Niecy Nash-Betts shares why it means 'an awful lot' to be named Out100 Icon of the Year
Niecy Nash-Betts is named the Out100 Icon of the Year and sharing why she's "beyond proud."
The Emmy-winning actress, producer and advocate who is known for her roles in "Dahmer -- Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story," "Reno 911!" and more, opened up to the magazine and shared why being the Out100 Icon of the Year means to her.
"It feels amazing, I'm basically the queer of the year," she said of the honor, announced on Oct. 14. "It means an awful lot for me to be a role model for the LGBTQ+ community."
She added, "I love being Black. I love being a woman. And now I'm a Black queer woman in a relationship with another Black queer woman, and it matters."
Nash-Betts recently celebrated five years of marriage with her partner, singer Jessica Betts. The duo first met on social media in 2015 and reunited in 2018 when Betts worked with Nash-Betts on an episode of "Claws."
They tied the knot in 2020 and made history in 2022 as the first same-sex couple to appear on the cover of Essence magazine.
In 2024, Nash-Betts received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 35th annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. The award was named in honor of Kolzak, a casting director who amplified LGBTQ+ and HIV activism efforts.
During her acceptance speech, Nash-Betts opened up about how she was always an ally and how she protected her relationship from outside noise.
"My relationship was never a secret, but it was private at the beginning because I was protecting it until I could give it to the world," she said.
She added that she and Betts "have been breaking barriers ever since" and have been outspoken about defending marriage equality, LGBTQ+ visibility in television and more.
"When it comes to Hollywood and LGBTQ+ representation, I think as an artist you always have to have hope," she told Out. "You always have to remain at a place of being optimistic. Sometimes a role is created for you and sometimes you have to create the engine that you want to star in."
She continued, "And whether it's on a big screen, a small screen, you just have to keep showing up because we're not going anywhere. You don't stop being, you don't stop thriving, you don't start surviving. You get in where you fit in and you find the people who love you for exactly who, what, and how you are."
Nash-Betts' next project she's starring in is the upcoming Ryan Murphy-directed Hulu series, "All's Fair," about a team of female divorce attorneys who leave a male-dominated firm and open their own practice. Also starring in the show are Sarah Paulson, Glenn Close, Teyana Taylor, Naomi Watts and Kim Kardashian.
The actress opened up about the sisterhood behind the scenes of the show and said that the cast "genuinely like each other and are genuinely supportive of each other."
2025 Out100
Joining Nash-Betts on this year's Out100 list are stars including Doechii, Bob Mackie, Rosie O'Donnell, Tramell Tillman, Murray Hill and Parvati Shallow.
ABC News' James Longman is also featured on this year's list, which includes categories of artists, innovators, groundbreakers, disruptors, educators and storytellers.
Nash-Betts will receive the Icon Award at this year's Out100 celebration, which will take place on Nov. 21, 2025, in Los Angeles.
The full Out100 list was revealed on Oct. 16 and the print edition of this year's Out100 issue hits newsstands on Oct. 28.
