screen crushes

An ode to the hunky, heartthrob stars of ‘Never Have I Ever’s’ final season

By · Updated on January 26, 2024
A triptych of 'Never Have I Ever' stars: Jaren Lewison, Darren Barnet, and Michael Cimino
Image Credits: ‘Never Have I Ever,’ Netflix

On June 8, Netflix’s hit coming-of-age dramedy Never Have I Ever returns for its fourth and final season, following Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) as she navigates her senior year.

Co-created by Mindy Kailing, the series has always nailed the sheer awkwardness of teenagerdom, featuring a charming cast who capably balance humor and heart.

Crucially, Never Have I Ever is also a show that fundamentally understands the life-ruining power of a hot guy—the kind that can completely throw you off your A Game just by merely walking past you in the hallway.

And while it’s a series about high schoolers, we’re grateful Never Have I Ever follows in the time-honored television tradition of casting men in their twenties and thirties to play teenagers. Frankly, it just makes things much easier from a thirst-watching perspective.

Check out the season four trailer (featuring appearances from beloved LGBTQ+ icons Niecy Nash and Alexandra Billings, as well as series breakout star Lee Rodriguez), and then scroll below for our tribute to Never Have I Ever‘s trio of eye candy stars:

Darren Barnet as Paxton Hall-Yoshida

At 32 years old, you could certainly quibble that Barnet has never convincingly looked like a teenager on the series, but that’s not something we’re going to complain about—we’re always thrilled to see this gorgeous man on our screens.

The grandson of famed swing musician Charlie Barnet, the actor comes from a talented family and was raised in Los Angeles. Though he spent his own teen years in Florida, Barnet moved back to Hollywood post-college to follow his acting dreams, and booked a number of TV guest roles on series like This Is Us and Criminal Minds.

But Never Have I Ever no doubt represents his biggest breakthrough, playing Devi’s slightly older schoolmate and crush, Paxton. The star-crossed lovers have a complicated, on-again-off-again relationship throughout the show’s run, though they seemed to be on good terms at the end of season three went he readied himself for college out of state. But, it seems like circumstances have brought him back to the high school in season four, and things are about to get complicated all over again.

Jaren Lewison as Ben Gross

Lewison, 22, got started in entertainment pretty young, first appearing on Barney & Friends when he was just 8 years old. He somehow managed to continue acting all while balancing that with a classic overachiever high school career in the Dallas, TX area—participating in theater, competing as a varsity powerlifter, and acting as captain of his varsity football team.

Never Have I Ever has also been Lewison’s most high-profile role to date, playing Devi’s rival-turned-love interest since season one. Once the classmates got over their competitiveness, they realized they had a lot in common and took a stab at dating, but things got—you guessed it—complicated. The ended last season with finally hooking up, and it looks like these new episodes will deal with the fallout.

Michael Cimino as Ethan

And, just to add one more complication to Devi’s life, Cimino joins season four of Never Have I Ever as Ethan, a fellow student who apparently just got super hot (“When did his torso get so claw-able?,” Devi’s friend Eleanor asks) and is suddenly the object of everyone’s affection. Ethan is said to be a “smoldering bad boy” who will surely shake things up senior year.

Cimino, of course, is best known as the eponymous Victor of Hulu’s Love, Victor, the spin-off of gay teen rom-com Love, Simon which just aired its final season last summer. The 23-year old actor previously appeared in horror flick Annabelle Comes Home and comedy Senior Year. Not unlike his new character, Ethan, Cimino has had quite the glow-up in the past few years, and has become one of the internet’s pre-eminent thirst-trappers.

Related:

Michael Cimino’s latest pantsless TikTok might as well be in 3D

The star is giving fans a fuller, more well-defined look at his day-to-day.

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