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Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts

(via Niecy Nash Instagram)

The actress known as Niecy Nash announced her surprise wedding to singer Jessica Betts on Monday.

Celebrity well-wishers commented on Niecy’s identical Instagram and Twitter posts announcing her wedding where she used a #LoveWins hashtag. Chasten Buttigieg, Sarah Silverman, Patricia Arquette, Chelsea Handler, David Alan Grier, Olivia Munn, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, Jamie Lee Curtis, and thousands of others wished the brides the best. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay even tweeted a cake cutting video from the wedding, saying it was “an honor to witness” the event.

The Emmy-nominated actress, who was born Carol Denise Ensley and is now Carol Denise Betts, had just finalized her second divorce from a man earlier this year, though the couple had been separated since June 1, 2019. The last name Nash had come from her first husband.

Niecy, 50, is perhaps best known for her role as Deputy Raineesha Williams in Reno 911!, but has also appeared in Claws, When They See Us, Selma, Mrs. America, Scream Queens, Masters of Sex, The Mindy Project, Getting On, and dozens of other shows and films dating back 25 years. She has also voiced characters in G-Force, American Dad!, and Family Guy.

Jessica Betts is a singer/songwriter and musician who won the first and only season of The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott in 2005. She was first signed to a label in 1998 and is described on her website as “a thrilling electric/acoustic Rock&Soul Artist who loves to write her own original music as well as soulful renditions of past and contemporary hits spanning multiple musical genres and artists from gospel, reggae, rock, pop and R&B.” Jessica posted the same picture as Niecy to Instagram with the caption “I got a whole Wife!”

The pair first posted about each other on social media in 2016, and Jessica appeared in an episode of Claws with Niecy in 2018. Their relationship had not been previously publicly announced. The wedding announcement also serves as Niecy’s coming out, though not under any specific label (yet).

 

 

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Mrs. Carol Denise Betts 💍 @jessicabettsmusic #LoveWins🌈 📸 @robertector

A post shared by Niecy Nash (@niecynash1) on

 

 

Sarah Prager
Sarah Prager
Sarah Prager is the author of the award-winning Queer, There, and Everywhere: 27 People Who Changed the World, Rainbow Revolutionaries: 50 LGBTQ+ People Who Made History, Kind Like Marsha: Learning from LGBTQ+ Leaders, and A Child's Introduction to Pride: The Inspirational History and Culture of the LGBTQIA+ Community. Learn more about her speaking, writing, and more at www.sarahprager.com.