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Actress Niecy Nash, 52, and her wife, singer Jessica Betts, 39, have made history as they became the first same-sex couple to be featured on the cover of Essence ever since it was first published in May 1970.
The couple recently graced the cover of the March/April 2022 Black Women in Hollywood issue of Essence as they embraced each other in the photo. The issue, which will hit newsstands on March 1, was described by the magazine as,
"Honoring breakthrough moments of even more Black women in every area of their lives."
Nash, whose real name is Carol Denise Betts, took to social media to post a photo of the cover of the magazine, captioning it:
"Making H E R S T O R Y...Thank you @essence for choosing The Betts as your FIRST same sex couple to cover you magazine!"
In the new issue of Essence, which covers beauty, fashion, entertainment, and culture, and serves as a huge influence on African-American women, Niecy Nash said,
"The least of my attraction is gender... 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."
All that is known about Jessica Betts and her relationship with Niecy Nash
Jessica Betts was born on June 19, 1982, in South Side, Chicago. She rose to fame when she won the singing competition television series, The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott, in 2005.
In 2000, Betts dropped her debut album You Can't Resist after signing a recording deal with Restless Records. That same year, she released her first single, Get Up. Both the single and the album were featured in the 2000 movie Big Mama.
Betts, who performed as the opener for K. Michelle during her Rebellious Soul tour in 2013, also appeared in a 2018 episode of the crime comedy-drama, Claws, which starred Nash.
Nash and Betts met on social media in 2015, back when Nash was still married to Jay Tucker, and the couple turned their friendship into romance following Nash's split with Tucker. Nash and Betts married on August 31, 2020.
Niecy Nash was also married to Don Nash for 10 years prior to her marriage to Tucker. However, Nash is Betts' first spouse. Betts is the step-mother to all three children, Dominic Nash, 30, Donielle Nash, 27, and Dia Nash, 21, who Nash shares with her first husband.
