Carol Denise "Niecy" Nash (née Carol Denise Ensley; born February 23, 1970) is an American comedian, actress and producer, best known for her performances on television.Nash hosted Style Network show Clean House from 2003 to 2010, for which she won the Emmy Award in 2010. As actress, she is best known for her role as Deputy Raineesha Williams in the Comedy Central comedy series Reno 911! (2003-2009). She is starring as Lolli Ballantine on the TV Land sitcom The Soul Man (2012-present) and as nurse Denise "DiDi" Ortley in the HBO comedy Getting On (2013-present). Nash also played number of roles in films and has made many guest appearances on television shows.
Carol Denise Ensley, Carol Denise Nash, Carol Denise "Niecy" Nash
Awards
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Program
Movies
Reno 911!: Miami, Selma, G-Force, Code Name: The Cleaner, Horton Hears a Who!, Malibu's Most Wanted, Guess Who, Cookie's Fortune, Boys on the Side, Not Easily Broken, Hair Show, Walk of Shame, Nurse 3-D, Trust Me, Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie, Pretty/Handsome, The Bachelor, Cook-Off!
TV Shows
The Soul Man, Getting On, Clean House, Reno 911!, Do Not Disturb, Kid Notorious, Scream Queens, Dancing with the Stars, The LeBrons
Star Sign
Pisces
#
Trademark
1
Always wears a flower in her hair
#
Quote
1
[ash speaking about how she was introduced to the idea of becoming a comedian while a guest on the National Public Radio program, "Fresh Air", in 2015] And I will say that when my brother was murdered in '93, my mother went into a very severe depression. And she said, 'I'm getting in the bed and I'm never getting back out.' And all I knew was that I could make my mother laugh. I never realized that comedy was a gift because I always got in trouble because I got talks too much on my report card or I got pinched for cracking jokes in church. And so when my mother went into this depression, what I started to do was I would go to the foot of her bed every day and I would perform. And I would do characters, I would do voices, I would do a comedy routine, I would dance, I would sing. My mother went from laying down in the bed to sitting up in the bed. And she said, 'I got my peanuts and my water. Go on and do your rendition of things.' So I just kept performing. Then one day I come and my mother's not in the bed. And I'm like, 'Mama, where are you?' She's like, 'we're in here.' And I'm like, 'who is we?' 'Well, I went across the street and got the neighbors. I told them you was funny. Get that karaoke microphone and tell these people some jokes.' And I'm like, 'what?' So I get the microphone, I'm standing on top of the fireplace. I'm, like, tapping the mic, 'is this thing on? How's everybody doing in the living room' was my first bit in front of an audience. And I realized, as I was standing on that fireplace, that comedy was a gift. I did not know that before. And I'm not going to tell you that it healed my mother, but what I am going to say is that it kind of served as a Spackle or a salve when it comes to piecemealing something back together. And so I had been going out auditioning because in my mind, I wanted to do only dramatic work. I never saw myself being a comedian. I wanted to be Cicely Tyson. If you equate it to someone of this day, it would be a Viola Davis. But I couldn't book any work. And after I stood on that fireplace, I heard a voice as audible as my own speak to me and say, Niecy, don't be selfish. It's other people outside who are suffering. You need to go outside and spread this around, Niecy.
2
Acting is the call of my life, I felt like I didn't have any other choice. I wasn't committed to anything else.
#
Fact
1
Previous job was working at an airline, booking reservations.
2
Has 3 children with her now ex-1st husband Don Nash: a son named Dominic Nash (b.1992) and two daughters - Donielle Nash (b.1995) and Dia Nash (b.2000).
3
(May 28, 2011) Married for the 2nd time her boyfriend of 2 years Jay Tucker following a 8-month-long engagement.
4
Announced that after 9 years on The Style Network hosting Clean House (2003), she is leaving. [August 2010]
5
BA from California State University
6
She decided she wanted to be an actress when she was five years old, after she had seen black actress Lola Falana on TV.
7
She is the front person for M.A.V.I.S. (Mothers Against Violence in Schools), which was founded by her mother in 1993, following the tragic death of her younger brother, who was shot and killed on his high school campus. M.A.V.I.S. aims to inform the public of the violence children encounter on school campuses.
$4 Million
