'Upshaws' Star Jermelle Simon and Obio Jones are Getting Married!
- Mykel Montana Hilliard
- 37 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Exclusive | Photos
Fiancé & Fiancé! 'The Upshaws' star Jermelle Simon and media personality Obio Jones are headed to the altar!
The pair announced their engagement with us and shared stunning photos of their engagement shoot with Eric Heart Jr.
In an exclusive statement to Gaye Magazine, the pair gushed about their engagement saying, "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."
Jones officially popped the question to Simon at an intimate family gathering held at their home on April 25.
Gaye Magazine has kept up with the pair's budding relationship, which was first publicly announced back in October 2024, on the heels of Simon coming out for National Coming Out Day.
In an emotional video posted on his Instagram, Simon, who played an openly gay character on the Netflix sitcom "The Upshaws", declared his sexual orientation to the world for the first time.
“Happy National Coming Out Day to everyone,” Simon 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.”
“And to myself,” he added. “I want to say to myself, Happy National Coming Out Day. I have decided to embrace myself fully, all the parts of me. 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.”
“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… Thank you for providing a space where I can come on the internet and say, I am a Black gay man."
Later that month, Gaye reported Simon taking to his Instagram Live to officially confirm his relationship with Jones after a commentator jokingly revealed that his man was also watching the live.
"Who is my man?’ he asked. “If you get the answer right, I’ll say if it's right."
Next, fans began to take to the chat, commenting Jones' name, prompting Jermelle to confirm they were right.
Back in 2023, we caught up with Simon ahead of The Upshaws season 3 premiere. At the time of the interview, Simon had never publicly shared his sexuality but expressed excitement for playing an openly gay character.
When asked what advice would he offer someone in their coming out journey, he shared "to embrace being themselves".
"It wasn't until I really became who I was, that things started opening up for me, you know, it wasn't until I accepted just all the things about myself and that's when the doors really opened,” Simon began. “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.”
Congratulations! Now about that wedding invitation? We'd love to witness it.
Looking for more on Jermelle Simon and Obio Jones' pending nuptials? Stay tuned for more exclusives featuring the couple here at Gaye Magazine.