Jaime King is taking her time to enjoy her recent engagement to Austin Sosa.
“I feel like my engagement is to myself, in the best way,” King, 46, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, October 23, explaining that “there’s so many beautiful things happening” in her life. “To me, an engagement is really about a love for oneself.”
In her first interview about the new chapter in her life, King added that she’s “very thankful” to have found Sosa and been welcomed into his “extraordinary” family.
“I’m just really excited for this new time in my life,” she gushed. “The person that I’m engaged to, I love deeply.”
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King shared that she and Sosa “met through mutual friends” in December 2024 and she was immediately drawn to the investment banker.
“When I saw him, I was like, ‘You’re going to be my boyfriend.’ He’s like, ‘Wait, what?’” she recalled. “I think it kind of shook him a little bit. And then the second time, I was like, ‘You’re going to be my boyfriend.’ Which is such a silly thing to say. It seems so childish, but I just looked [at him], I was like, ‘Oh, no, that’s going to be my person.’”
The Lights Out star shared that not only is Sosa “kind and gracious” but her “children love him” too. King is mother to sons James Knight and Leo Thames, whom she shares with ex-husband Kyle Newman. (The former couple settled their divorce in 2023.)
“What I’ve learned is that marriage and relationships are about reciprocity, truth, understanding, accountability, and the willingness to do whatever it takes to make sure that things are holistic and cared for,” King said.
“We went to go get like [frozen yogurt] and Leo Thames wanted to race [Austin.] [Leo Thames] is very athletic, and he loves to move fast and he is super strong and beautiful. So, they raced and then he said, ‘Austin, you’re my twin.’ These two are like twin souls,” she recalled. “They very much see each other and get each other. And the same thing with James Knight, [who’s] very artistic and sensitive. And that’s a side of Austin that I really appreciate.
“The most important thing to me is my children’s happiness, health and wellbeing” she continued. “And that they feel joyful and happy with any person that’s around them.”
Sosa’s heart and values was something that drew King in immediately.
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“Loving to me is not just some romantic thing. It’s seeing someone and being like, ‘Oh, they’re going to have my back and I’m going to have their back, and we’re going to have fun together. We’re going to take care of each other,” she. “There’s loyalty. There’s just an integrity about him that is rare.”
And their whirlwind romance culminated in the perfect proposal earlier this year.
“It wasn’t extra. It was just more like, ‘yeah, we got each other,’” King said. “And I think now more than ever, that’s super important. You know, with everything that’s going on in the world, it’s just like knowing that someone’s got your back and that there’s a promise to take care of each other.”
And when Sosa surprised her by getting down on one knee, the Hart of Dixie actress confessed to Us that Sosa’s mother had a helping hand with not one – but two! — engagement rings.
“I would say his mother is the most in tune with me … she has a helping hand in anything that matters to me,” she told Us. “She’s just the most extraordinary human being, the most extraordinary artist, mother, person, human. And I just love her so deeply.”
One of the diamond rings King describes as an emerald cut with two diamond hearts on each side set in platinum.
And the second is a family heirloom complete with a round diamond and intricate detailing on each side: “That one’s the most important to me.”
King primarily wears the family ring on her pinky finger “because it was from a family member that had way smaller fingers.”
“So I just wear it there so it fits,” she said.
While King is excited to spend the rest of her life with Sosa, she’s not in any rush to make plans to walk down the aisle and hasn’t started wedding planning just yet. Instead, her priority is her sons.
“My main focus is them,” King said. “So my main focus is not necessarily planning some extravaganza. My focus is chilling with them, enjoying my time with them. Enjoying their time with Austin and our other friends that love them so dearly. It would be too singular of a focus to make it just about a wedding.”
King’s sons know that a wedding will be coming at some point, but the actress said the commitment between her, Sosa and her sons is more important than the celebration itself.
“To me, every day is about being very present,” she shared. “And you know, focusing on the children first and foremost. The wedding, it’s honestly not the main thing in terms of a ceremony. It’s just a vow that’s extremely important, and [being] happy and enjoying our time together.”
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King explained that as a mom, she wants to make sure she’s by her kids’ sides throughout their major milestones.
“The most important thing in regards to time with them is just being present. They just need presence, and they need to be heard and they need to be seen,” she told Us. “They need to know how much that’s valued. As they get older and they’re going through puberty … it’s like everything shifts and changes. So just showing up for them and the way that they need, and sowing upon them the correct morals, values … just how to move through this world in a way, that they’re respectful and kind and gracious and loving.”
King added that family is everything to her.
“My whole life, all I wanted was to have a family unit, to be married, to have a partnership, you know, to be of service in that manner. It’s very important to me,” she explained. “I’m eclectic and traditional at the same time. And so, it sincerely matters to me. My intention is to walk through this world with extraordinary joy, comradery and togetherness. And the way that I experience that is with my children and within family.”
