'The Upshaws' Star Jermelle Simon and Boyfriend Obio Jones Are Engaged and Social Media Stans Are Here for It

It started when TikTok influencer Obio Jones slid into Jermelle Simon's DMs to express appreciation for Simon's work on Wanda Sykes' Netflix family drama "The Upshaws." Now Jones and Simon are engaged.

"The content creator, 32, popped the question to 'The Upshaws' star, 36, on April 25 in an intimate, family-filled proposal," People Magazine reported. "Jones proposed to Simon with a diamond-encrusted Cartier ring in their new home surrounded by their loving family."

The happy couple opened up to the publication about their romance, with Simon recalling how Jones "DM'd to congratulate/compliment me on my performance on the show. Real smooth like, but friendly for sure."

The two discovered there was a spark between them.

"He's always been fine," Jones told the magazine, "but what drew me in was how intentionally nice he was/is."

But the two didn't rush into a love affair. First, they built a foundation of friendship. Jones detailed some pre-intimacy jitters, telling People that he wondered, "Are we sure we want to risk our friendship for romance?"

Even when the two became a couple, they took things slowly... so slowly that "Though they discussed marriage and the future at-length, Smith was still surprised by Jones' proposal," People summarized.

"After the two moved in together last month, Jones decided to put a plan into motion," People said.

"On the day we got the keys, everyone was looking at their rooms and roaming the home," Jones recounted to People, going on to describe how he and Simon "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," Jones revealed, "but I got on one knee and boom!"

Simon called the proposal "a complete surprise, actually," and recalled that his now-fiancé "involved the children, and everyone that was important to me, and no one said a thing."

"I think it made it that much more special to me," the actor added, "because not only was I ready, but I was genuinely surprised, which almost never happens."

News of their impending nuptials comes on the heels of Simon's National Coming Out Day revelation that he is part of the LGBTQ+ community – though "the couple opted not to share how long they've been officially dating ('gotta keep something offline,' they said)," according to the writeup.

Indeed, having some space for the private particulars of their life together remains important despite the high-profile nature of their careers.

"I built an online presence around showing my life and the people that are involved in it," Jones explained, "and now it involves my fiancé."

The influencer gave a hint about how the couple balance their privacy with their fame: "We just have fun and the house is full of tripods, so it's easy to push 'record.'"

"We also don't forget that we're in a relationship that's public," Jones added, "not a public relationship."

They're also not in a hurry to tie the knot now that they have made their engagement official.

"We're going to give ourselves another month to stop mistakenly calling each other boyfriend," Jones quipped, "and then jump into planning mode."

Gay Twitter was quick to offer well wishes and congratulations to the pair.