Darren Barnet’s Ethnic Background: Is He Japanese?

Talking about his ethnic background, Darren Barnet is of mixed race. While his mother is of Swedish and Japanese descent, his father is of German and Cherokee descent. 

Darren Barnet has become a household name after he appeared in the Netflix comedy-drama Never Have I Ever. In the first season of the series, he was seen as the love interest of the main character.

In the final season, he was not the main character but some people pointed to him as the reason to watch the series. In case you’re unaware, he plays the role of Paxton Hall-Yoshida, the hottest guy in college in the series. Before the series, he was also seen in many movies, including Love Hard and The Summit of the Gods.

After the series, many people seemed to be confused about Darren’s ethnicity as his character is a American-Japanese guy. However, is he Japanese in real life as well? Here is everything you need to know about his ethnic background.

Previously, we touched on Lee Rodriguez’s Sexuality, if Richa Moorjani pregnant, and Jaren Lewison’s wife & sexuality.

Darren Barnet Has Multiple Ethnic Backgrounds: American, Asian & European!

Even though he was born in America, Darren Barnet (@darrenbarnet) has a very interesting ethnic background as he has family roots from Europe, Asia, and America. He seems to be very proud of his ethnicity. And yes, he loves to speak Japanese. Many of his Asian fans were overjoyed to watch his lifestyle in the Netflix series, Never Have I Ever, which is similar to his real life.

In the Netflix series, he is portrayed as the son of a Japanese man, Kevin Hall-Yoshida and many people can imagine him being Japanese in real life too. All the gossip are slightly true, but he is not fully Japanese; he has a mixed ethnicity.

Darren Barnet is of multiple ethnic backgrounds.
Image Source: Instagram

Darren Barnet’s mother, Deborah Barnet, is of Swedish and Japanese descent. She is very familiar with Japanese culture, and she is said to have spent her childhood in Japan. As per his father, Hady J. Breidy, he is of German and Cherokee descent. He is inspired by his grandfather, Charles Barnet Jr., who was a famous swing musician.

Know About Darren Barnet’s Grandfather, Charles Barnet!

Charles Daly Barnet was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was born on October 26, 1913, in New York City to Cherokee-German ethnic background parents. He was the son of Charline (Daly) and Willard Barnet. His grandfather was a vice president for the New York Central Railroad, a banker, and a businessman.

Charles started getting involved in music from his childhood days, and by sixteen, he had played on tours with Jean Goldkette’s satellite band and was in New York, where he joined Frank Winegar’s Pennsylvania Boys on tenor sax. His career reached its peak between 1939 and 1941 when his hit version of Cherokee was released. He died on September 4, 1991, but it looks like his grandson, Darren, is about to gain the same fame as he used to have.

Darren Barnet on Playing a Japanese Character!

Many people hate Darren Barnet for being a basic white boy with an Asian last name in the Netflix series. Although he is white-passing, he never ignores the fact that he is of Japanese descent. His mother’s ethnic background defines him as having one of the Japanese face cuts, and he is very proud to be mixed race. Not only in real life but also in the Netflix series, he shows that he loves his mixed culture.

Darren Barnet was overjoyed when he learned to know about his role in the Netflix series.
Image Source: Instagram

Barnet was also overjoyed when he learned about his role in Never Have I Ever, where his character Paxton has a Japanese American History. His Japanese fans were also excited and satisfied with his role. Many love the detail about Mindy Kaling reworking the character to include Darren’s Japanese heritage. Some claimed to be sad, as many were unaware of his ethnic background until he spoke Japanese. On Reddit one of his fans stated;

The details matter here. The way it has been recounted by Darren is that the showrunners (after casting him) didn’t know he was part Japanese until they noticed him speaking and practicing his Japanese with a production crew member. So, when casting him, I think that the decision and creative choice could have accounted for how he is the best fit for the role because he, by appearance, is noticeably part Asian.