Editorial note: This piece about Louis Diame, the husband of Issa Rae, was originally published on July 26, 2021, and updated to reflect current information.
Who is Louis Diame, the husband of Issa Rae?
Jo-Issa “Issa Rae” Diop wears many hats. She’s a skilled actress, writer, producer, and comedian. But even though fans can find her working on a number of projects, not many know about her personal life, especially not her marriage to her husband Louis Diame.
Issa Rae is a pretty private person. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, she talks about why she prefers to keep her personal life under wraps.
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“Whose business is it? I realized I just don’t like to be the subject of conversations if it doesn’t have to do with my work.” She says.
But she also shares that her behavior is nothing new. In fact, “The Photograph” actress admits that even her closest friends were the last to know about her dating life at times. She says “So it’s just always been that I want to vet situations for myself. I really value that part of my life a lot.”
Issa Rae understandably prefers to keep it cute when it comes to her personal life. But fortunately, she IS open to sharing small glimpses of her life as a newlywed from time to time. Here are four things to know about Issa Rae’s husband, Louis Diame:
He's one of Issa Rae's biggest fans
Issa Rae and her husband are #couplesgoals. They support each other in their personal AND professional lives. And despite keeping their relationship private, Louis Diame has no problem stepping into the spotlight to support his wife.
The couple has made a number of appearances on the red carpet together. In 2017, Issa Rae was honored at the Essence Black Women In Hollywood Awards where she received the Vanguard Award for her work in television. And, of course, Louis Diame was there to support.
He also made other appearances with Rae in support of her television projects, including an afterparty for an Insecure premiere and the Golden Globes. And recently, the pair hit the red carpet at the 2022 Critics’ Choice Awards — their first debut as a married couple.
Louis Diame appeared in "Awkward Black Girl"
Issa Rae started her career with her comedy series The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl.
In the YouTube show, Rae plays “J,” an awkward Black girl trying to navigate her personal and professional life.
The web series drew a large fanbase, and later became the catalyst for its spinoff Insecure. But before Insecure, The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl had a very special fan in Louis Diame. So much so that he even appeared on the show!
In episode 7, J goes on a dinner date with a white man known as “White Jay,” played by Lyman Johnson. Upon their arrival, Diame’s character hilarious shakes his head at seeing J with a white man, despite him having his arm around his date, a white woman.
They've been together for a while
Issa Rae and Louis Diame may have kept their relationship a secret from fans, but according to an article from The Washington Post, the pair have been dating since at least 2012.
In 2012, the outlet covered Issa Rae and her web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. The article refers to Louis Diame as her “boyfriend” when referencing the scene in episode 7 when he makes a guest appearance.
And in a 2019 interview with Us Weekly, a friend of the pair revealed that they have been dating for quite some time.
“He’s just a good guy, man. He’s just a cool guy,” the friend said. “They’ve been dating forever. He’s already been like a brother to me. Family ties at all the family events and dinners, Christmas, Thanksgiving.”
But he's kept their relationship under wraps
In 2019, Louis Diame proposed to Rae in the south of France. Fans were surprised to hear of her engagement, and they weren’t the only ones. Even her friends and family were kept in the dark until the couple felt ready to announce it.
Issa Rae’s brother, Lamine Diop, reveals that he found out about the proposal days after it happened. He tells Us Weekly, “They did it around the holidays. 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.”
And when her Insecure co-stars Yvonne Orji and Jay Ellis attended the 2019 NCAAP Image Awards, they echoed his response.
“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.” Ellis reveals.
Orji agreed, saying that his proposal both surprised AND thrilled friends and family. She says, “The reaction was all the same, like, ‘You out here in these streets getting married, boo!?’ That was the reaction.”
