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 here 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. It’s a role she signed onto before she ever even saw a script, a leap of faith that has since rewarded her with anal-stimulator PowerPoints, “Dynasty”-level melodrama and a whole lot of queer adoration.
From being crowned “mayor of Queerville” on the streets of L.A. to laughing about how fast lesbians seem to nest (she now personally knows!), 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.
You get some fun lines on this show. Was it easy to say yes to this script?
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.
Did you feel good about what you said yes to?
Oh yeah.
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How did you feel when you learned that your introduction in the very first episode would involve presenting an anal stimulator on a PowerPoint slide?
I wasn’t shocked, because it’s Ryan. I was like, “Oh, we’re doing it.” OK! Here’s the thing with Ryan: You don’t know what to expect, but you do know to expect the unexpected. You never know how his mind works. You can’t figure it out. As soon as you think you got it figured out, he hits you with something that you did not see coming.
With a show like this, how do you keep the comedy grounded while staying true to your character?
Well, I feel like everyday life gives you so much comedy, you know what I mean? And I just think that the goal, in most cases, is to not play it for the comedy. That’s how you keep the comedy grounded.
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.
Are you saying that you’re in that club? You grew up on those shows?
Oh yeah! “Dallas,” all of them. All of the nighttime soap operas. But the daytime soap operas, like “The Young and the Restless,” I had been watching that with my grandmother since I was 5. So if you grew up in that era, then you get this show.
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.
That’s a dinner party that a lot of gay people would want to come to, let me tell ya.
Come on, come on!
Thinking about you and Sarah on this show, and 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. Now, with regards to “All’s Fair,” Emerald had a tough go of it the first season. So, as she’s looking for love, I don’t know where she’s gonna land. But [in the second season] I wouldn’t be mad if she took a walk on all sides of the thing!
How much of a say do you have in her sexuality as that character develops?
All of the ladies are executive producers on the show. So, that gives you a voice, and Ryan is a wonderful collaborative partner. And so, we’re gonna chit and chat and see what his thoughts are about Emerald for Season 2 and see what we’re thinking is gonna happen for her. But, you know, I definitely want her to move beyond sex toys in the drawer.
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. And it’s so funny because a lot of my glam [team] have said that people they know will say, “What are they like when you go over there? Are they like the way they seem on Instagram?” To which my glam always says, “Oh my god, they’re sickening. She can’t even be in there getting her makeup done without JB coming in there being like, ‘Y’all alright?’ And Niecy’ll be like, ‘You didn’t kiss me yet!’” And so, I’m just happy that young, queer, Black people can see that you define how you want your relationship to be, and what you want it to look like, and that you can still go out in the world, and be successful, chart your own path and create the life that you want.
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. I had tears in my eyes when I couldn’t go to accept my award because I ended up booking a job that crossed over into the night of the show, but that was one of the greatest things that I’ve ever received. And I’m so grateful to be seen in that way. 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.
Since you’ve been both, can you talk about that shift from ally to member?
Well, I’ve always been an ally. I’ve always had many friends in the community who I advocated for and helped raise money for different organizations and projects. But when you stand in it, it’s a little bit different, because the stories that you hear, the pain that people show up with, those experiences… they give them to you in a different way when you’re “one of us.” It’s different, you know? [Laughs.] But I love that for me.
I bet there were people who were wanting to claim you long before you knew that you were part of this community.
Let me tell you something, I had no idea. But I got so many DMs where people were saying, “I didn’t know I had a chance!” Simmer down! [Laughs.]
Because you were with Jessica when you got those DMs, right?
Right, it was too late! They were like, I didn’t know I had a chance, and I’m like, well, I still don’t know that you would have had a chance. Because, for me, I lovingly call myself “Jess-sexual,” because that’s the only woman that does it for me.
Regarding this project you mentioned — I’m curious if it might be a film, especially since 2026 seems like the year you’re set to make a big splash as a film star, because that’s what you want.
Because that’s what I want, baby! But no, it’s not a film, but it is something I’m so excited about. And in February, you’ll know about it. But I am very much in the trenches of scripts, trying to figure out what the next thing is I’m going to do and how to fit it into my schedule. And also maybe taking a twirl in the podcast world.
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, that’s unkind, that’s hurtful, that’s mean. So when things are happening, she can definitely take care of herself. She’s very much like, I got this, I’ve been doing this a long time. I’m like, OK, well, I just got here, and I’m letting you know. So 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.