Niecy Nash

Carol Denise Betts (née Ensley; born February 23, 1970), known professionally as Niecy Nash, is an American actress and television host.

Nash was born Carol Denise Ensley, in Palmdale, California, on February 23, 1970.

She was raised in South Central Los Angeles.

At the age of five, Nash developed an interest in entertainment after watching actress Lola Falana on television.

When she was fifteen, Nash witnessed her mother get shot by an abusive boyfriend.

Her acting career began in the late 1990s, with appearances in the films Boys on the Side (1995) and Cookie's Fortune (1999).

She became a spokesperson for M.A.V.I.S. (Mothers Against Violence In Schools), the organization founded by her mother after the 1993 shooting death of Nash's younger brother, Michael.

M.A.V.I.S.'s mission is to inform the public of the violence children encounter on school campuses.

Nash attended California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California.

Nash made her professional acting debut in the 1995 comedy-drama film, Boys on the Side starring Whoopi Goldberg.

On television, she later guest-starred in NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, Reba, Girlfriends, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and ER.

She also appeared in the 1999 comedy film Cookie's Fortune directed by Robert Altman, and had a recurring role on the CBS drama series City of Angels in 2000.

She garnered recognition for her portrayal of Deputy Raineesha Williams in the comedy series Reno 911! (2003–2009, 2020–2022), along with hosting the Style Network show Clean House (2003—2010), for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award.

From 2003 to 2009, Nash played the roles of Deputy Raineesha Williams and T.T. on the Comedy Central comedy series Reno 911!.

She hosted Clean House on the Style Network from 2003 to 2010, as well as providing the voice of Mrs. Boots on the ABC Family animated series Slacker Cats, and starred as Rhonda, opposite Jerry O'Connell, in the short-lived Fox sitcom Do Not Disturb in 2008.

She guest-starred on The Bernie Mac Show as Bernie's sister Bonita from 2003 to 2005.

She also appeared in the films Code Name: The Cleaner (2007), Reno 911!: Miami (2007), Cook Off! (2007), Not Easily Broken (2009), G-Force (2009), and Trust Me (2013).

Nash won a Daytime Emmy in 2010 as the producer/host of Clean House: The Messiest Home in the Country in the category of Outstanding Special Class Special.

On August 4, 2010, Nash announced that she was leaving Clean House, and also that the show would continue without her.

Nash appeared on the tenth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars beginning in March 2010, where she was partnered with Louis Van Amstel.

On May 11, Nash and van Amstel were eliminated from the competition, taking fifth place.

In 2011, she got her own reality show, Leave It To Niecy, on TLC, about her life with her new husband and stepson, but it was quickly cancelled.

In that same year she was in a TLC wedding special.

She also starred in the sitcom The Soul Man (2012–2016), and horror-comedy series Scream Queens (2015–2016), From 2017 to 2022, she played a leading role in the crime comedy-drama Claws (2017–2022).

In 2012, Nash began starring opposite Cedric the Entertainer in the TV Land sitcom The Soul Man, a spinoff of Hot in Cleveland.

Nash received two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for starring in the comedy-drama series Getting On (2013–2015).

In 2013, she began starring opposite Laurie Metcalf in the HBO comedy series Getting On.

Nash collaborated with director Ava DuVernay in the drama films Selma (2014) and Origin (2023), and the miniseries When They See Us (2019), for which she was nominated for another Primetime Emmy Award.

In 2014, Nash played Richie Jean Jackson, the wife of Dr. Sullivan Jackson, in the historical drama film Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay.

DuVernay cast Nash after seeing her on the Getting On.

The film received acclaim from critics; on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 99%, based on 205 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10.

Selma was listed on many critics' top ten lists.

Also that year, Nash joined the cast of the Fox comedy series The Mindy Project in a recurring role as Dr. Jean Fishman, a rival of the title character.

She received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for her role on the show in 2015 and 2016, as well as a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2016.

For her performance, Nash received positive critical reception, followed by more serious roles.

From 2015 to 2016, Nash co-starred on the Fox horror-comedy series Scream Queens as a security guard, and then FBI Agent Denise Hemphill.

She appeared in another Fox comedy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, as Andre Braugher's sister.

The series ran five seasons and ended in 2016.

Also in 2016, she was cast in the leading role in the Fox comedy pilot The Enforcers.

Nash also played feminist leader Florynce Kennedy in the miniseries Mrs. America (2020), and starred in the miniseries Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022), winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress as well as receiving a Golden Globe nomination.