'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After dating for four years, lovebirds Zeke Smith and Nico Santos are now engaged. Survivor star Zeke Smith popped the question to his long-time partner Nico Santos of NBC sitcom Superstore at the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards.
Zeke Smith asked his partner to marry him in front of the crowd at Beverly Hilton Hotel. The couple first met at the 2018 GLAAD Media Awards and Zeke Smith confirmed their relationship later that year.
All About Newly Engaged Couple Zeke Smith and Nico Santos
Nico Santos is loved by viewers for his portrayal of Mateo Liwanag, a passionate sales associate on Superstore and Oliver T'sien, the stylish cousin of lead actor Nick Young in the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians.
42-years-old Santos immigrated from the Philippines to Oregon as a teenager and fell in love with theater. He worked in the retail sector for many years along with performing stand-up in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Los Angeles to pursue comedy. That is when he discovered his love for acting. He “did Chelsea Lately within the first two years” after moving to L.A.
Speaking about his true calling, in a telephonic interview with Vulture, he said:
“But what really shifted from stand-up to the acting thing was I did this CBS Diversity Showcase. This was 2014, and my manager had urged me to audition for it, and I got in as a writer.”
In 2015, Santos landed the role of a gay, undocumented Filipino immigrant in Superstore, which was quite close to his heart and from there was no looking back. On December 10, 2018, the actor was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
His fiancé, comedian Zeke Smith, has impressed everyone by showcasing his survival skills on back-to-back seasons of CBS reality show Survivor — Millennials vs. Gen X (2016) and Game Changers (2017).
According to his website, the comedian is also a “creative consultant on and contributor to the Netflix documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen.”
Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Smith graduated from “Harvard University with a degree in The Study of Religion. His studies focused upon "Biblical interpretation and LGBTQ-inclusive theology.”
The L.A. resident dabbled in musical theatre in his youth. During high school, “he proved a championship policy debater. In his twenties, he performed with the Upright Citizens Brigade”.
Smith dated Santos for four years before proposing to his boyfriend at the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday night, to which a surprised Santos happily said yes. They are excited to start the next chapter of their lives and see what the future holds for them.
