David Isaacman is many things. He’s a breakout star of Netflix’s “Love on the Spectrum” since its first season, a loving boyfriend who recently pulled off a romantic trip to Africa and an enthusiast of all things lions. But what few people know is that Jewish culture has been a significant part of Isaacman’s life from an early age, from hosting his cousins for Hanukkah to eventually introducing his girlfriend and other Netflix castmates to the game of dreidel (and to his lion-shaped menorah).
Isaacman stumbled across “Love on the Spectrum” through a connection he made at all-abilities musical theater program The Miracle Project — where, as he recently told Hey Alma in an exclusive interview, “miracles happen every day.” Isaacman is a triplet, and according to one of his fellow triplets, Aubrey, Isaacman has “always talked about his desire for dating.” When he had a chance to apply to be on the show, he jumped at the opportunity.
“All my life, I’ve never had a girlfriend,” said Isaacman wistfully, describing his life before the show. He recounted going through three separate virtual screening interviews for the show, all the while keeping his eye on the prize of eventually finding his perfect romantic match. Finally, he said, “they asked me if I wanted to be on the show, and I said ‘yes!’”
Three seasons later, 30-year-old Isaacman and his girlfriend of nearly four years, Abbey Romeo, are a focal point of the show. Fans have watched their love story start during season one on a first date at the San Diego Zoo and escalate to a trip to Africa on season two, where the two went on a safari and broke out in a tender duet of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” from “The Lion King.”
When Hey Alma asked Isaacman what he loves most about dating Romeo, he had a hard time picking just one thing (or two, or three).
“Not only do I love her personality, but she’s as sweet as all of my favorite desserts,” he said. “She’s pretty, and nice, and smart, and funny, and lovely, and beautiful, all at the same time.”
In “Love on the Spectrum”’s third season, which came out on April 2 and has since climbed the Netflix charts, Isaacman celebrated his three-year anniversary with Romeo at a vineyard in Malibu — although, as the loyal Alta Dena milk fan later confessed, he merely pretended to taste the wines. To his surprise (and to the emotional overwhelm of the couple’s families), Romeo later serenaded him with an original song, “Boyfriend Forever,” in which she dubs him “the lion to [her] lioness.”
“It was a beautiful song. It’s lovely, and I felt it from the bottom of my heart,” Isaacman said. When fans listen to the song on streaming platforms or view the music video on YouTube, he says, “I hope they get to feel the same thing I did.”
Isaacman’s home and family life got more airtime this season, a direction he said “felt good.” But what audiences didn’t get to see was his family’s long-standing celebration of the Jewish holidays. These holidays, he said, have been the backdrop of many of his happiest milestones.
“All my cousins come over to my place for every Hanukkah. It’s where they all got to meet Abbey,” he said. “For Hanukkah, I get to play dreidel, split chocolate coins, eat latkes and even light the menorah.”
When Romeo came into Isaacman’s life, he got to share all of the above — especially chocolate coins, his favorite — with her. His was Romeo’s first Hanukkah, and, since that first year, he’s invited more and more people from the “Love on the Spectrum” cast to celebrate with him. Other fan favorite guests have included Dani Bowman and Subodh Garg. For Isaacman, these moments are “all about bringing everyone together.”
Isaacman frequently documents these festivities on his social media pages, donning PJs covered in menorahs, spinning multi-colored dreidels and, most recently, showing off his family’s gorgeous seder tablescape. He dressed in all blue for the occasion, in honor of the Red Sea.
@david_loveonthespectrum I’m having a good Passover. I had the Seder with my family this weekend and it was fun 😊 #passover #jewish #synesthesia #autismfamily #loveonthespectrumus
Jewish culture brings Isaacman closer to his family, but it also gives him the opportunity to flex one of his most impressive gifts: his synesthesia, which allows him to associate certain numbers with certain colors. On his TikTok, he proudly stated that his blue ensemble was the color of the number 4, while revealing to Hey Alma that the color of the auspicious number 18 is beige.
While filming for season three of “Love on the Spectrum” may have concluded, Isaacman’s adventures, he said, have just begun. Right now, he has his fingers crossed for another trip to Africa. After a more-than-memorable first trip with his real-life lioness, he said he “can’t wait to go back.”
