Niecy Nash Was ‘Reluctant’ About Her Relationship With Her Wife Jessica Betts at First
Niecy Nash has always been one of the most personable actors in Hollywood. She has showcased the ups and downs of her career as well as her romantic life. Therefore, fans were stunned in Aug. 2020, when Nash announced that she had married 41-year-old singer/songwriter Jessica Betts.
No one had even known the women were dating or that Nash was interested in dating women. However, the Claws actor has not let that stop her from showcasing her love of her wife, whom she calls her Hersband.
However, as happy as Nash is now, the 51-year-old was hesitant about her relationship with Betts at first.
Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts were friends first
Nash and Betts met over four years ago. At the time, Nash was married to her ex-husband, Jay Tucker and they were just good friends. On an episode of Red Table Talk, the singer explained that she’s never been romantically interested in a woman before.
“[Jessica] and I were friends, but I never saw her as someone I would date,” Nash told People. “I loved her before I was in love with her because she is such a special human being. But we began to see each other in a way we never had before. Sometimes you get so broken by love, you run from it. But I’ve learned that you should always hold space for magic because it can happen at any time.”
Niecy Nash labels her sexuality as ‘free’
Nash has also been clear that she was never suppressing her sexuality when she was married to or dating men in the past. “A lot of people had said at the beginning, ‘Niecy Nash has finally come out.,” Nash explained on Red Table Talk. “I wasn’t living a lie or trying to make myself like a man. I mean, I liked ’em. I liked ’em real good but now I’m on the new new. If I had to label myself in this moment, I would label myself with the term free.”
The mother-of-three also explained that she is still learning the ropes of the LGBTQ community, but she’s happy to embrace it all.
The When They See Us actor went on to explain that Betts is the most beautiful soul she’s ever met and she never truly felt seen until they began dating.
“I’ve dated men all my life, too. Married a couple of ’em. But it was the first time in my life I had ever felt fully seen,” she explained “And it changed me, and the other thing that I think gets harder for people is when you don’t fit in the box we put you in.”
Niecy Nash was reluctant about her relationship with Jessica Betts at first
Still, as happy and in love, as Nash is today, she was reluctant to begin dating Betts at first. On Red Table Talk, Betts said she was constantly chasing her wife in the beginning, with Nash rarely responding back to her.
The Soul Man alum explained why she was hesitant to move to the next level with Betts at first. Following her 2019 divorce, Nash had no interest in getting back into a serious long-term relationship “I was just going to live my life and just have fun and I’m going to run these bachelorette streets,” she explained.
Though Nash wasn’t truly concerned with outsiders, she was concerned that her friendship with Betts would not survive if things did not work out romantically between them. “I was fearful that our friendship might not survive it,” she explained. “I never want this person to not be in my life, so I don’t know what the running rules are.”
