Niecy Nash Gives An Update On Her Love Story With Jessica Betts

Niecy Nash broke the internet with her joyous announcement of her third marriage, stunning everyone with the reveal that she had exchanged vows with a woman named Jessica Betts. The road to their marital bliss wasn’t easy, the Claws actress shared on the most recent episode of Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk, but it’s been so worth it — she and Betts are “soulmates.”

Nash joined the women of the Pinkett-Smith family at the red table to talk candidly about her relationship with Betts. The TV star explained that as a woman who had only identified as heterosexual and had only been romantically involved with men throughout her life, her first in-person encounter with Betts threw her for a loop. For Nash, meeting the musician and actress felt like she had finally been reunited with her better half.

“I met the most beautiful soul I had ever met in my entire life,” Nash shared. “And there was something [in me] that said, I don’t ever want to be away from this energy.”

Even though she felt immediately drawn to Betts, Nash says she did initially feel pangs of anxiety about the consequences of dating another woman. After all, she had previously been married to men, and in a society that is as homophobic as it is misogynoiristic, being Black and queer could definitely pose some problems for her personally and professionally. Nash also discussed worrying about the opinions of those closest to her, like her traditional mother and three children. However, her family was more than supportive of the relationship; Nash’s younger daughter Dia even attempted to help her learn more about the LGBTQ+ community by exploring some terms that might help her self-identify.

Though she’s married to a woman, Nash told Red Table Talk that there isn’t a specific label she identifies with. Right now, being in love with Betts, she’s simply free.

“I’ve dated men all my life — even married a couple of them — but [dating Jessica] was the first time that I felt truly seen,” she explained. “It truly changed me.”

“The other thing that is hard for people is when you don’t fit in the box we put you in,” Nash continued passionately. “What I say to that is that I am everything you thought I was; I just lay my head somewhere else…LGBTQ plus Niecy.”

Betts later joined the red table to the women’s delight, sharing details about their first date and their first kiss. She revealed that while Nash technically made the first move, she was the one in dogged pursuit of the actress all the way up until they got engaged (while skinny dipping in a hot tub) and then married in a private backyard ceremony in August 2019.

Though the pair know that the public may still have questions, doubts, and even judgments about their relationship, Nash and Betts aren’t worried. What matters most to them is their happiness and the future that they’re building together right now.

“We both say to each other all the time, ‘this is absolutely the best person, the best thing that’s ever happened to me,’” concluded Nash with a smile. “And that is our truth.”