Baseball fans, Riverdale stans and even Bravo viewers have questions about Vanessa Morgan and Michael Kopech’s sudden split.
Real Housewives of Atlanta watchers first met Kopech when he appeared on Kim Zolciak’s spinoff series, Don’t Be Tardy, with her eldest daughter, Brielle Biermann. After the athlete started dating Brielle in 2016, he made cameos on seasons 5 and 6 of the reality show — and tried to convince dad Kroy Biermann that he was The One for her.
“I send him rings all the time,” Brielle gushed to Entertainment Tonight in October 2017. “I sent him a ring the other day and he said, ‘That’s horrible!’ and I said, ‘Well, it’s not for you. Why do you care?’ And he said, ‘I like every other ring you usually send me, just not this one.’”
While Brielle and Kopech planned to move in together in Chicago as the pitcher trained with the White Sox, Us Weekly broke the news in March 2018 that the twosome went their separate ways. Brielle’s sister, Ariana Biermann, revealed during a season 7 episode of Don’t Be Tardy that he was the one to pull the plug on their relationship.
“I’m just, like, not in the mood to talk about Michael right now,” Brielle told the cameras on the February 2019 premiere. “What really sucks is that I had my whole life with Michael planned. I was about to move to Chicago for him.”
Ariana then quipped, “We never thought he was going to break up with you, and then we were all like, ‘Oh, f—k.’”
Kroy noted at the time that there was no “warning” sign for the split.
“I was literally with him for a week and then two days later, he was like, ‘Let’s just take a break,’” Brielle recalled on the show. “And I’m just like, ‘OK, dude.’ Like, ‘I’ll let you know when I’m ready for you.’”
Kopech subsequently started seeing Morgan, who stars as Toni Topaz on the CW’s Riverdale. They wed in January 2020.
“I feel like he’s my twin flame. … I think the stars aligned,” she gushed on the “White Sox Talk” podcast during a joint interview with Kopech that same month.
Less than six months later, he filed for divorce from Morgan, who is pregnant with their first child. Scroll through for a complete timeline of their relationship:
Us broke the news that Brielle and Kopech were over after two years together. The split was sudden as even mom Kim initially denied it.
“She was having a difficult time with the distance, both of them wanted to see more of each other but with his baseball schedule and her shooting schedule and everything going on with the show in Atlanta, they just couldn’t seem to make it work anymore,” an insider told Us at the time.
Courtesy Michael Kopech/Instagram
Us confirmed in July 2018 that Kopech moved on with Morgan.
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Kopech underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery, better known as Tommy John surgery, to repair the significant tear in his UCL. He was forced to miss the entire 2019 season as a result.
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When the baseball player popped the question in July 2019, he gushed about how Morgan was there for him during his intense Tommy John recovery.
“Our relationship probably doesn’t make sense to many people for a s–t ton of reasons, but we’re not doing it for them. We know this is forever. Why would we wait?” he wrote via Instagram at the time. “You literally stayed by my side when I felt I had lost my mind. You stayed by my side for these seemingly random changes of my life. … You’re undeniably the spark that reignited my fire. You’re deserving of much more than just this moment but this one just felt particularly magical. … I’ll never have enough words to tell you how much I love you, but I promise to always show you. But for now, I’ll finish this how I started: I love you. SO MUCH.”
Courtesy Vanessa Morgan/Instagram
Kopech shared an emotional message in October 2019 as he deactivated his social media profiles.
"I always felt like something was missing. I was always looking ahead but at the same time, my choices from past mistakes still haunted me,” he wrote at the time. “So followed anxieties, so followed depression. I needed answers. I needed help. So I searched. And I found. There is no moment like this one, or the next one, and there never will be again. The presence of creation in stillness is a beauty that will never die. In stillness lies our awareness of what’s to come. There is no peace like it.”
He continued: "I’m not saying I have life figured out. I am merely another finger pointing to the moon, in awe of its divinity as is all. But in stillness I found awareness to understand myself on the deepest level, and with that awareness I create my own destiny for what my life will entail. Social media has run its course for me, this is not me running from any fears I have. Quite the contrary, this is about me laying down my weapons and embracing all of my fears.”
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The pair exchanged vows at the Historic Walton House in Homestead, Florida, on January 4, 2020, in front of 40 guests after a six-month engagement. During the nuptials, Morgan performed “Beautiful Crazy” with Kopech’s dad. They opened up about their relationship on the “White Sox Talk” podcast that month.
“On our first date, it was just so easy and comfortable and relaxed. I felt like I had known her for a lifetime. And honestly, I knew right away,” he said. “We moved pretty quick.”
“We both just knew,” Morgan agreed. “It’s like that saying, ‘When you know, you know.’”
During the interview, Kopech also got emotional about his mental health. “I think the more real we can be with each other, the more those mental health issues, those dark thoughts, they don’t seem so lonely. You know, other people have them, they’re real,” he said through tears.
Morgan replied, “He’s just so strong. I’ve been with him through this whole thing. Mental health is a very serious thing and I’m so proud of him.”
Courtesy Vanessa Morgan/Instagram
Morgan last posted about Kopech in April 2020, wishing him a happy 24th birthday.
Courtesy Vanessa Morgan/Instagram
White Sox fans were surprised to learn that Kopech opted out of the 2020 baseball season, which was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s not ideal, but fundamentally, we're looking to put all our players in the best position they can be to perform and maximize their abilities on the field,” White Sox general manger Rick Hahn told the media on July 10, 2020. “And if there's anything standing in the way of that, we're going to provide them with whatever support and resources they need to help address those matters. I know it's very general and I'm not going to get more specific than that, other than we fully support Michael and are going to provide him whatever time and resources he needs and look forward to seeing him in the future.”
Pitching coach Don Cooper added in an interview with the Chicago Sun Times that he’s “concerned that he’s not OK.”
He explained: “I don’t know what is going on with Michael, but I know he deals with some anxiety and depression, and my thought is, I sure hope he’s OK. And I hope he gets to where he needs to be, where he’s feeling good and wants to come back, because we will welcome him back with open arms.”
David Banks/AP/Shutterstock
Two weeks later, the actress announced she is pregnant with a baby boy, but didn’t include Kopech in the social media announcement.
“Exciting news... I am overjoyed to be welcoming my baby boy into the world this January 💙. This little guy has already brought me so much happiness and a feeling of such a greater purpose,” she wrote. “I cannot wait to meet you!! On a personal note, I have had the blessing of growing up in the public eye having started my acting career at age 6. While this has been incredible for me, I am very much looking forward to giving this little guy some room to grow up outside of the public eye, until he tells me otherwise.”
She 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 ♥️.”
Courtesy Vanessa Morgan/Instagram
Three days after Morgan’s pregnancy announcement, the Chicago Tribune reported that the pair had split. According to the outlet, Kopech filed for divorce in his native state of Texas on June 19.
Morgan’s rep subsequently confirmed that he is the father of her child.
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