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All the People Taye Diggs Has Romanced Over the Years
Whether you love Taye Diggs for his roles in various 90s romantic comedies and dramas like “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” or “The Best Man,” or his musical endeavors on Broadway in “Rent” and “Chicago,” there’s no denying his successful acting career over the past two decades.
Following his breakout role in “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” the actor went on to star in films and TVs shows throughout the 2000s, notably ABC’s “Private Practice” from 2007 to 2013. Most recently, Diggs is reprising his role as Harper Stewart in Peacock’supcoming mini-series, “The Best Man: The Final Chapters.”
Outside of his career, Diggs has maintained a private personal and romantic life. The “Brown Sugar” actor was famously married to actor and singer Idina Menzel from 2003 until their separation in 2013. Following his split from the “Let It Go” singer, Diggs dated “Selling Sunset” star Amanza Smith, and is currently linked to “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood” personality Apryl Jones.
Though Diggs’s public dating history is short, he has had some notable romances over the years. Read on to learn more about the actor’s former loves and current one!
Idina Menzel (1998-2013)
Diggs met Menzel while working together on the set of the Broadway production of “Rent” in 1996, per People. While the exact date of the beginning of their relationship is unknown, Menzel accompanied Diggs to the premiere of “The Best Man” in 1998, and the pair appeared to be dating at the time. Five years later, the couple married in a private ceremony in January 2003 in Jamaica, as reported by Us Weekly.
In 2005, Diggs and Menzel reprised their roles as Benjamin Coffin III and Maureen Johnson in the film adaptation of “Rent.” For the next four years the couple pursued their own work projects, and by September 2009, they welcomed their first and only child, Walker Nathaniel Diggs. Shortly after the birth of his son, Diggs praised Menzel for being a mother, saying (via People), “I have a newfound respect and admiration that borders on worship of my wife . . . Just to see her turn into a mother overnight is amazing.”
Four years after they welcomed their son into the world, Diggs and Menzel parted ways. The couple announced their separation in December 2013, emphasizing their son as their main focus and priority. Touching on his divorce and the adjustment in his family dynamic, Diggs told Redbook in June 2014, “Right now, we’re still trying to figure out a lot of stuff because we’re on different coasts and our son is getting older.”
Despite their split, the pair appear to be on good terms. In September 2021, Diggs praised Menzel for her performance in James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke,” writing, “That’s my baby mama……” along with a clip from the show on Instagram.
Amanza Smith (2013-2018)
Five months after Diggs split from Menzel, he started dating “Selling Sunset” star Amanza Smith in the summer of 2014, according to People. The coupe remained together for the next four years, but would ultimately break up in 2018.
Though many breakups end bitterly, especially for those in the entertainment industry, Diggs and Smith couldn’t have ended on better terms. In October 2020, the “Selling Sunset” personality explained the circumstances that led to their split, saying (via E! News), “I was the first person he’d been with after her. If you’re the first relationship someone has fresh out of a divorce, it’s probably never going to work. We’re better friends.”
Smith further noted that while they were together, the two easily blended their existing families, who remain close after their separation. “His son is the same age as my daughter . . . We still have playdates, and I’ll drop my kids off at Idina’s house and they’ll have playdates and sleepovers there with Walker,” she revealed.
Apryl Jones (December 2021-Present)
Diggs was one of the many people that took to TikTok amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and became popular among the platform. TikTok notably shaped many lives during the pandemic, including Diggs’s. In December 2021, the “Rent” actor came across the profile of “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood” star Apryl Jones, which inspired him to DM her. “I literally saw one of her Instagrams or TikToks, and I just texted, or whatever it’s called, and said that she was hilarious,” Diggs revealed in an interview with Distractify. “She helped me get a million followers . . . I love that stuff like that just kind of comes organically,” he continued.
Since meeting through social media, the pair have posted frequently on TikTok and Instagram, documenting their various endeavors together and sharing their love for one another. In August 2022, Diggs gushed about Jones, saying in a lengthy video on Instagram, “As an adult, there are times in life where you can’t believe what you are blessed with….the fact that this woman is in love with me. Like, I don’t [understand], I can’t, there-that’s how I know, praise you Lord Jesus or Buddha or Universe, ’cause somehow she’s next to me….She’s with me. Oh, my lord.”
Jones most recently accompanied Diggs to “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” premiere on Dec. 7.