of dating you."
While the pair never publicly announced their split, Madelaine went on to spark romance rumors with rapper Tyga in February 2025, before going public with their relationship two months later.
Following his romance with Camila, the actor dated Chase Sui Wonders in 2022 before moving on with Chloe Bennet the following May.
The two reportedly split in December 2023.
In January 2020, the actress behind Toni Topaz married baseball player Michael Kopech, known for previously being in a relationship with Brielle Biermann.
The following June, he filed for divorce, which was not made public until after Morgan announced her pregnancy. Their son River was born in January 2021.
In 2022, the Wild Cards actress began dating basketball player James Karnik, who is from her home country of Canada. They welcomed daughter Kaia in July 2024.
Kevin Keller is a married man IRL! The actor tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend Nichola Basara on Dec. 19, 2021, with his Riverdale costars Lili, Camila, K.J., Madelaine, Vanessa and Drew Ray Tanner in attendance.
The Scream star shares two children with his first wife, Georgina Cates. The former couple called it quits in 2005.
Skeet was married to Amelia Jackson-Gray for three years, but the duo went their separate ways in 2015.
The actor sparked engagement rumors with model Megan Blake Irwin, but his rep clarified to E! News in May 2020 they are not engaged.
He was most recently linked to Lucy Hale, however, their whirlwind romance came to an end in April 2021.
The actress has kept fans guessing when it comes to her love life, keeping her beau's name out of the public. However, she's shared glimpses into their romance over the years, including posting a photo of the couple kissing at a friend's wedding in 2019.
Relationship goals! The actor has been married to Kelly Ripa for more than 25 years. In addition to sharing a talk show together, the longtime couple are parents to kids Michael, Lola and Joaquin.
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