Chad Gekko (2024)

Chadwick "Chad" Gekko was a guest starring character on The CW's Katy Keene. He was a recurring character on The CW's Riverdale. He was initially portrayed by Reid Prebenda but was later recast as Chris Mason during the fifth season of Riverdale.

Chad was a Wall Street businessman and Veronica Lodge's ex-husband.

Character Description[]

Veronica's controlling and jealous husband who works on Wall Street. An Alpha dog, Chad is threatened by Veronica's life in Riverdale, especially her friendship with Archie.

Throughout Katy Keene[]

Season 1[]

Meeting Pepper[]

Chad meets with Pepper Smith at a cafe. She pitches the idea of a modern day version of Andy Warhol’s Factory. The "Pepper Plant." A place where emerging artists can collaborate and party. Chad admits to loving to party and asks Pepper if she would like to do some co*ke in the bathroom even. Pepper turns him down, redirecting her focus back to the Pepper plant. His backing could help produce the greatest art of this generation. She’ll need him to provide eight million dollars though. He tells her to lock down a location, and then they can talk.^[1]

Investing in the Pepper Plant[]

Pepper greets Chad for the first time since he’s been released from the Baltimore state prison. Chad informs Pepper that he’s sober now. He had to take a long, hard look at his life and what he can offer of value, which is art. Pepper asks for his thoughts on the Pepper Plant. He likes the space and location but wants to meet the artists. Pepper’s hosting a party to celebrate her birthday and all of the Plant’s most talented artists will be there. She invites Chad to attend.

At Molly's Crisis, where Pepper is hosting her party, she and Chad greet the guests as they arrive, including Katy and Josie, who she introduces to Chad as tomorrow’s leading designer and future Tony/Grammy award winner, respectively. Alexander Cabot arrives right behind them, who Chad is familiar with from Collegiate. He recalls that Alex took his spot on Varsity lacrosse. Jorge and Bernardo arrive moments later. She’s surprised that he didn’t come as Ginger. Pepper tells Chad that Jorge’s drag show is the hottest in town. He asks if Jorge was ever on Drag Race, to which he replies "not yet." Chad then asks what Bernardo does, though he's simply a firefighter.

KO and Alexandra Cabot arrive soon thereafter. Chad refuses to talk to Xandra, who burned him on a deal last year. Later, they gather around the stage as Jorge proposes a toast in Pepper’s honor, who has dedicated herself to building a safe haven for artists of all stripes. Ms. Freesia then tell stories of her past. She reveals that Pepper and her father lived in her building, but he was always away on business. Most days, Freesia would find Pepper all by herself, doing her homework in the lobby of the Georgia Hotel. And one day, Ms. Freesia invited her up for tea, and they’ve been like family ever since. Ms. Freesia then tells Chad about Jorge’s musical that Pepper produced.

Pepper approaches Chad as he’s leaving the bar. She hopes he’ll consider investing in the Pepper Plant. He informs her that he’s already in. He signed her check over to her partner, Ms. Freesia, who sold him on Pepper’s vision.^[2]

Throughout Riverdale[]

Season 5[]

One Year Anniversary[]

Chad and Veronica celebrate their one year anniversary in their home on the Upper East Side of New York City. The only thing they’re missing is a child, Chad remarks, but Veronica isn’t so keen on the idea of having babies just yet. He proposes that she cut back at Lacy's, but Veronica insists that she’s fine. In fact, she misses being on the main floor with him at Wall Street.

The following day, Chad calls Veronica from Lacy's and confronts her about lying to him, as he was under the impression that she had been working with Katy at Lacy’s. When Veronica returns home, Chad continues to express his frustrations. Veronica explains that Lacy’s was lacking edge and rather unchallenging. Chad also reminds Veronica that they're supposed to be working towards a baby. Veronica changes the subject and reminds him of the passionate sex and their power couple status at work when they first met. She asks what changed. Chad replies "the accident," in which Veronica almost died. So, he didn’t want her going back to Wall Street because it was too stressful, to which she reluctantly agreed but that was admittedly a mistake. Veronica lastly tells Chad that he needs to accept her for who she is.

The very next night, Chad has a bouquet of flowers waiting for Veronica when she returns home. He apologizes for the fight. Chad explains that when their helicopter went down on the way to Martha’s Vineyard, he said a prayer, hoping that Veronica would at least survive the crash. And then they both survived, and he realized that there was so much that they hadn’t gotten to do. Veronica understands his perspective, but she reminds him that they’re partners and that she’s fully capable of making her own decisions, which she hopes Chad will have faith in. As an apology gift, Chad gives Veronica a Glamerge egg, informing her that a new one comes out each year.^[3]

Controlling Veronica[]

In order to push Veronica into returning home sooner rather than later, Chad freezes her cards, though when Veronica calls, he claims that there was a mishap with the bank. He then asks Veronica when she intends to come home. Veronica says that Pop Tate’s retirement party is two days, so she’s likely to return the day after.

Chad gets on another video call with Veronica a couple days later. She reveals that she isn’t coming home just yet, as Riverdale High has fallen on hard times and needs her help. She then reminds him that she makes most of the money in their joint accounts and gives him 30 minutes to unfreeze them. Should he fail to comply, she threatens to return to Wall Street and tear out his throat in front of all the other alpha dogs on the floor come Monday morning.^[4]

Arrival in Riverdale[]

Chad surprises Veronica with a visit as she's teacher at Riverdale High. Afterward, he meets her friends, who proposes they celebrate two successful days back with karaoke at the Whyte Wyrm. To Veronica’s surprise, Chad agrees to join them. That night, they all gather around a table as Veronica performs Shallow on stage. Chad joins her mid-performance and they conclude their duo with a kiss. The next day, Veronica and Chad wake up in bed. She confesses that she enjoys having Chad around, and he suggests staying in Riverdale for a few more days.

Veronica takes Chad to Blue Velvet Video and informs him of her plans to reshape the shop into a jewelry store. Veronica reveals that being back in Riverdale and seeing her friends has been good for her soul. Chad warms up to the idea of having a place both in New York and Riverdale and gives Veronica his full support. He then asks Veronica if they’re going to buy a new house or continue to live in the Pembrooke. Veronica replies that she never wants to leave the Pembrooke but admits that the apartment could use a remodel.

Chad and Veronica work out their schedules to divide their time between Riverdale and New York. Chad mentions that her father suggested he move to Riverdale full-time to help him manage the SoDale properties. Veronica reminds Chad that he works in finance, not real estate. She then wonders just how long Chad and her father have been talking behind her back. Archie shows up unexpectedly and asks Veronica to fund the Bulldogs, which she happily agrees to. Archie promises Veronica that he’ll pay her back in full. Chad interjects that Archie will pay both him and Veronica back in full, as they have a shared account. Chad recalls that Archie is a vet and remarks that he probably doesn’t like taking handouts. So, he proposes that instead of loaning Archie the money, he renovate their apartment in exchange for them funding the Bulldogs. After Archie leaves, Veronica confronts Chad for his rude behavior towards Archie. Chad replies that he’s been nothing but accommodating to her every whim, from hanging out with her friends to singing karaoke. He did these things because he claims to love Veronica and then apologizes for his attitude towards Archie. Veronica forgives him and suggests going to Pop’s for dinner, however, Chad is disgusted by Pop's food and suggest going to a diner recommended by her father, Mia.

Chad awakens the following morning to find that Veronica has packed his belongings. Upon reflection, she has decided that it would be best for them to take some time apart. She needs time to figure out if she’s a Pop’s girl or a Mia’s girl or both. Chad accepts her decision and tells Veronica to call him when she’s ready to talk.^[5]

Divorcing Veronica[]

Chad returns to Riverdale for Cheryl's key party. Chad approaches Archie at the party and asks how is it that in a podunk town like Riverdale, all the woman are so hot. Archie doesn’t reply, simply choosing to walk away rather than engage.

Cheryl gathers the guests, happy to see that they’ve all decided to attend. She says that tonight’s key party is a bold rejection of death and reveals the house rules. Whatever happens must be completely consensual, and because they’re all a progressive, fluid, and inclusive group, there will be no redrawing of keys. But the main rule is that they will be free to do whatever they desire. It’s essentially a free pass. Veronica draws first from the bowl. She picks up Archie’s keys, but Chad refuses to allow her to go off with Archie and grabs her arm. Archie demands that Chad unhand Veronica and treat her with respect. Veronica refuses to allow them to fight over her. So, she grabs Chad’s keys from the bowl and leaves.

Chad questions if Veronica invited him to Riverdale solely to make him jealous. Veronica explains that this is not the case. While Cheryl’s party may have been ill-advised, it confirmed something she had been feeling for a long time.^[6]

Trapping the She-Wolf[]

Chad gets a call from Veronica, asking if he's signed the divorce papers, which he hasn't. He tells Veronica that they’re bonded for life after all they’ve been through, but Veronica insists that he sign the papers. Rather than honoring Veronica's request, Chad proceeds to mail her photos of her and Archie kissing after a football games. Attached to the photo is a sticky note that says: "We should talk. In person. — Chad."

Veronica calls Chad again and agrees to meet with him in the city for dinner. Chad cancels their reservation at the last minute to lure Veronica to the apartment, where he has prepared dinner — Chinese food by candle light, similar to when they first started dating. He wants to reminisce on the good times rather than dwelling on the bad. Chad and Veronica decide to drink wine and look through old photos. Their wedding song then begins to play and they share a dance. With them having been through so much, Chad thought they would be together forever. Veronica recalls the night of the accident and asks if Chad crashed on purpose. He questions why she would think this. She replies because then they would be together forever. Chad claims that all he’s ever wanted to do was make Veronica as happy as she makes him. He even signed the divorce papers just before she walked in, he claims. All he wanted with her was one last night. Veronica then kisses him.

The following morning, Veronica confronts Chad after learning that he lied about signing the divorce papers. He reveals that he recently got involved in an investment scheme. It was supposed to be an easy way to get them out of debt, which Chad got them into with bad investments. Chad figured out a way to get them out the hole, but it meant borrowing from other investors, and he had to make the investments in the name of an existing company, that being Veronica’s new jewelry store. She is distraught and demands that he sign the divorce papers immediately. However, Chad reminds Veronica that them divorcing would mean he could testify against her in court. And no one would believe that the "She-Wolf of Wall Street" didn’t know about the dirty dealings within her own business. He promises Veronica that he’ll make it all back with a little bit of time and her help.^[7]

The Fall of CopterCab[]

Chad calls Veronica and tells her that he will soon be able to pay back all the money he "borrowed" from their investors. He's been working on something, in which he's a silent partner, that's about to become public, the end result being a big pay day. However, Veronica turns down his help, given that at her current rate, she'll have all their investors' accounts restored within a month, at which point she will then divorce Chad.

Chad gets wind of Veronica's auction and calls her again. Seeing that she's clearly so desperate for money, he's calling again to ensure that she doesn't want in on his deal. He tells her about "CopterCab," which is essentially a helicopter taxi service that flies one-percenters to private parties in Marcia's Vineyard. Chad reveals that Hiram is also working with him. However, Veronica isn't interested, as the auction bought in just enough for her to return the investors' money to their accounts. Even still, with CopterCab going public, Chad will be celebrating at Hiram's HQ and invites Veronica to come by.

As planned, Chad and his boys are joined by Veronica and a crew of service girls in pink uniform, carrying champagne, hors d'oeuvres, and Jingle Jangle. Differences aside, Veronica commends Chad for his success. She's truly impressed her. Veronica admits that Chad struck a goldmine and regrets ever doubting him. However, Chad then gets word that their CopterCab stock is crashing after an article is published about Chad's previous plane crash. Chad being involved in a helicopter crash while being a partner in a helicopter company is bad for business. Veronica admits that she planted the story at the Wall Beat Journal to a reporter friend. Then Veronica came to the party to distract Chad and his entourage while their business went down in flames. Chad's problem in a nutshell is that he can't land anything. As far as Veronica is concerned, he'll never be an alpha, as he's a born beta.^[8]

Seeking Vengeance Against Veronica[]

Chad and Veronica meet with their divorce lawyers at the Pembrooke to finalize their divorce, however, Chad refuses to sign the papers unless Veronica is willing to give up the house in Sag Harbor and the Pembrooke, as well as paying him alimony. As reluctant as she may be, Veronica agrees and tells Chad to rot in hell, as Archie is all she needs in life.

Chad retreats to Hiram to report that he and Veronica are proceeding with the divorce. Chad keeps hoping they might reconcile, But Hiram assures him they won't so long as Archie is around, as he's Veronica's greatest weakness. If Chad wants to save his marriage, he's going to have to kill Archie, which Hiram assists with by handing him an untraceable ghost gun.

Archie exits the community center and finds Chad waiting outside with a loaded handgun. He opens fire at Archie, who dodges the gunfire before lodging a steel trash can top at Chad and taking him down in a Captain America-like fashion.

The following day, Veronica and Chad return with their lawyers to finish the divorcing process. After Chad's attempt on Archie's life, Veronica has decided to take everything, and if Chad doesn't agree to those terms, she'll have him arrested for attempted murder, as he left behind the gun as evidence.

Chad reconvenes with Hiram after failing to kill Archie, claiming that the gun misfired, though Hiram isn't concerned with his excuses. In fact, he blames himself for sending Chad in to do a job he should've done himself. Angry at his failed attempt, Hiram tells Chad to get out of Riverdale.

Chad breaks into the Pembrooke as Veronica runs a bath. Chad follows the sound of running water to Veronica's bathroom, though she is no longer there. Veronica takes advantage of her home voice system and commands for all the lights to be turned off and Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries to be played on full volume. Hidden by darkness and the blaring music, Veronica disarms Chad. A battle for control of the gun ensues, which ultimately ends with Veronica killing Chad as Smithers enters the apartment.^[9]

Physical Appearance[]

Chad was a young Caucasian male with short brown hair and blue eyes. He was clean shaven and often wore business suits.

Personality[]

Prior to his arrest, Chad admittedly loved to "party." During his first encounter with Pepper, he proposed that they sneak off into the bathroom to do some co*ke. However, after his stint in the Baltimore state prison, he sobered up and began to value his life and evaluate all that he had to offer. While he may have given up on the drinking and drugs, Chad still possessed the typical alpha male persona and is threatened by powerful women, specifically, Veronica, who he often tried to control in order to further his ideal version of life. He also had a tendency to try and make himself look like a victim during his disputes with Veronica, hoping to convince her to be a stay-at-home wife so they could start a family.

Appearances[]

Katy Keene[]

Season 1[]

• "Chapter Two: You Can't Hurry Love"
• "Chapter Eight: It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"

Riverdale[]

Season 7[]

• "Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Six: The Golden Age of Television"(mentioned)

Trivia[]

• Chad is not a character from the Archie Comics. He's an original character, created specifically for the series.

Gallery[]

See also: Category:Images of Chad Gekko

Katy Keene[]

Riverdale[]

References[]