Love Wins: ‘The Upshaws’ Star Comes Out and Gets Engaged to His Best Friend

Love is in the air for The Upshaws star Jermelle Simon and media personality Obio Jones. The two are officially engaged and ready to say “I do.”

According to Gaye Magazine, Jones proposed to Simon during a private family gathering at their home on April 25. The couple also shared beautiful engagement photos taken by Eric Heart Jr., showing how happy they are to start this next chapter together.

Fans who have followed their journey know that Simon and Jones’ relationship became public in October 2024. That was right after Simon came out on National Coming Out Day in an emotional Instagram video.

In the video, Simon, who plays an openly gay character on Netflix’s The Upshaws, spoke from the heart about embracing himself fully.

“Happy National Coming Out Day to everyone,” he said. “To the ones who feel like now is the time, to the ones who feel like maybe later, to the ones who may never come out.”

He continued by sharing how much representation matters. “We didn’t see love stories like ours growing up. So now, we’re living one out loud — not just for ourselves, but for the young Black, Queer kids who deserve to know this kind of joy is possible.”

Simon also opened up about learning to love himself. “I’ve decided to love myself unconditionally. I’ve decided that the one thing that I thought was the biggest curse in my life is actually the biggest blessing I could ever receive,” he said. “I have decided that I am enough, and I want to thank everyone who has helped me to get to that place where I feel seen, where I feel like I belong, where I feel loved.”

During the same video, Simon teased his fans by asking, “Who is my man? If you get the answer right, I’ll say if it’s right.”

Later that month, Gaye Magazine reported that Simon went on Instagram Live and confirmed that Obio Jones was indeed his partner. When fans started dropping Jones’ name in the comments, Simon smiled and confirmed they were right.

Before all this, Simon had already made waves by playing an openly gay role on The Upshaws. In an older interview before Season 3, he hadn’t yet shared his sexuality publicly but spoke about the importance of being authentic.

“It wasn’t until I really became who I was, that things started opening up for me,” he said at the time. “Someone told me God can’t bless who you pretend to be, you know, so I think your full self knocks down all the limitations, all the boundaries and things will really start to flow to you.”

Now, Simon and Jones are not just open about their love, they’re celebrating it. From best friends to fiancés, their story is one of growth, acceptance, and joy.

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