Taye Diggs

Taye Diggs (born Scott Leo Diggs) is a screen and theater actor. During his time in college, Diggs participated in productions at local theater companies. He graduated with a BFA in musical theater from Syracuse University in 1993, and one year later, he made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning revival of the musical Carousel.

In 1996, he originated the role of Benny in Rent opposite Idina Menzel. He went on to make his first small screen appearance on New York Undercover the same year. Two years later, he starred in the dramedy How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998). This role marked his film debut and gained the actor high praise, helping him to later land parts in movies like New Best Friend (2002) and Chicago (2002).

From 2004 to 2005, Diggs played the titular character in the drama Kevin Hill. Over the years, he’s appeared on shows such as Day Break, Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. He was a series regular on Fox’s Empire and later starred on The CW’s All American. In 2025, he played Dr. Eric Murphy in the thriller Both Eyes Open.

Outside of acting, Diggs helped launch the ALPO Real Dogs Eat Meat Handbook and co-founded dre.dance, a contemporary dance company, with fellow Broadway veteran Andrew Palermo.

The actor was wed to Rent costar Idina Menzel from 2003 to 2014. They share a son, Walker, born in 2009. He dated real estate agent Amanza Smith from 2014 to 2019, and he was linked to actress Apryl Jones from 2021 to 2023.