‘The Masked Singer’ Host Niecy Nash: What to Remember

The Masked Singer has its usual host Nick Cannon back now, but some fans already miss his temporary replacement, Niecy Nash. The actress took over the show for the first few weeks of Season 5 while Cannon was out recovering from COVID-19. Some thought she was a perfect match for the anonymous singing competition.

The Masked Singer producers announced that Nash would be Cannon’s replacement shortly before the season began, according to a report by TV Line. They did not reveal how long the temporary staffing change would last, as they simply needed to wait for Cannon to be healthy and to test negative for the coronavirus. Nash ended up staying until Episode 5, at which point Cannon surprised fans by returning in disguise as a wildcard competitor. The panelists did not mind the change — Nicole Scherzinger told reporters: “Niecy is the boss. She’s a queen. She’s so fast, but fun, relatable.”

Fans likely know Nash by name and/or appearance, with over 25 years in the entertainment industry. She made her movie debut in 1995 in Boys on the Side and went on to TV appearances like NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, Reba, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and ER. These days, Nash is best-known to most for playing Deputy Raineesha Williams and T.T. on Comedy Central’s Reno 911! The character stands out even within an already beloved show, and many fans felt vindicated by Nash’s participation in the reboot early last year.

The Reno 911! reboot premiered on Quibi, the short-lived streaming service that closed down in December. At the time, another season of the show was already in production, and Nash assured fans that it would still air on some other platform, in an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com.

“We finished our last season recently, we just wrapped that up. And I believe it is going to live somewhere else. So, I’m happy for that,” Nash told us at the time. “What I do know is that the season we finished is hilarious, that it is going to live somewhere else. And not only that, it just makes me so happy to bring people joy during trying times. So, I’m very happy that we were able to complete another season to be able to share with everyone.”

Among many other things, Nash is well-known for Welcome to the Queendom, Guess Who and G-Force. She is also a frequent talk show guest, from The Talk to Good Morning America and more.

Off-screen, Nash is a spokesperson for Mothers Against Violence In Schools (M.A.V.I.S.), which was founded by her mother. The organization is dedicated to preventing gun violence and other attacks in schools, formed after Nash’s younger brother was shot and killed in 1993.

Nash is a mother of three, all from her first marriage to minister Don Nash. They divorced in 2007, and Nash married Jay Tucker in 2011, with their wedding preparations documented in a TLC reality show. They divorced last March, and afterward Nash came out publicly as bisexual. She then married singer Jessica Betts privately.