KJ Apa Admits Having a Child at 24 'Forced Him to Get Sober' as Actor Was 'Lost' Amid 'Riverdale' Fame

KJ Apa learned how to grow up fast after welcoming his 3-year-old son, Sasha Vai Kenet Apa, in 2021.

The Riverdale star, 28, opened up during a guest appearance on the Thursday, August 14, broadcast of Sirius XM's "Radio Andy" about how his life went from partying to diaper changing following the birth of his and ex-girlfriend Clara Berry's only child.

Apa explained to host Andy Cohen that he was 24 years old at the time and was at the height of his fame thanks to his success as the star of the 2017 hit high school drama Riverdale.

"It forced me to chill. It also forced me to get sober," he said of becoming a father, though he noted having a child young had its "pros and cons" as the majority of his friends were at different life stages.

"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," Apa continued, admitting he got "lost" in the fun of Hollywood fortune and celebrity stardom.

The I Still Believe star recalled how he partied a lot up until Sasha's arrival.

"Sasha being a gift that saved my life. I truly believe having Sasha saved my life," Apa declared. "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 love someone so much."

"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," he added.

Apa's ex revealed the arrival of Sasha via Instagram in September 2021. At the time, he and Berry were still a couple.

"Sasha Vai Keneti Apa, born on the 23rd of September. He is a perfect perfection. I am the luckiest to have now two men of my life, filling my heart with this cosmic gigantic vast love," Berry wrote in the post's caption.

The Map That Leads to You actor had announced Berry's pregnancy a few months prior by sharing a mirror selfie to social media of his then-girlfriend's baby bump.

Roughly three years after Berry's pregnancy reveal, the French model confirmed the pair had broken up.

In response to a Q&A with fans online at the time, Berry said she and Apa were no longer dating but "everything is better."

"I think it’s better to have parents, who are separated, who are happy and who can be the best version of themselves, than staying together in a situation that it not working," she elaborated.

There were some negatives to the situation, however, as Berry pointed out: "I am not with my son 50 percent of the time and therefore won’t know 50 percent of his life. That is something that is hard to accept."