The Rookie season 5 premiere: Is Mekia Cox pregnant in real life?

Last season on The Rookie, Mekia Cox’s character Officer Nyla Harper was thrown an unexpected curveball when she discovered that she was pregnant which changed the trajectory of her storyline across the back half of the season.

By the time season 4 came to a close, Cox’s character was still expecting her second child — her first with boyfriend James Murray (Arjay Smith) — and that storyline has carried over into the show’s new season which arrived on Sept. 25.

In the season 5 premiere, Harper is still very much pregnant and supposed to be taking it easy as she awaits the arrival of her bundle of joy to arrive. That doesn’t stop her from coming in to help her colleagues work on the case that unfolds in the season premiere.

Still, her character’s noticeable baby bump has many fans wondering if Cox was pregnant while filming the fifth season or if the actress is simply sporting a fake baby bump for the show.

Is Mekia Cox pregnant on The Rookie? (2022)

For those with an inquiring mind, no Mekia Cox is not pregnant and was not pregnant while filming The Rookie season 5. Instead, the baby bump Harper sports at the top of season 5 is a prosthetic. However, Harper’s pregnancy was the result of Cox’s real-life pregnancy last season on The Rookie!

In January 2022, Cox announced her second pregnancy and later confirmed on social media that the writers of the show were gracious enough to work her pregnancy into Harper’s storyline for the season.

"“Much love to Alexi Hawley and the rest of The Rookie writing team for writing my pregnancy into the show. Happy to be on a show where pregnancy is acknowledged and celebrated,” Cox shared via an Instagram post on Jan. 23, 2022."

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Over the summer, Cox confirmed that she had welcomed her second daughter on May 13, 2022, in a sweet Instagram post in which she shared an adorable photo of her family’s new addition.

"“Barely a week old you lay here beside me as I wonder how my love could expand so broadly from a family of 3 to a family of 4. As I recover I remember what you felt like on the inside while we waited (…and waited) for your arrival. Your little body doing what felt like yoga poses in my belly. But now I feel your tiny breath on my tummy and it fills my whole being with joy. I thank your soul for choosing us to be your family. Our new little lady, born 5/13/22, 9lbs 22.2 inches, you are loved,” Cox wrote in the post."

So while Cox was indeed pregnant while filming The Rookie season 4, she has since given birth to her daughter meaning it is only her character who is pregnant at the time. As we saw in the season 5 premiere, Harper is in the final trimester of her pregnancy so it’s likely the storyline will be resolved early in the season.