On HBO’s Insecure, which is nominated for eight Emmys this year, fictional Issa’s love life is depicted in all its glory. However, the show’s real-life creator and star Issa Rae prefers to keep her own romances under-the-radar. That includes her rumored engagement to Louis Diame.
“I don’t want any input,” Rae explained to Vogue. “As a writer, you put everything on the table. I’ll take input on kids if I’m going to have kids. How do I not kill the kids? Work? Give me the input. Any other aspect of my life? Give me the input. But who I’m f*cking? No, I don’t need input. I’m good.” Still, we’ve managed to uncover a few things about her longtime relationship, thanks to interviews from those in her inner circle.
Ahead, everything we know about Diame and his low-key life with Rae.
He’s reportedly a businessman.
While many celebrities prefer to keep their relationships to themselves, Rae and Diame have truly gone the extra mile. It’s difficult to confirm anything about his profession, although outlets such as Marie Claire and Martha Stewart Weddings have identified Diame as a “Senegalese businessman.” A LinkedIn page under the name is private, but lists his profession as an Independent Banking Professional in the Greater Los Angeles Area.
No one knows how he met Rae or how long they’ve been together.
Rae typically avoids talking about Diame during interviews. But eagle-eyed fans have traced the couple’s romance back to at least 2012. In a Washington Post piece about The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, Rae’s breakout project, Diame is identified as her “boyfriend.” The outlet also notes that he’s a 29-year-old student (which would make him about 37 now) and that he appears in episode 7 of Rae’s series.
They’re reportedly engaged.
Speculation that Rae was engaged to Diame began in March 2019, when she appeared on the cover of Essence wearing a sizable ring on that finger. People reported that the pair was set to tie the knot the following month.
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…but they haven’t confirmed the news themselves.
Even though there was some mounting evidence to support that Rae and Diame were engaged, neither party confirmed the news. During an appearance on The View, Rae laughed off rumors, explaining, “I’ve got a lot of rings on my finger. I wear jewelry, you know?”
She also coyly tweeted in the days after the Essence cover release, “Oh wow, I don’t want this.” (Then again, that could be an evergreen tweet for most of the things happening on Twitter.)
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It was actually two of Rae’s Insecure co-stars who confirmed her engagement news. “We all found out in different ways because we’re all on different text chains. We talk at different times, so we all found out at different times in different ways,” Jay Ellis told Entertainment Tonight. Yvonne Orji added, “The reaction was all the same, like, ‘You out here in these streets getting married, boo?!’ That was the reaction.”
Us Weekly even grabbed an interview with Lamine Diop, Rae’s brother, where he spoke about the engagement. “They did it around the holidays,” he revealed. “She’s so low-key too—for real! I found out, like, a couple days later, so we’re just gonna let her lead the way.” Diop also disclosed that the couple had “been dating forever” calling Diame “like a brother to me.”
They’ve made a few joint red carpet appearances.
Despite their pattern of secrecy, Diame has joined Rae for a few red carpet events.
In 2016, they attended the after party for Insecure‘s premiere.
Jeff KravitzGetty Images
They also went to HBO’s Golden Globes after party back in 2017.
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And they also posed for photos at the Essence Black Women In Hollywood Awards that same year, where Rae was honored with the Vanguard Award.
Leon BennettGetty Images
Still, this couple’s public appearances are few and far between. This year’s Emmys are virtual. But even if they were in-person, we’re guessing Rae and Diame wouldn’t be walking the red carpet.
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