Niecy Nash-Betts talks about her role in All’s Fair, living her life openly and being someone for Black queer youth to look up to. (Photo courtesy of Hulu)
The actress on being an Out100 Icon, saying yes to ‘All’s Fair’ without a script and becoming L.A.’s ‘mayor of Queerville’
CHRIS AZZOPARDI | Qsyndicate
Twitter @ChrisAzzopardi
If there’s one thing Niecy Nash-Betts knows how to do, it’s turn a moment into a metaphor. So it feels almost too perfect — borderline sitcom-ironic — that before our conversation even begins, I realize she’s literally sitting in a closet. Because if Nash-Betts’ recent years have taught us anything, it’s that the closet is the last place she’s ever lived metaphorically.
After decades of being embraced as an ally and only later discovering love with her “hersband,” Jessica Betts, whom she married in 2020, Nash-Betts has become one of Hollywood’s most joyful examples of what it looks like to live loudly, proudly and entirely on your own terms.
And yet, we are surrounded by shelves and a large shoe collection, talking about her latest bold move: playing Emerald Greene — and executive producing — Ryan Murphy’s new queer fever dream, Hulu’s All’s Fair, which also stars Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Kim Kardashian and Naomi Watts.
Nash-Betts enters our chat with the same mixture of candor, comedy and sincerity that has made her an icon — Out100-certified, even. And as she talks about love, visibility and why she said yes to a show she knew nothing about, the irony of starting this interview in a closet doesn’t go unnoticed: Nash-Betts may be physically in one, but figuratively speaking, she’s never been further from it.
CHRIS AZZOPARDI: You get some fun lines on this show. Was it easy to say yes to this script? Niecy Nash-Betts: Well, to be honest with you, I didn’t have a script when I said yes. None of us did. I signed on because I love Ryan Murphy, and I trust him. He calls, you say yes, and then you figure out what you said yes to later.
Queer viewers have so many reasons to tune into this show, and I’m sure the gay men around you tell you that all the time. I lovingly say about All’s Fair, it’s for the thems, the theys and the gays. And it is for people who grew up on Dynasty and Knots Landing, and who had to run home because they wanted to find out what happened with Luke and Laura on General Hospital. It’s like, if you don’t know that life, it’s not for you.
There seems to be a consensus on gay social media that this show is made for queer audiences, with many comments suggesting that people who aren’t queer might not fully get it. Are you noticing that queer viewers are responding to the show in ways that other audiences aren’t? Am I! I’m a walking hero! I go outside and I’m the mayor of Queerville. I mean, I’m basically the queer of the year when I step out into these L.A. streets. They are on me! [They’re like] “Ah, I gotta tell you,” and I’m like, I know, I know.
Another reason for gay people to love this show: Sarah Paulson. What was it like working with a fellow queer person, and what else did you bond over beyond Carol? [Laughs.] Sarah and I had done the series Mrs. America together. That was where we first worked together. And we both bond over the love of my spouse. We both love my spouse a lot. Yeah, she’s obsessed with my spouse. [Laughs.] And it’s so funny because her partner, Holland [Taylor], is obsessed with me. So, it’s a lot of love that goes around that circle.
Thinking about your history of being involved in projects with queer representation, how significant is it now — after coming out in the last few years — for you to pay attention to that when deciding on a role? You know, I think it’s very important. And let me just clear something up, for me, because language is important. I don’t feel like, for me, I had anywhere to come out of, because I wasn’t living a sexually repressed life. I wasn’t hiding a life or keeping my life from the public. The minute that I fell in love with JB, I was like, let’s sing it from the hiiiills! Because it was just another iteration of love.
So, as soon as I could make it public, I did. I didn’t right at the beginning, because I didn’t know if it was gonna work. So if it didn’t work, like, what was the point? But I found out what I did not know: that lesbians nest very quickly. I didn’t know that. And the next thing I know, I turned around three times and was married, and I said, “Oh shit, I guess we better tell the folks we married!” So, I definitely am a person who just, no matter where I am in life, I live it out loud. When it showed up for me, I didn’t see it coming, but I welcomed it with open arms, among other things.
And I love showing up in places, on set specifically, because the community needs to see itself — on the TV, big screen, small screen, here, there and everywhere. That’s one. But there’s also the other layer where you get to lean in and play characters that are in the community, which is also delicious. You know, which was what I was able to do on The Rookie: Feds. I was an equal opportunity lover on that show and was able to have my spouse as my first lover that was introduced on that show.
Congratulations on being named an Out100 Icon of the Year in 2025. You’ve been such an important figure for representation in our community, and you’ve spoken about how publicly loving Jessica and living authentically matters — not just to you, but to the many people who see you both together. With your visibility continuing to grow, especially among queer youth of color, what kind of impact do you hope to have? Thank you. Oh my goodness, you know, that’s a very good question, because in terms of celebrity, and people that you could look to, they don’t see a lot of Black-on-Black love. So, I’m very, very grateful to stand in those stilettos. And with my hersband, what you see is what you get. And it’s not a fake life for social media or anything.
Being honored as an Out100 Icon, does that bring any pressure or change how you think about your responsibility as a representative figure in the community? No pressure at all. It just means keep living and loving, because that’s all I’m doing. And I’m unapologetic about it. It’s delicious because it’s a part of my life that I never saw coming. It’s one thing to be an ally, and it’s a totally different thing to be a card-carrying member.
Lastly, how has your relationship with Jessica shaped your activism and the way you show up publicly? Well, you know, love makes you courageous. It makes you bold, and you definitely don’t want anyone you love or have romantic love for to experience anything on your watch that’s unfair or unkind or hurtful or mean. I just think that love is such a powerful force in so many mediums that it changes you, it grows you, it’s the thing that will stretch you and ultimately make you a better person — if you let it.
Chris Azzopardi is the editorial director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ+ wire service.