The Betts are thriving!
Niecy Nash admittedly surprised many fans by announcing she'd married Jessica Betts in 2020, just eight months after divorcing her husband. As the couple explains on their historic Essence cover, the relationship snuck up on them both.
The two had been friends for four years, connecting over Niecy's genuine interest in Jessica's music. Things were strictly platonic until one day they met up and suddenly the vibe between the two took on something different. The women jokingly blame the rosé, but Niecy says that internally she was trying to wrap her head around what was happening.
In working it all out, they learned about themselves and each other and developed a relationship that is one of the most beautiful celebrations of queer love Hollywood has recently seen.
"I was nervous at dinner, because I felt something," Niecy told Essence in the interview in the March/April 2022, where they are the first queer couple to ever grace the magazine's cover.
"I could not wrap my head around it. I was trying to see if I was off, 'cause I wanted to keep the night going. And the night turned into the rest of my life."
"Not only was it challenging for me to realize I'm having feelings for a woman that I've normally had for a man, but it was compounded by the fact that this is my friend," Niecy said of the situation.
"I thought, 'What I do not want to do is anything that would allow this person to not be in my life for the rest of my life.'"
Neither Niecy nor Jessica believe in labeling their sexuality. Instead, their complete focus is on the love that they have for each other.
"The least of my attraction is gender," Niecy shared.
"What I was and am still attracted to is Jessica's soul. She was the most beautiful soul I had ever met in my life. Now that I've experienced it, I can't imagine going through life without it."
Niecy went to explain that while their relationship seemed out of left field to some people, for her it was really about finding a true, accepting, encompassing love.
"It's to be accepted for the truth of who you are, all the way around, good, bad or indifferent," she explains.
"It's where someone sees your past, your pain, your bullet holes, your stab wounds, whatever you got in a bag over your shoulder when you show up, and they say, 'I see it all, and I still love and receive you.'"
"I feel like the love that I receive from her is custom, as opposed to off the rack," Niecy added.
"I feel like the assignment happened in the spirit realm before we ever knew about it."
"I feel like my wife answers for the both of us," Jessica shared.
"Because I absolutely feel fully seen. I feel like all of me is accepted. All of me is loved—and not just the part that I present, but the part that I don’t necessarily show to everyone else."
"We're extremely compatible," Niecy shared.
"Sometimes you can be attracted to somebody but don't have a lot in common. But we have such a natural compatibility that we can be around each other, work together and hang out all day. If there was a 25th hour, we would be right up in it."
"And not get tired of each other," Jessica added.
