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Niecy Nash Says She Didn’t Feel “Fully Seen” Until Meeting Wife Jessica Betts

Seven months after getting married to R&B musician Jessica Betts, Niecy Nash opened up on Red Table Talk about how it made her feel "fully seen” for the "first time" in her life.

By Lindsay Weinberg Mar 31, 2021 12:30 AMTags
Watch: Niecy Nash Marries Jessica Betts In Surprise Wedding

Third time really was the charm for Niecy Nash. After marrying and divorcing Don Nash and Jay Tucker, the actress found The One in singer Jessica Betts

E! News got an exclusive sneak peek at the next episode of Red Table Talk, in which Niecy sat down with hosts Willow SmithJada Pinkett Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris and opened up about why her wedding to Jessica made her feel more like herself than ever before. 

"I've dated men all my life. Married a couple of them," Niecy said. "But it was the first time in my life I had ever felt fully seen. And it changed me." 

In August 2020, she and Jessica announced they had tied the knot in a secret ceremony, about a year after she divorced Jay. 

The Claws star, 51, spoke about why she thinks other people's perceptions of her have needlessly changed since she revealed she was married to Jessica.

"The other thing that I think it's harder for people is when you don't fit in the box we put you in. [They're like,] 'We thought you were this,'" she explained.

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Secret Star Weddings and Elopements

Her perfect response? "What I say to that is, ‘I am everything you thought I was. I just laid my head somewhere else.' I can still act. I can host. I can do the things," she shared.

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Willow added her interpretation, saying, "I'm everything you thought I was and more." The singer, who has previously said she loves men and women equally, snapped her fingers to hit the point home. 

Niecy then joked,  "LGBTQ plus Niecy." To which Willow laughed and responded, "I love that." 

After celebrating her nuptials with Jessica, Niecy explained that she doesn't see their relationship as her coming out

She told People in September, "[My marriage] has absolutely nothing to do with gender and it has everything to do with her soul."

Niecy went on, "I don't feel like my marriage is my coming out of anywhere, but rather a going into myself and being honest about who I love… And I'm not limiting myself on what that love is supposed to look like."

She clarified that she wasn't "suppressing" her sexuality for the first 50 years of her life, and indeed loved her ex-husbands. As the three-time Emmy nominee put it, "I love those people. And today I love this person. I've done everything I wanted to do on my own terms and my own way."

The next month, fans got a look at their wedding vows when the music video for Jessica's song "Catch Me" featured a recording of their declarations of love.  

In fact, the pair marked seven months of married life this week, when Niecy shared an Instagram video of them making fun of their haters. 

"Tomorrow is our seven-month-iversary. People was like, ‘Y'all ain't gonna make it,'" Niecy said. The R&B musician responded, "Who give a damn. Who gives a rat's ass."

As they started cracking up, Niecy kept quoting comments she's heard about their relationship: "'This is not for real.' ‘You're gonna burn in hell.'" They ended the video with a kiss. 

Watch her new interview above, and tune in on Wednesday, March 31, for the full episode of Red Table Talk on Facebook Watch.