Niecy Nash, American actress and producer
Carol Denise Betts (née Ensley; born February 23, 1970), known professionally as Niecy Nash, is an American actress, comedian and television host, best known for her performances on television.
Nash hosted the Style Network show Clean House from 2003 to 2010, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2010. As an actress, she played the role of Deputy Raineesha Williams in the comedy series Reno 911! (2003–2009, 2020-present). Nash received two nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nominations for her performance as nurse Denise "DiDi" Ortley in the HBO comedy Getting On (2013–2015). She also starred as Lolli Ballantine on the TV Land sitcom The Soul Man (2012–2016), and played Denise Hemphill in the Fox horror-comedy series, Scream Queens (2015–2016). In 2017, she began starring as Desna Simms, a leading character, in the TNT crime comedy-drama Claws.
Nash has also played a number of roles in films and has made many guest appearances on television shows. In 2014, Nash played the role of civil rights activist Richie Jean Jackson in the historical drama film Selma directed by Ava DuVernay. In 2019, she starred as Delores Wise in DuVernay's miniseries When They See Us, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. In 2018, Nash received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2020, she portrayed feminist leader Florynce Kennedy in Mrs. America. In 2021, she served as a guest host of the show The Masked Singer for five episodes.