Give Taye Diggs Another Rom-Com To Star In, You Cowards

Taye Diggs has been fine my whole life. Some of my earliest pop culture memories include crushing on Diggs in How Stella Got Her Groove Back. And Rent. And The Best Man. And Brown Sugar. I could go on. Early on, Diggs carved out an indelible space on stage and screen as a charismatic romantic leading man, creating a generation of people who (like me) would follow him anywhere. From playing an immature lover boy (Winston in Stella), to an ambitious friend-turned-lover (Dre In Brown Sugar), to a confused novelist who uses love as inspiration (Harper in The Best Man franchise), Diggs is no stranger to bringing love stories to life through characters that have one thing in common: an innate magnetism you can’t help but root for (yes, even Harper). That irresistible personality is why Diggs has had a longevity in Hollywood that most actors only dream of. Whether he’s playing a supportive father figure on All American (RIP Coach Baker), or leaving us laughing out loud at his ridiculous TikToks, Diggs has managed to stay booked, busy, and relevant for over three decades in this business. Part of my theory as to why (aside from his talent — and did I mention that he’s fine?) is the power of love stories. There’s a special place reserved in all of our hearts for those formative crushes that set the standard for all future objects of our affection and relationships moving forward. And just like his characters, Diggs is an unabashed lover of love.

“I could do romantic comedies until the day I die,” Diggs says over Zoom, looking, well, fine as hell. “I love love… I will never get sick of them.” His next project isn’t a rom-com, but it’s close enough. Diggs' narrates the Sony Music podcast You Had Me at Hello, where real-life people tell their own love stories in their own words, and the meet-cutes and happy endings could be ripped from the pages of a Hollywood script. As the industry continues to reel from the just-concluded writers’ strike and ongoing actors’ strike (which Diggs is in full support of and was careful not to talk about any struck work during our conversation), Diggs is intentional about pouring joy and positivity into his work. Here, he talks about “stressing” over texting in dating, “figuring out” his current relationship status (including where he stands with Apryl Jones), and that viral scene from Brown Sugar. 

Unbothered: Hello, Taye Diggs, my first crush. How are you? 

Taye Diggs: [laughs] That always embarrasses me a bit. I’m very well.

TD: Well, you're attractive, so it's a little bit different

TD:  I love love. I love romantic comedies. I love the beginning of relationships. It hits me differently. And right now, during these very weird times, listening to these stories, I was inspired, and it literally changed the course of my day. Being a part of this was something that I thought I needed. Every time I would go into record, it put me in a really great mood. I come from the world of acting and screenplays, but these stories are real people, real situations, and some of them melted me.

TD: I’m not supposed to give anything away, [but] there are stories of forbidden love. There are stories of people who met in grade school that reconnect in their fifties. There's a story about two male penguins, which is very interesting. I'm enjoying doing it. And while I was reading, I had to take breaks because I was laughing and, like, literally crying during some of these stories. It's really great. I've never done anything like this before.

TD: That’s hard. Maybe Harper. I related very well with Harper. 

TD: That's what I loved about him: he's a real human being, and he has a lot of flaws. So that was very easy to play because I could relate. I could relate because he is a real, real person. 

TD: Hmm. You’re coming for me with these tough questions [laughs]. Maybe a trip to Paris. I can't tell what's more impressive because I like to write. That's what means the most to me. But then there are also grand gestures like Paris. I like to buy art. Of those options that I gave you, what speaks the most to you?

TD: Poetry. 

TD: Ah, it's all on my phone. Next time! 

TD: [laughs] I don't personally operate like that — I go off of energy. So in all of these stories, there's never a predictable opening line. It's very organic and real. And that's what lends itself to the rest of the story, because it's ridiculous. People would think that we made up some of these stories. That's what was so, so fun about narrating. 

TD: 100%, especially with this podcast specifically. I read a lot of scripts, and these real stories were so far beyond. It was really fun. 

TD: Everyone is in such a rush to do everything. And all of these apps are so “convenient.” I miss the days when you had no choice but to wait for someone to call you back on the telephone or return an email. Everything is so instant. There was this young lady that I was speaking to today, and I felt just the pressure of making sure I got back to her on time so she wouldn't think that I was, you know, ignoring her. It was like an hour, but, like, I found myself stressing and just caught up in the anxiety of what she might think If I appeared to be this or that. I miss the days when that didn’t exist and you had to wait for a literal phone call. 

TD: Well, for me, three days is way more natural than like stressing [about responding] in the next 15 minutes.

TD: [long pause] I'm trying to figure everything out. That's what I'll say. I'm trying to figure everything out. 

TD: We both decided that we would keep that portion of our private lives private.

TD: For me, I use it as a release. I wish that I could give you a more interesting and mysterious answer, but I'll have a thought, and the thought will make me laugh and think, Oh, let me post it. It is that simple. And then I'll make stuff up as I go along. So it's a release. Oftentimes, I'll forget that thousands of people watch it because I like recording and watching it back, laughing at myself, releasing it, and moving on. So it's great. hat’s one of the elements of social media that I really enjoy. 

TD: Most of that scene was all improv. I really give it up to [director] Rick Famuyiwa who gave us the room to just explore. Nicole [Ari Parker] and I got on that train, and we just rode it. And it was so, so much fun because it's really hard to find actors that are comfortable with improvisation and kind of letting loose. That was the thing where it worked perfectly. It's one of my favorite scenes that I've ever done, ever, ever. I love that movie. 

TD: It's my favorite. As I said before, I love the whole idea of romance. I love the fact that there's always room for comedy. And I love the through line. It just speaks to me. I could do romantic comedies until the day I die. I will never get sick of them. I just got off a show called All American, so I’m seeing what's out there. I miss and love comedy, so I'm going to focus on that for whatever the next project is. 

TD: As I said before, I’m still figuring it all out. I'm in my fifties, and [there’s] the dating apps, and the internet, and all these platforms. So it's tough. What I remind myself to do is to just relax, take time, and continuously check in with yourself. And be honest. 

TD: I like to keep a positive outlook regardless of the negativity that is there. That's what helps me get through. So I don't know what works for other people, but that's what works for me. I will deliberately try to end on a positive note so that I can go throughout my day and not be, you know, bogged down with the negativity because there's a lot of it out there.

TD: It will. It always does. It always does. 

You Had Me At Hello is available on all major podcast platforms.