Darnell gained fame when he served as a juror for the reality television series Germany’s Next Top Model in 2006. He has also served as a judge for the reality TV series Das Supertalent and Deutschland sucht den Superstar and as a coach for the Swiss edition of Next Top Model. Darnell appeared in an episode of the TV series Lotta in Love. In 2010 he won a Golden Camera Award for Best Entertainment Show for Das Supertalent.