Riverdale: The 10 Worst Things Betty & Jughead Did To Each Other
As Jughead and Betty found in their on-and-off romance, a healthy relationship in a town as corrupt and weird as Riverdale is nearly impossible.
Although things are a bit awkward between Betty and Jughead at the moment on Riverdale (and they are currently more acquaintances than friends), their shared secrets and experiences mean they have a unique and unbreakable connection. Living in a town like Riverdale has certainly made it difficult for the pair to be in a loving relationship, as their romance is constantly interrupted by gang activity, homicides, and town corruption (and Archie).
Although many fans still hope the pair will reunite, their relationship is far from simple and both Jughead and Betty do some unforgivable things to one another during the series. Nevertheless, these characters undoubtedly care deeply about each other and any hurt they cause one another is often unintentional.
10 Jughead Lies About Being A Serpent
When Jughead transfers to Southside High (without letting Betty know), he starts the journey to becoming a member of a notorious gang: the Southside Serpents. Although Betty expresses a lot of concern about Jughead's affiliation with the gang, Jughead joins and keeps it from her.
Although Jughead becoming a Southside Serpent is a fan-favorite Riverdale storyline, his lying about it to Betty is not. Jughead and Betty's relationship is built on mutual trust and acceptance, and he should have been honest with her, especially because when she does eventually find out she is supportive and respects his decision.
9 Jughead's Flirtatious Friendship With Toni
When moving to Southside High and becoming and a Southside Serpent, Jughead becomes close with fellow schoolmate and gang member, Toni. Although Betty trusts Jughead, she is clearly threatened by his flirtatious new friendship, especially because Jughead doesn't stand up for her when Toni undermines her (and even goes so far as to insult Betty's iconic ponytail).
While nothing happens between Toni and Jughead while he is with Betty, the day they break up Toni spends the night with Jughead. This clearly shows that Betty's concerns were justified and Jughead should've distanced himself from Toni because of his inappropriate feelings.
8 Betty Kisses Archie For The First Time And Lies About It
During the hunt for the Black Hood, Betty and Archie share a kiss outside Cheryl's house, marking the beginning of two of Riverdale's most controversial love triangles. Although Betty and Jughead are broken up at this time, their break-up is temporary.
Betty kissing anyone would have hurt Jughead, but it is a particularly low blow that she kisses Jughead's best friend and Betty's 'former' crush. To make matters worse, Betty lies about it before Cheryl reveals the truth. Although Jughead takes this in his stride (for the most part), it is still hurtful of Betty.
7 Jughead Kisses Veronica In The Hot Tub
As a weird way of leveling the playing field after Betty and Archie's kiss, Veronica and Jughead agree to kiss while on a couple's weekend away at Veronica's lake house. Although it is initially Veronica's idea, Jughead is certainly on board.
As Betty never actually gives her blessing for the kiss, Jughead essentially cheats on her with her best friend right in front of her. It is malicious, totally unnecessary, and, frankly, one of Riverdale's downright weirdest moments. This unconventional form of justice is far worse than the original offense.
6 Jughead Tells Betty They're Not Right For Each Other
A number of times during their relationship, Jughead is concerned that he is bringing Betty down and that they are not right for one another. Betty of course does not feel this way, but it is clearly a long-standing concern for Jughead that he mentions multiple times.
Naturally, it is really upsetting for Betty when Jughead tells her that they are not suited, and she cannot feel loved and safe in the relationship when he says this. Jughead either needed to commit to being with Betty despite his concerns or break up with her, rather than continually implying they won't last.
5 Betty Implicates Jughead In A Murder
After Betty helps cover up a murder of a drug dealer for her mother and Chic, she feels very guilty and becomes traumatized. In her desperation, she tells Jughead about the murder and the two of them push the victim's car into a lake, while FP retraces their steps and ties up the loose ends.
Although Betty isn't thinking clearly, she implicates her boyfriend and his father in a murder. While they are lucky and do get away with this, Betty incriminates Jughead (and FP by extension) which could've very easily led to a criminal record and jail time for them.
4 Betty Kisses Archie, Again
While hiding that Jughead is alive and uncovering the secrets of Stonewall Prep, Betty and Archie become even closer. They eventually kiss, even though they are both dating each other's best friends.
Jughead is certainly justified in being significantly angrier than he actually is about this, given it is Archie (again) and this time there are real feelings there, it's not just a kiss. Worse still, Betty keeps this a secret for a while and, although she does eventually come clean and the two do not immediately break up as a result, it does mark the beginning of the end.
3 Archie Breaks Up With Jughead On Betty's Behalf
When the Black Hood threatens to hurt Betty's loved ones if she doesn't distance herself from them, Betty realizes she has to break up with Jughead. As Betty is so pained by this, she convinces Archie to do it for her.
Although Betty doesn't have much a choice in this situation, she certainly chooses to ask Archie rather than do it herself. She definitely owes it to Jughead to tell him herself, especially because Jughead finds it so hard to let people in in the first place. However, the pair reunite at the first opportunity, ultimately making this one of the worst reasons Riverdale couples break up.
2 Jughead Pitches The Black Hood Story At Stonewall Prep
For the most part, Jughead's character develops a lot during Riverdale, not least when he becomes a student at Stonewall Prep. While there, he pitches the story of the 'Brown Hood,' a serial killer who seeks vigilante justice for the sins of his town. Obviously, this idea is based on Betty's father (the 'Black Hood').
Jughead's actions are exploitative of the tragedy Betty's family goes through. To make matters worse, Jughead pitches the story without speaking to Betty first, and tells Charles that he won't pitch it because it would upset Betty. This demonstrates that Jughead knows he is hurting Betty and lets her down by choosing to do so anyway.
1 Jughead Leaves The Voicemail For Betty
When Betty misses Jughead's book launch, he drunkenly calls her and leaves a vicious voicemail claiming that she is deceitful, cold and purposefully hurts him.
Although the pair have always had a complicated relationship, they have generally treated each other with kindness and respect, until this voicemail. While Jughead barely remembers it and eventually apologizes, Betty is aggrieved and thinks Jughead hates her. Naturally, this is the worst thing Jughead does to Betty and it is the reason they become so distanced over a number of years.