The couple has been dating since 2021.
Wedding bells are ringing for FBI star Zeeko Zaki and his now-fiancée, Renee Monaco. ET can exclusively reveal that the duo is officially engaged!
On Tuesday, Zaki spoke with ET to spill on his proposal and the upcoming finale of the CBS crime drama. The 33-year-old Egyptian-American actor shared that an ongoing inside joke between him and his future bride was to say the phrase "is this the moment?" anytime they were in a romantic setting in which a proposal could take place. But the actual "moment" came when they ventured into the desert on camels, providing the perfect picturesque backdrop.
"I don't think she had any idea that it was gonna happen there, but I was not gonna waste a camel ride into the desert, so it was definitely the moment, and it was a dream come true," Zaki exclusively tells ET's Rachel Smith.
He shares that the first words he remembers saying to his new fiancée after his proposal were, "This is the moment."
When Zaki actually got down on one knee to pop the question, he can't remember what he said to Monaco. He admits to not planning his comments in advance.
"It's so funny that's the one thing that I didn't prepare because I was like, 'It will come to me in the moment,'" he says. "I don't know why I didn't prepare something because every line I've spoken in the past five years has been written for me, so I feel like I should have at least put in a little more there, but it was so magical. It was unbelievable."
Monaco was present for her man's interview, gushing to ET, "I had no idea. I was so happy."
In 2022, Zaki talked to ET while in the Bahamas, where he couldn't help but blush over bringing Monaco along for the vacation. "Thank you for letting me bring her with me, it was the best gift of this whole trip," Zaki said at the time.
ET's Nischelle Turner co-signed their romance, saying, "She's a sweetheart. Let's keep her. Give her that final rose," to which Zaki confirmed, "Absolutely."
Of his engagement reveal, Zaki admits that in addition to sharing the news with ET, he also let his FBI co-stars in on the milestone moment.
"Missy [Peregrym] knew. She knows everything," he says of his co-star, who plays Special Agent Maggie Bell. "John [Boyd] and Jeremy [Sisto], the whole cast was really, really excited for this."
Zaki, who stars as Special Agent Omar Adom 'OA’ Zidan on FBI, has been linked to Monaco, a digital content creator, since 2021. The couple has chronicled their romance via social media, sharing adorable photos and tributes to one another throughout their relationship.
On Valentine's Day, Zaki took to Instagram to share a series of photos of Monaco smiling and posing in the ocean. "Miss Renée you have brought me closer to my family, my work, and too myself. You helped me carve out a safe space in this crazy little world and I couldn’t wake up more excited to share it with you every single day… Thank you baby! Happy Valentine’s Day," he wrote.
In September 2022, Monaco accompanied Zaki to his appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Taking a picture at the studio, Monaco wrote, "Proud is an understatement. So beyond happy to see you receive the recognition you deserve. Getting to be by your side and watch you shine is a ridiculous amount of fun."
Speaking with ET ahead of Tuesday night's season 5 finale and 100th episode of FBI, Zaki shares what the moment means to him.
"This is so far past any reality that I thought was ever possible," he admits. "One hundred episodes in today's world isn't really a common occurrence. It's been a really incredible ride."
As for the climactic episode, Zaki teases that fan can expect a "creepy" feel.
"We kind of take a creepy approach to our last episode because we don't really do these sort of creepy criminals," he says. "It's all very textbook, you know, from the headlines and stuff like that. But with this one, we get to focus our attention on a religious serial killer who has a God complex, and our guest star shaves his eyebrows for the role, so immediately you're just like, 'Oh, this is extremely creepy.' And we got to shoot in Sleepy Hollow cemetery with a headless horseman. And it was like all of it was just very, very creepy, but we know that when our energies come together to produce a finale and then the 100th episode, I just I can't wait to watch it."
The season 5 finale of FBI airs Tuesday, May 23 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
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