“Claws” star Niecy Nash and musician Jessica Betts made Essence history as the first same-sex couple to grace the cover of the magazine.
Few knew they were dating, let alone that Nash was in a same-sex relationship. And only their family and closest friends knew they had wed in an intimate backyard ceremony in Ventura County two days earlier.
They told the mag that they guessed their union might be surprising because Nash, who still uses her first ex-husband’s surname professionally, had been married to men twice before. Sheher second husband eight months before marrying Betts, a soul musician who plays guitar and first crossed paths with Nash on Instagram when the actor started following her. The couple told the mag that nothing about their relationship went according to plan.
“The least of my attraction is gender,” said the “Never Have I Ever” star, who, like Betts, doesn’t believe in labeling her sexuality. “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.”“Claws” star Niecy Nash announced Monday that she married singer-songwriter Jessica Betts, a few months after Nash’s divorce from husband Jay Tucker.
Their PDA isn’t showcased only on the cover of Essence but all over their social media pages. Nash and Betts told writer Demetria L. Lucas that they are madly in love and want the world to know and there’s no “agenda” about it. “Agendas feel very forced,” Betts said. “If there’s an agenda, it’s that we’re going to spread queer joy. The world needs it. Real talk.”