Zeke Smith and Nico Santos have made their relationship social media official.
The couple — Smith ofSurvivorfame and Santos, an actor onSuperstore— have been sharing photos together on their respective Instagram accounts over the past few weeks.
On Monday, Smith, 30, confirmed their pairing on Twitter, writing, “I guess everybody knows about my hot little 25 year-old boyfriend now. Oh, haaayyy @nicosantos.”
Santos, meanwhile, was all jokes on the social media site — writing to a news outlet reporting on their relationship, “Stop spreading lies! I am NOT, I repeat, NOT…25!”
Photos of Smith and Santos first surfaced online in April when the two attend the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards’ Hyundai afterparty at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
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While in the Big Apple in May, the two saw the acclaimed Broadway musicalSpongeBob SquarePants —Santos sharing a photo of the two holding hands at the Palace Theater. “Here with this handsome fella,” he wrote.
Vacations in Palm Springs and a road trip to the Cabazon Dinosaurs in Riverside, California, followed in the weeks to come.
Most recently, the two were at Sunday’s gay pride festivities in Los Angeles. “We’re here! We’re queer! We’re brunching!” Santos captioned an Instagram photo afterwards. “Getting some after parade nomnoms with my love. Happy Pride Los Angeles!”
“I didn’t want to be the ‘first transgenderSurvivorcontestant,’ ” Smith told PEOPLE at the time. “I’m not ashamed of being trans, but I didn’t want that to be my story. I just wanted to go out on an adventure and play a great game. I just wanted to be known for my game.”
Survivorhad helped the Oklahoma-raised reality star through his transition, which happened while he was studying religion at Harvard. “My confidence was obliterated, and I was afraid to dream,” Smith said of being depressed during and after his transition. “I realized I needed to take on a big challenge to become the man I wanted to be. For some reason, that wasSurvivor.”
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Fans reacted to the news with positivity and support, which left Smith “a bit overwhelmed and humbled.”
“I never in a million years thought the response would be as positive as it was,” he told PEOPLE last May. “I worried about sensationalist headlines and photos being drudged up from my past. I was prepared to be re-victimized. But the response I received – the outpouring of love from the public – was something I never imagined happening. I was really touched.”
BeforeSuperstore, Santos — who was born in Manila, Philippines — spent years rounding the stand-up circuit, eventually making appearances onChelsea Lately.
This summer, he’ll appear in the highly anticipated romantic comedyCrazy Rich Asians.
source: people.com
