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KJ Apa revealed on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM radio show on Thursday, Aug. 14, that when he welcomed his son he decided to become sober
Sasha’s birth “forced me to get sober,” Apa explained to Cohen
Apa and ex-girlfriend Clara Berry welcomed son, Sasha Vai Keneti, in September 2021
KJ Apa credits becoming a father pushed him to get sober.
Apa, 28, appeared on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM radio show on Thursday, Aug. 14. The pair briefly discussed their different journeys to fatherhood. Apa and his ex-girlfriend, Clara Berry, welcomed son, Sasha Vai Keneti, on Sept. 23, 2021.
Apa, who was 24 at the time of Sasha’s birth, said that becoming a father helped him get sober. He said becoming a father has been “awesome,” and “forced [him] to chill.”
“It also forced me to get sober,” the Riverdale star said. “A lot of things that I realized I had to button up, I buttoned up. Yes, and I realized that there’s no other way for me to do it.”
Cohen, 57, asked whether Apa “succumbed to the old trope of, ‘Wow, I’m famous, I have a lot of money and I’m just going to party.’ ” Apa immediately confirmed he did, and confessed that he “got lost in” the fame of Riverdale’s success.
When Cohen asked if it was only Sasha’s birth that brought him to sobriety, Apa said it was both Sasha and his “relationship with [his] higher power.”
“Sasha being a gift that saved my life. I truly believe having Sasha saved my life,” he said, before adding, “You know you have a kid and then suddenly you understand the idea of murder, you know that, like you can empathize with why someone would kill someone —”
“Because you are so protective of this child,” Cohen interjected.
“Because you love someone so much,” Apa added. “And that’s the same feeling that I go, ‘I love you so much more than me.’ I have to sacrifice all these things for you. And that’s what a good parent does.”
SiriusXM
KJ Apa on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM show.
Apa also gushed about his son, telling Cohen, “He’s great. Sasha is awesome. He’s the love of my life. He’s the best.”
Apa reflected on what it was like to become a father in his early 20s, saying, “It’s awesome. It comes with its pros and its cons. But you don’t meet that many people — I don’t — the same age as mine [that are fathers].”
“Guess what? I’m an old dad,” Cohen added. “I don’t meet many guys my age with little kids either.”
Cohen became a father at 50 when he welcomed his son, Benjamin Allen, 6. He is also the father of his daughter, Lucy Eve, 3.
Apa’s new movie, The Map That Leads to You, will be released on Aug. 20.
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If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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