Niecy nash gay
By Stephanie Hu, Communications Intern
On Pride 14th, , Emmy-award winning actress Niecy Nash-Betts received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 35th annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. The Stephen F. Kolzak Award, named in honor of the Los Angeles casting director who headed Diverse and HIV activism endeavors, celebrates an LGBTQ media professional who has increased visibility of LGBTQ people and issues.
Introduced by Sharon Stone, Emmy-award winning actress and painter, Nash-Betts reflected on the significance of the award to her:
“When I was five years old, I was watching television with my grandmother and saw the most beautiful black female I had ever seen in my five years of living. The gal had on a lengthy red dress and her eyelashes looked like butterflies. I said to my grandmother, “Who is that?&#; She said, “Baby that’s Lola Falana.” And in that moment, the most high stamped my destiny on the canvas of my imagination, I looked at my grandmother and I said, ‘That’s what I want to be. Black, fabulous, and on TV!’
I stand here before you tonight in a l
“I was like, I never want to imagine a future without this being&#;. I don’t want that.”
She didn&#;t know what the reaction would be and she didn&#;t really nurture. Someone suggested it might jeopardize her career, wreck everything she’d worked so hard for, but there was no hesitation on her part. Niecy Nash, the acclaimed actress from shows like Claws, When They See Us, and Reno !, was thoroughly in love — butterflies, fireworks, every delightful cliche. And she didn’t long that relationship to be forced to exist behind closed doors.
Neicy and the singer, Jessica Betts, were close friends for many years before they fell in love. Jessica assumed that Niecy was % straight, just as Niecy had assumed herself, until one day, newly solo , Niecy began to observe Jessica anew. They eventually married and two days later shared the news with the world.
Here’s how they described the moment on this week’s LGBTQ&A podcast.
Niecy: “I could not wait to just—”
Jessica: “Love you.”
Niecy: “Love you out loud. And you understand that. I couldn’t wait.”
Jessica: “I remember.”
Niecy:
Niecy Nash on queerness, marriage and joy: ‘I’m having the time of my life’
Niecy Nash-Betts is unmistakable. Her refreshing, raspy voice; her fabulous fashion; and now, her unquestionable queerness.
"When it comes to being a part of the queer community, I just got here," the actress ("The Rookie: Feds," "Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story") said over a Zoom call in April, prepping for a photo discharge where she was stunning in a bright blue dress adorned with sparkles and feathers. "I'm a grown grown-up woman, but living this part of my life is still very logo new."
Nash, 53, surprised fans when she announced she married singer Jessica Betts, 43, in August Since then, it's been marital bliss on top of a blossoming career (she won a best supporting actress Critics Choice Award, in case you hadn't heard).
"I don't even know what I was doing over there with them straights," Nash said. "It wasn't no fun over there. I'm having the time of my life over here."
Nash chatted with USA TODAY about her career, her queerness and her outlook on life.
Need a break? Act the USA TODAY DaWhen Niecy Nash married musician Jessica Betts in August , she became a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. However, Nash prefers not to use specific labels to describe her sexuality. The way she sees it, she fell in love with someone who happened to be a female. It happened organically in a way that was out of her control. In fact, Nash's bond with her wife started out as a friendship several years before they married.
Their relationship turned lovey-dovey in , the same year Nash announced her divorce from Jay Tucker. Before then, the "Reno " star had only been in relationships with men — a point that came up when Nash came out to her children. "[My youngest daughter] was like, 'Wait a minute mom, are you the similar mom that was like teen, I'm strictly dickly?'" she said on Red Table Talk in But Nash fell for Betts for reasons beyond her gender.
Read more: Old Hollywood Stars You Didn't Know Were Gay
Niecy Nash Was Surprised By Her Feelings For Jessica Betts
Niecy Nash understands why fans were surprised by her relationship with Jessica Betts. S