Niecy Nash, 51, is coming back to The Masked Singer! After being a fan-favorite guest panelist, the beloved actress and comedian will be filling in temporarily as a season 5 guest host for Nick Cannon. Nick contracted COVID-19 and couldn’t film, so Niecy stepped in to help.
Niecy has had a major presence in Hollywood for a number of years. She has starred in some of your favorite comedies and dramatic projects. From her biggest roles to her love life, HollywoodLife has 5 key things you need to know about Niecy.
1. Niecy has starred in many hit comedies.
Niecy rose to fame playing Deputy Raineesha Williams in the comedy series Reno 911! She also starred in the HBO comedy Getting On from 2013 to 2015, which earned Niecy two Emmys nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She played Denise Hemphill in the FOX series Scream Queens. Niecy has starred as Desna Simms in the TNT dramedy Claws since 2016. The series is set to return for a fourth and final season.
2. She is bisexual.
Niecy was married to Don Nash for 13 years, and they have three kids together. They divorced in 2007. She married Jay Tucker in 2011, and their divorce was finalized in March 2020. Niecy married Jessica Betts in a surprise Aug. 2020 wedding. The actress opened up about her new wife in a Sept. 2020 interview.
“[My marriage] has absolutely nothing to do with gender and it has everything to do with her soul,” Niecy told PEOPLE. “She is the most beautiful soul I have ever met in my life.” She added, “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.”
3. She has also had notable dramatic roles as well.
Niecy played civil rights activist Richie Jean Jackson in Selma, which was directed by Ava DuVernay. She reunited with Ava to play Delores Wise in the critically-acclaimed limited series When They See Us. She was nominated for an Emmy for her performance.
4. She is dedicated to helping women.
HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Niecy back in Jan. 2021 about why the No7’s Unstoppable Together Job Summit, which took place in Feb. 2021, was so important to her. “What this campaign really is about is providing resources and tools for women who are reentering the workplace, or pivoting careers, or just trying to balance home and work,” Niecy told HollywoodLife. “It’s important because we need each other and with so many people out of work, or so many people suffering, or so many people trying to figure out the balance, you need a place, a community, a sisterhood that supports you in your effort and to give you resources to get back to work.”
5. Her brother was tragically killed.
Her brother was murdered in 1993 and “someone brought a gun to school and he was killed [at] his high school here in Los Angeles,” she told NPR. Niecy revealed that her mother went into a depression after her brother’s death. She discovered that comedy was a way to help her grieving mother. “It dawned on me, I do know that I can make my momma laugh. So I started performing at the foot of her bed every day,” she said.