Orange Is the New Black star Danielle Brooks has been married to her husband, Dennis Gelin, since 2022. Based on their love story that she’s shared, it seems like the two were destined for each other. The couple created a lovely life together, but while Brooks is an award-winning actress, Gelin doesn’t have a career in Hollywood. So, how did they meet? Ahead, everything to know about Gelin and his relationship with his wife.
Gelin attended the 2024 Oscars with Best Supporting Actress nominee Brooks.
On Sunday, March 10, Brooks brought Gelin to the Oscars red carpet as her plus-one. The Color Purple star wore a black corset dress with a thigh-high slit and a big bow on the back spilling into a train. Gelin coordinated with her in a black and white tuxedo with a bow tie.
Gelin and Brooks went to the 2024 Golden Globes together.
While Brooks opted to pose on the red carpet by herself, Gelin attended the Golden Globes ceremony with her on January 7. He is, however, seen in the background of one of her carpet photos. Brooks looked beautiful in a red strapless mermaid-style gown with a sweetheart neckline. Gelin, for his part, wore a black velvet tux. Brooks was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category or her role as Sofia in The Color Purple.
Brooks and Gelin met at a game night.
In January 2022, Brooks spoke to Vogue about her wedding and her relationship with Gelin, where she revealed that they met through mutual friends at a get-together.
“What was supposed to be just another game night turned into night I will remember forever,” Brooks said, sharing the details of the evening she planned with a friend who worked at a gym at the time. “It felt like a good idea for us two single ladies to invite over some good-looking prospects she had met while working there to play some Mafia and Taboo.”
She explained that Gelin was invited by a friend of a friend who also worked at the gym.
“He rolled in mad late, like two to three hours late. When all of us heard the door ring, the group decided to play a trick and grill the next person who walked in the door. I opened the door and everyone gave him the death stare. As the host, it felt a bit harsh for someone I didn’t know to get playfully grilled, so I decided to quickly greet him with a smile and asked to take his coat. He smiled back,” Brooks recalled.
Gelin really impressed his future wife when he asked if he could take out her trash for her at the end of the night.
“I was so taken aback because there had been at least 10 guys in the room, and no one had thought enough to ask such a thoughtful question,” she explained. “I perked up and said ‘Why yes, thank you.’ And then we proceeded to talk. He kept complimenting me on my dimples and how beautiful I was. I was drawn in by his smile and beautiful rich skin. I remember asking him, ‘Do you have kids, are you married, do you have a job?’” And he answered all of her questions.
“It was like music to my ears,” she continued. “A brother with a clean slate, has his own, and is thoughtful. Jackpot. I quickly slid him my phone to exchange numbers. As he was getting ready to take out the trash, he asked me where the trash room was. It was the easiest room to find, but I just had to spend more time with him, so I decided to show him the way.”
After Gelin left, he headed to the Poconos, where his family has a guest house.
“I made sure to tell him to be safe as he was driving there that night. And then, while getting ready for bed, I heard my phone ring. I was confused on why anyone would be calling me around 1 A.M.,” Brooks shared.
“On my drive, all I could think about was Danielle’s Southern voice and brilliant smile,” Gelin chimed in. “I eagerly looked forward to our next encounter. During my journey, an act of divine intervention took place as I accidentally butt-dialed her. I was at the time and still am to this day, so glad that it happened because we talked for hours and an instant bond between us formed. The rest of my journey was like floating on cloud nine.”
It was love at first sight for Brooks.
Per the above Vogue story, the very next day after Brooks met Gelin, she received a bouquet of flowers delivered to her door.
“My heart started to flutter. I could feel it. At that moment, I said to myself, ‘If this card says ‘From Dennis’ I have found my husband,’” Brooks recounted. “Sure enough, I opened the card, and it said, ‘To Danielle, Thank you for an amazing night. See you soon. Dennis.’ This man had gone above and beyond. He had flowers delivered to my house, and we hadn’t known each other for more than 24 hours. In that moment, I knew this was a man who was going to always love and appreciate me. I had found someone who wasn’t going to take me for granted, someone who knew my worth.”
They had a child together in 2019.
In July 2019, Brooks announced the pregnancy of her first child on Instagram. She posted a selfie holding up a positive pregnancy test.
“So elated to finally share this news with you all. I’m happily pregnant!” she wrote in the caption.
![orange is the new black final season world premiere](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/danielle-brooks-attends-the-orange-is-the-new-black-final-news-photo-1710350382.jpg?resize=980:* ""Orange Is The New Black" Final Season World Premiere")
Earlier that month, she also shared news about her apartment in Brooklyn, New York, where she’d be starting her family with Gelin.
“Getting to buy my first home has been a joy and such an accomplishment. It’s always something that I wanted to do before thirty,” she told People. “I moved a little further out so I could really find a place that I could build a family in, and that I could share.”
She referenced a piece of African art that she has hanging in her dining room.
“My boyfriend and I found this last summer,” she said, explaining that she bought it at the International African Arts Festival in Brooklyn, and the seller told her, “‘it represents safety in the household and security in your space.’ And we were like, ‘Oh yes, we’ve got to have it.’”
On November 16, Brooks and Gelin welcomed their daughter, Freeya Carel. She shared the news with her Instagram followers, posting a black-and-white photo of their newborn baby on her chest.
“11.16.19 ❤️♾❤️ She’s perfect,” she captioned the post.
In her October 2023 Women in Hollywood interview with ELLE, Brooks said, “We get so caught up in all of the things that really don’t matter, that are monetary. You get a new house, you get that award, or you get a new car. What matters is the times that my daughter sneaks up in our room at 5 A.M. and I get to have that snuggle with her before taking her to school. Or that moment where my husband smacks me on the butt to let me know that he’s thinking of me and loves me. [Laughs] It’s those little moments that are really precious, and that you have to find the beauty in.”
They got married in 2022.
Gelin proposed to the actress at the very end of December 2019, and on Jan. 1, 2020, Brooks shared the news of her engagement to Instagram.
“I never thought one of the best days of my year would happen the last week of the year. I get to marry my best friend. We’re ENGAGED!! So excited to become your wife. D&D until the end. ❤️?”
Two years later, in January 2022, Brooks and Gelin officially became husband and wife at the Alfred DuPont Building in Miami. On January 13, she announced the news, posting some stunning wedding photos and captioning it, “I’z married!” Their daughter, who was two years old at the time, was their flower girl.
Gelin works in real estate.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Gelin began working as a real estate agent in New York City from June 2011 to July 2016 before taking on different jobs, like working as a child protective specialist from February 2019 to February 2021. He then returned back to the real estate world, and has been working there ever since.
