Is "Never Have I Ever"'s Darren Barnet Single or Taken?

Updated on 6/6/2023 at 5:50 PM

Darren Barnet returns as teenage heartthrob Paxton Hall-Yoshida in the fourth season of Netflix's beloved series "Never Have I Ever," which hits the streamer on June 8. In the series, Barnet plays the popular yet complex Paxton, one of the love interests of the main character of the rom-com show, Devi Vishwakumar.

Outside of "Never Have I Ever," Barnet is just as desirable as his show character and has garnered plenty of loving attention from fans for his role on the show, as well as his part in Netflix's 2021 film "Love Hard." So much love, in fact, that the rate of thirsty DMs he receives daily has skyrocketed. "Every time I refresh it, there's like 100 or 200 more," he told Elle in May 2020. "There's a lot that are just, 'Hey, the show has really helped me through a hard time.' Or, 'Thank you for making me laugh.' And I love those and I try to reach out and respond to those. And then there's also the ones that are like, 'Take your shirt off.' And I'm like, 'No.'"

So who has managed to steal Barnet's heart? Following the release of "Love Hard," the actor had a brief relationship with his "Love Hard" costar Mikaela Hoover, though it appears that Barnet may be back on the market again.

Amidst the premiere of "Never Have I Ever," here is the status of Barnet's love life and who the actor has romanced in the past!

Who Is Darren Barnet Dating Now?

As of June 2023, Barnet appears to be single. While it could be possible that the actor is dating someone privately, his social media points to him being busy with acting projects and hanging with friends.

Darren Barnet and Mikaela Hoover (April 2021-November 2021)

It is unknown exactly when Barnet started dating his "Love Hard" costar Mikaela Hoover, but they made their Instagram debut as a couple in April 2021 when Hoover shared a polaroid picture of them together for Barnet's birthday, so we can assume it was sometime before then. "You make me happy. Happy Birthday Angel," the actress wrote in the caption.

By May 2021, Barnet and Hoover took a trip to the Global Wildlife Center, which both documented on Instagram. In the pictures, the happy couple are seen feeding giraffes and camels from a tourist truck.

In July 2021, the "Never Have I Ever" actor shared some birthday love for Hoover in a similar fashion, and posted the same polaroid picture on Instagram for her birthday, writing, "Happy Birthday, love. Today is for you."

For the most part, the pair kept a low profile throughout their relationship and didn't share a ton about their romantic adventures on social media.

In August 2021, the couple made their red carpet debut for the premiere of "The Suicide Squad," in which Hoover starred as Camilla. Both Barnet and Hoover posted pictures from the event on Instagram, with Barnet writing in part, "A big thank you and congratulations to @jamesgunn and the entire cast, including @mikaela on such an awesome film!"

The couple's social media posts dwindled after "The Suicide Squad" premiere. Their last photo together was posted on Instagram by Hoover in October 2021, and shows the pair at an Alanis Morissette concert. While it is unknown when the couple broke up, it appears to have been sometime around or after October, as both stopped posting pictures with one another.

Darren Barnet and Ali Rose (April 2018-March 2019)

Barnet appeared to start a relationship with "Southpaw" actress and model Ali Rose in April 2018, if their first photo together on her Instagram is anything to go by. Rose occasionally shared pictures of the two throughout their relationship on social media, from the cute snap above that she posted for National Boyfriend Day to a particularly steamy picture she shared just in time for Valentine's Day in 2019. After the February holiday, however, the pictures stopped, and by March 2019, Rose posted a quote on her Instagram that read in part, "Just always be the better person. And make your intentions pure," possibly alluding to a breakup.

Cassie Maynard (November 2014-January 2017)

Long before his days as a Netflix heartthrob, Barnet dated E! producer Cassie Maynard for approximately two years. Maynard and Barnet made their Instagram debut in November 2014 when the "Never Have I Ever" actor snapped a picture of the two while ice skating. Then, In December 2015, Barnet took to Instagram to celebrate their one-year anniversary with a collage of pictures of the couple festively posing in front of Christmas trees.

Throughout their relationship, Maynard frequently posted about their outings as a couple, but sometime after January 2017, it appeared the couple broke up, as their last picture together was shared on Jan. 10.