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You can take the guy out of Manhattan, but you can’t take Manhattan out of the guy—at least not in the case of Taye Diggs. Though the actor recently relocated to Los Angeles, where his TNT drama Murder in the First shoots—and where his six-year-old son, Walker (with ex-wife Idina Menzel), lives—he swears, “I’ll always be a New Yorker.” So it’s only fitting that has in what he describes as “a New York City–style apartment in the middle of Hollywood.”
When the show returns for its third season this Sunday (10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT), viewers will find Diggs’s character, homicide detective Terry English, and his partner, Hildy Mulligan (played by Kathleen Robertson), plotting to reveal the killer of a pro football player gunned down in a nightclub. “This season tackles a lot of issues,” says Diggs: “Race, cancer, privilege.” Thankfully, things are a lot less heavy (cue the waffles!) in Diggs’s homey pad. Read on for a sneak peek.
Describe your home in five words or less. “Colorful, warm, kid-friendly.”
If you could own any work of art what would it be? “A piece by Basquiat. He’s intriguing and groundbreaking. He may be the inspiration for my next tattoo.”
What was last playing on your TV? “The Girlfriend Experience on Starz. It’s salacious. There are so many ways to watch TV now and so many options, but I like that because I can always find something interesting.”
If you could save only one thing in your home, what would it be? “A photo of my son taken at an aquarium. It’s blown up and framed, and the way it’s shot makes it look like he’s actually in the water.”
Do you collect anything? “Sneakers. They’re all over the place, though—here, New York, in storage spaces. I gravitate toward the old-school ones. Right now I’m into Converse, but I also like Adidas and Nike.”
Where do you keep your awards? “Mostly in storage—with all of my other stuff. But I do have an NAACP Image Award hanging on the wall under the picture of my son.”
What’s on your bedside table? “A book of prayers and a photo of my son.”
If you could save one item in your home, what would it be? “A pair of ottomans that my girlfriend, Amanza [Smith Brown], made—they’re beautiful, and I’m so proud of her. I really caught the design bug from her.”
Do you usually agree on decor? “I’d say about 60 percent of the time. She is an interior designer and has a real talent for it, so she’s brought me along. I’ll usually defer to her, but I don’t like it if things get too opulent or over the top.”
What was the best-designed set you’ve ever worked on? “Private Practice. Since we were all doctors on the show, and doing well, we had great apartments. I think the designer for the show also did Kate Walsh’s apartment.”
What was the first thing you splurged on when you made it big? “A suit, after I got How Stella Got Her Groove Back. It probably cost $1,000. I’d never really had a proper suit before, and it seemed like the grown-up thing to do.”
Most nights you eat dinner . . . “I don’t really cook, so we go out and order in mostly, but I can cook kid food. My son really likes rice and beans, and I can manage that and the other kids’ staples, like waffles and pasta.”
What’s always in your fridge? “Pineapple.”
What song has been playing most often in your home of late? “Anything by Aloe Blacc. His music is soulful.”
What famous person, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? “Jesus. I wonder what he’d think of my meatballs.”
