Niecy Nash Didn't 'Come Out', She Just Came Into Herself

The heart wants what it wants, and there's no one who knows this better than our good sister, the happily newlywed actress formally known as Niecy Nash, Mrs. Carol Denise Betts.

At the end of last month, Niecy sent the internet into a tizzy after she revealed her recent marriage to 41-year-old singer-songwriter Jessica Betts, an announcement that came only a few months after finalizing her divorce with ex-husband, Jay Tucker.

While Niecy has never publicly discussed her sexuality, in a recent interview with People, the Claws actress confirmed that her marriage wasn't about her "coming out" to the world, it was about her coming into herself. She told the publication:

"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. I was not suppressing my sexuality my whole life. I love who I love."

"At one point in my life, I married twice and 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. So my choice now in a partner has nothing to do with who I've always been. It's a matter of who I am in this moment."

Niecy and Jessica, who were friends long before their romantic relationship, celebrated their love in an intimate ceremony with few family and friends and personal hand sanitizers. In her interview, Niecy also revealed the details behind their unconventional double proposal, which she says happened totally by surprise:

"She was like, 'You know what? You've been getting on my nerves all day. But if anybody is going to get on my nerves, I want it to be you.' Then she said, 'You are absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to me. Marry me, Cora.' That's her nickname for me, is Cora."

"So I say 'yes,' and she puts the ring on my finger, we go downstairs, hang out a little more in the pool and the jacuzzi and then she goes, 'Well, what happens now? When do I get a ring? What do we do next? I don't know how all this goes. I've never been married before.' And I was like, 'Well, we're non-traditional people. Hold on one second.' I went upstairs and then I came back down because I had a ring for her. And then I asked her to marry me. So we both proposed to each other the same night, which is weird but fun."

The actress, who has been married twice, explained that her decision to jump the broom came out of not only a deep love for her partner but a deep desire to honor herself.

"[Jessica] and I were friends, but I never saw her as someone I would date. 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."

To read Niecy's full interview, click here!

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