Welcome to “Meet Cute,” where we get up close and sometimes personal with our newest crush. This time around, we’re chatting with Jermelle Simon from The Upshaws Season 2. 

Certain corners of the internet have been calling for men’s fashion to finally raise those hemlines — to swap out calf-brushing cargo shorts for the short-shorts of yore. Anyone who has seen The Upshaws knows one man was ahead of the curve by a long shot (and a short short): Bernard Upshaw (Jermelle Simon), eldest son of the Upshaw clan. Bernard, who comes out as gay in Season 1, has been rocking his “custom” UPS uniform, as Simon calls it, since the series premiered in 2021. 

“It has been hoochie daddy shorts season for Bernard since [we filmed in] 2020, so I feel like he’s a trendsetter. He’s an innovator. That’s the hoochie daddy originator,” Simon tells Tudum over the phone. “We all know that, and we’ll get to see a lot more of that in Season 2.”

While Bernard’s shorts will be a familiar presence in the new episodes, there are quite a few big changes that he’ll be facing. And Simon — a self-described “sensitive firecracker” — was more than excited to tell us all about it in our “Meet Cute” questionnaire. 

Name: Jermelle Simon Netflix project: The Upshaws  Instagram account: @jermellesimon DOB: April 17 Astrological Sign: Aries  Hometown: Florence, South Carolina Favorite food: chicken wings Favorite Netflix show: The Upshaws My current Netflix crush is… Kim Fields On a first date, I always… try to be a gentleman. My perfect date would be… meditation floating. My best dating experience was… going to the beach to watch the sunset.

Warning: Season 2 spoilers ahead.

What initially attracted you to playing Bernard? I saw Wanda Sykes and Kim Fields [were involved with the project], and I knew with my role, it would be great to give some visibility to the LGBTQ community.

Bernard has a beautiful coming-out scene with his mom, Regina [Kim Fields], in Season 1. Have you gotten any extra love around that?  Because it’s Pride Month, and because we are returning during Pride Month, people are rewatching it. I do feel like it’s been a wave of love and pride in my DMs for sure. People just thanking me for representation. Some people haven’t seen a gay character played in this way. So a lot of people thought it was very refreshing. It’s been a wave of love and pride. 

What was it like to film that scene with Kim? Shout-outs to our writers who wrote magic on paper. And then for me, as an actor, to do such an important scene for the community, I was just floored. I was so excited to do it because I knew how much it was needed. And to do this with the icon Kim Fields? She gave me so much reassurance during the scene.

You two have great mother-son chemistry.  When we finished, she said, “Oh my God, you did such an amazing job.” And she called me on my way home too so that I could really understand [what she meant]. The Aries in me cried all the way. Because who gets that chance? Kim Fields calls me personally to say, “Oh my God, you were such a great scene partner.” So between that and the scene’s dialogue, I knew how much it would help so many people. There were so many emotions at one time. It took me a while to process that one.

Now, in Season 2, Bernard’s family is growing. He finds out he has a 9-year-old daughter named Sydney, played by Ayaamii Sledge.  It’s going to be amazing for people to see different nuances with a Black gay man and the fact that he has a daughter. To see that on television is going to heal so many people because I feel like there are a lot of gay men with daughters, other men who are fluid, other men that are bisexual. It is going to help a lot more people feel seen, feel heard.

It’s a big evolution for Bernard and the show.  It takes Bernard out of the box. Because people have this idea that if you are Black and gay, then you’re this. You can be Black and gay with a kid. You can be Black and gay and be masculine. It eliminates the box that sometimes society puts the Black gay man in.

Your on-screen little sister Khali Spraggins said in an Instagram story that you were her favorite person on set. Did you tap into your relationship with younger cast members to build out Bernard’s fatherhood journey?  I’m a father anyway, So that helped me. I have a daughter who is the same age. So I already felt super connected to Gen Z, doing TikToks with Khali and [my on-screen brother] Diamond Lyons. By the time Ayaamii came on set, I had already gotten so used to working with children. 

It’s so fun to see him juggle dating and being a new single dad. What was it like to explore that?  The first season was his journey to coming out and being himself. In this season, the fans really get to see Bernard interact with another man. We saw Hector run out of Bernard’s apartment last season. But we didn’t really get to see that side of Bernard, because who Bernard is to his mom, his dad, his siblings is one thing, but who Bernard is to his partner is an entirely different thing. 

Hector Confronts Bernard About Their Break-Up | 'The Upshaws' S2E4Starring Jermelle Simon and Dewayne Perkins. Stream 'The Upshaws' only on Netflix.

No one is the same with their family as they are [when they’re] dating.  I’m excited for people to see the romantic side of Bernard. You really get to see him be a bit more charming or a lot lighter, especially when it comes down to his boyfriend and his daughter. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.