A new man is making senior year very interesting for the students at Riverdale High.
Principal Honey was introduced to Riverdale in Season 4 Episode 2, replacing Principal Weatherbee. Fans will recall the latter fell under the spell of The Farm and its leader Edgar Evernever during Season 3.
Principal Honey came in hot, letting the students know he is not messing around. It is time for some tough love at Riverdale High. The new man in charge is going to ensure the teens get it in full force.
Cheryl left a Bee’s nest on Kerr smith’s desk #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/FW6i0gj5uP
— Stay Strong (@ShivRoyRoman) October 17, 2019
The new principal is already making waves with three of the school’s most popular students.
He first took on Cheryl (played by Madelaine Petsch) when he chose to cancel the school dance. Second, Principal Honey let Veronica (Camila Mendes) know he is not here for her drama. Oh, and the new man on campus helped get Jughead (Cole Sprouse) sent to a boarding school.
Actor Kerr Smith has taken on the new villain role of Principal Honey on Riverdale. If he looks familiar, that is because he is no stranger to teen dramas or The CW.
Kerr rose to fame in the late 1990s as Jack McPhee on The WB show, Dawson’s Creek. It was a TV trailblazing role.
Jack was one of the first openly gay teens on a primetime show. The two-part episode in 1998 where Jack came out was a pivotal moment in television.
Can we take a collective moment and focus on how damn good Kerr Smith still looks? Mr. Honey …because he's sweet on the eyes. #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/JhMe8dUcHO
— Sara without an H (@mewithoutH) October 17, 2019
Although today, having a gay character on television has become the norm, 21 years ago, it was still taboo. Jack and Kerr broke barriers, helping pave the way for the acceptance of gay characters that are featured on television today.
When Jack had his first passionate kiss with a man, it was also the first of its kind on primetime television. Kerr recently revealed it was a “huge responsibility” to get the role right.
“It was an intense experience, and I remember calling everybody I respected and said, ‘Hey, should I do this?’ Doing the first male-male kiss, I remember it was intense. I’m glad we did it, and it was part of history,” he shared in an interview with TooFab.
47-year-old Kerr had a hard time breaking away from the role of Jack when Dawson’s Creek ended. Since it was a groundbreaking role, the talented star struggled with being typecast.
Kerr worked steadily for years with guest arc appearances on Charmed, Justice, CSI: NY, and Eli Stone.
In 2010, the actor landed a leading part on The CW show, Life Unexpected. The role helped transition him into the next phase of his career — playing a parent or authority figure.
Listen. Jack McPhee ended #DawsonsCreek as a teacher and I’m headcanoning that he is now living as Principal Honey in Riverdale after a divorce from Doug in a futile attempt to escape the Witter ex in-laws and NO ONE CAN TELL ME ANY DIFFERENT. #Riverdale https://t.co/rqMAHpWVnG
— kat_writes✌? (@kat__writes) October 17, 2019
The drama only lasted two years, but fans were thrilled to see Kerr show up on Freeform’s, The Fosters, two years later. He played Robert, the biological father of Callie Adams-Foster (Maia Mitchell), in a recurring capacity until the show ended in 2018.
Playing the role of Principal Honey is a whole new experience for Kerr Smith. The talented actor is bringing his A-game to a character that fans believe is the new villain in Riverdale. Kerr and Honey certainly stirred the pot in their first episode.
Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.