For Niecy Nash, It’s About Visibility In Hollywood
Niecy Nash's long-running career includes a variety of characters from television and film, all of which are brought to life by her vivacious personality and undeniable talent. After decades in show business, the 52-year-old actress has entered a new era in her personal life as her career progresses.
Nash has new projects, new partnerships, and new goals ahead of her after her August 2020 marriage to Jessica Betts, whom she refers to as her "better half."
"Listen, I told my better half when I got married... You talk about your desires and all these deep conversations, and I asked, "Can I just be real?" And she said, "Yeah." "I just want to make love all over the world," I explained. These passports have stamps. "Let's get it," she joked with VIBE during a morning chat in early April.
We met the Claws actress at a Beverly Hills hotel to talk about her new partnership with IHOP, where she was filming promotional material and finishing up press for the tasty venture. We talked about her upcoming shows, representation in Hollywood, and other topics.
The length and clarity of this interview have been edited.
I'm aware that The Rookie will be released soon.
How was it going with that? What can fans expect from you in that capacity?
The Rookie was a lot of fun for me. It was a lot of fun. I couldn't get away from playing a law enforcement officer if I tried, but I had a great time. Simone Clark is the character I play. She's fiery, funny, and passionate, but she's a little out of the ordinary. So she's having trouble doing things the FBI way because she wants to do things her way. As a result, her bosses tell her, "Get with the program." "But I finished the job, so what difference does it make how I got it done?" she says.
What else are you working on right now that you can tell us about?
I'm the new Don't Forget the Lyrics host! It was previously hosted by Wayne Brady. I'm now hosting and executive producing it. I was overjoyed that my better half, who is a member of the band, was able to collaborate with me on it. That was a lot of fun to film. And it's wonderful to be able to give people bags and bags of money after we've been through so much with this pandemic. I cried as I wrapped it because I was so happy. That money was desperately needed by so many people. "Well, if you know these lyrics, I'll give it to you," I say. So there you have it.
