Having someone slide into your DMs usually leads to something casual, but for The Upshaws actor Jermelle Simon, it ended in a wedding proposal.
In an exclusive interview with People, Simon and content creator Obio Jones opened up about their “surprise” engagement on April 25, which they celebrated surrounded by family.
The couple met after Jones watched an episode of The Upshaws, the Netflix sitcom that just wrapped its final season, where Simon starred alongside Wanda Sykes, Kim Fields, and Mike Epps.
“He DM’d to congratulate/compliment me on my performance on the show. Real smooth like, but friendly for sure,” Simon, 36, told the publication.
The pair struck up a friendship that soon turned into romance after a date at the LA restaurant Joyce.
“He’s always been fine, but what drew me in was how intentionally nice he was/is,” Jones explained, but was nervous about taking their relationship to the next level. “‘Are we sure we want to risk our friendship for romance?’,” Jones said he was thinking at the time.
The two men kept their relationship private until Simon came out as gay last October on National Coming Out Day in an Instagram video where he said, “Thank you for providing a space where I can come on the internet and say, ‘I am a Black, gay man.’ Happy National Coming Out Day.”
Jones was the one to slide into Simon’s DMs and he was also the one to pop the question. He knew Jones would want an intimate proposal that included his three children from a previous relationship, so when they were going to move in together, Jones set his plan in motion.
“On the day we got the keys, everyone was looking at their rooms and roaming the home,” Jones revealed. “[Jermelle and I] were in our primary room, and I had the kids come in one by one and hand him congratulations notes with I love you’s and sweet descriptions of who he’s been to them, and what family meant. He thought it was just in regards to the house, but I got on one knee and boom!”
Even though the men had discussed their desire to get married in the future, Simon was caught by surprise by the proposal that came with a diamond-encrusted Cartier ring.
“[It was] a complete surprise, actually. I say that because normally, I would have some sort of idea about a thing. [Obio] involved the children, and everyone that was important to me, and no one said a thing,” gushed Simon. “I think it made it that much more special to me because not only was I ready, but I was genuinely surprised, which almost never happens.”
The two haven’t started planning their wedding yet and are just trying to enjoy this phase of their relationship.
"We’re going to give ourselves another month to stop mistakenly calling each other boyfriend, and then jump into planning mode,” Jones said.
“I think within a month or so, we will decide if we want a wedding planner or not,” added Simon. “For now, we’re just taking a moment to be present with it.”
