How Did Kat Graham Meet Her Fiancé Darren Genet?

An actor, singer, and model, Kat Graham is known to millions of fans for her work in the supernatural drama series The Vampire Diaries. While many of the actors associated with the show have remained in the supernatural genre, Graham has branched out to explore many sides of her creativity, including several experimental EPs.

Even as she’s grown and changed in the public eye, Graham has been able to count on the support of her partner, director/producer Darren Genet. In 2022, the pair announced their engagement – and in the months since, fans have been digging deeper to learn more about Genet and his history in the entertainment industry.

Kat Graham and Darren Genet | Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for TIME

What do fans know about Kat Graham’s fiance?

Graham and Genet have been connected since 2017, according to People Magazine. While the two met on a production set, the publication notes that it wasn’t actually The Vampire Diaries, a show where Genet once worked as a cinematographer.

For the first few years of their romance, Graham and Genet opted to keep their relationship out of the public eye, rarely speaking out about their connection and avoiding social media snaps. In late 2021, according to People, they made their red-carpet debut at the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Genet has a very distinguished career in entertainment, having worked as a cinematographer, director, and producer on many high-profile TV shows. A few of the shows that Genet has worked on, in addition to The Vampire Diaries, include MacGyver, CSI: Miami, and Good Girls. Genet, who hails from Florida, also works closely with his lady love, establishing a production company with Graham called Instinctive Entertainment.

Kat Graham and Darren Genet announced their engagement in May 2022

In May 2022, after about five years together, reports circulated that Graham and Genet had gotten engaged. Page Six reports that Genet popped the question to Graham during a birthday trip to Mexico. “Kat is madly in love and couldn’t be happier,” a source told Page Six. The publication notes that, in spite of the 20-year age difference between the two (Graham is 33 and Genet turns 53 this April), it’s clear that they have figured out the secret to relationship success – which, in part, includes keeping their romance off of social media.

Kat Graham and Darren Genet have worked together on an EP

To date, the Vampire Diaries star and Genet have not yet tied the knot. Still, they are happily together and have even worked on some projects together. In 2021, the two collaborated on an EP called Toro Gato: Part One. In an interview with Schon! Magazine around the time that the EP was released, Graham opened up about what it was like to work with Genet and how he brings out the best in her.

“I always thought my strengths were in how perfect I could be, that if I did everything right and said the right things, or walked the right way, or wore the right clothes that I would be accepted, validated, and loved by the world,” Graham admitted.

“My strengths that shine most when I work with Darren in that he wants me to show my honesty. Whether it’s down to my freckles, my hair, my joy, my anger, or my tears. He thinks that my power lies in my truth and that my own self-acceptance will always be more valuable than anyone else’s.”

These days, Graham and Genet are still at each other’s side – and fans shouldn’t be surprised to witness wedding bells in the near future.