An improvised engagement: Aaron Harris’ mid-show suprise proposal to Lena Dunham’s Darnell Eaton
When Darnell Eaton recently stepped on stage to perform with WIT ensemble Lena Dunham, he had no idea what surprises the show would hold (like any improv show!). Little did he know this would be one of the most unpredictable shows of his life!
Eaton’s partner Aaron Harris conspired with the members of Lena Dunham to set up a surprise proposal at the end of the performance, which took place at New York’s Magnet Theater. We spoke to the happy couple about the exciting night, which was caught on film! (See the embedded clip below)
Let’s start out at the beginning! How did you two meet? How long have you been together?
Darnell: I met Aaron through a friend as a real estate transaction and after two calls with him, we realized he was not ready to buy a house just yet. I still kept in touch with him on at least a monthly basis because I liked the sound of his voice, his charming generous attitude, and his Instagram. Let’s just say I spent a lot of time on the phone prospecting him than I do with other prospects. After months of phone conversations, we decided to meet at Busboys and Poet in Hyattsville, and we wouldn’t see each other again for another year, but kept speaking on the phone.
Aaron: We met through a mutual friend. I wanted a castle under $300k and he directly told me… “bye Felicia” LOL. There was something so charming and funny about him that stayed on my mind after that conversation ended. Cut to a year later and we are both at the mutual friend’s gathering and it feels like we are the only two people in the backyard as we engage in conversation. It was that moment that I knew he was the one. We have been together over three years now.
How long have each of you been doing improv? Have you improvised together?
Darnell: I’m old hat now, going on my 16th year. We’ve done a Palooza show that Aaron created called the Gym Rats and we will now be on a FIST Team this year with Macey Schiff and Tandra Turner called Sweettooth.
Aaron: I have been doing improv since 2022. Now I am on 5 teams: Imagine Wagons, Who All Gon’ Be There, the WIT Harold team Table for Eleven, The Third Graders, and Earth Wind and Tired. As Darnell mentioned, we did a Palooza show together and now will do FIST. I am looking forward to the FIST show because it features three of the best improvisers in DC.
Now tell me about the proposal! Aaron, how did the idea form? Tell us about your plan pulling it off.
Aaron: The idea formed around December 2024. We had plans to go to New york in 2025 on Valentine’s day weekend to see the drag queen Jinkx Monsoon, Death Becomes Her on Broadway, and an all black improv night at the Magnet Theater that Sunday. Truly a MAGICAL weekend! The idea popped in my head to propose at the Magnet theater during the Lena Dunham Show. I roped Eva Lewis into my evil little scheme and she said it would be a good idea to propose during the last scene of their show. She said the team would do some kind of wedding scene and I would come on stage then as the REAL proposal. The funniest part of that scene was watching Darnell’s improv brain work trying to figure out why his team all got on one knee!
Darnell, tell me about living it in the moment. What was going through your head the whole time?
Darnell: I was surprised when Eva Lewis pulled me on stage again because we were just in the previous scene, but I went with it anyway. I was like, okay, she’s proposing, not sure how that related to any premise we got from the opening, but okay, but then the pile on of other improvisers left me a bit in my head because I then thought, oh shoot, everyone knows what this Game is, but I don’t know how to read what they are putting down. So of course, if you leave me on stage too long, I’ll do something bogus to figure out how to support myself onstage. So after the other 6 members took a knee to propose, and Eva mentioned that there was a seventh one, I made myself the seventh person proposing to myself, unbeknownst to me that that seventh person was Aaron. And then Aaron got on stage and it still didn’t register that he was proposing until I heard the audience reaction. I can’t remember being surprised like that ever before. It was amazing and intense and wonderful.
What was the audience response?
Aaron: I anticipated a reaction from the audience… but not a REACTION from them. There were screams and shouts and lots of tears. Some people expressed they thought I was a drunk guy that just wandered on stage lol.
Darnell: It was wild! A few people cried, some thanked us for the experience. I was very grateful to have that moment with the audience and team. What a way to propose on stage at Magnet Theater in NYC! Never saw it coming!
So… when’s the big day? Have you started planning yet?
Aaron: Talks of the fall… which is the PERFECT wedding time. And I finally will have the dream house I asked him to sell me years ago. This time, I have the dream partner to share it with (insert emoji with heart eyes).
Darnell: We are buying a house first and I get to fulfill my dreams of being his realtor once and for all!