Queen Latifah is sharing why she decided to publicly come out at the BET Awards in 2021 while accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award.
In an extensive interview with Angie Martinez, around the 38-minute mark in the video below, Latifah was asked about the moment.
“Well, it was Pride Day and shit,” the rapper and actress responded. “I can’t do just regular shit.”
Martinez laughed and said she “made a choice to do that,” and Latifah, who had refused to address her sexuality for years, confirmed as such.
“I did,” she said. “I was getting a Lifetime Achievement Award, and I didn’t want to leave out the people who were part of the lifetime. That’s it. It was so not more complicated than that. It’s funny, because it’s not always that deep.”
During the speech, she acknowledged her longtime partner, Eboni Nichols, and ended the speech by saying, “Happy Pride!”
“When I was growing up, or kind of hanging out, people, even in this business, are just so fascinated about people’s private lives,” she continued. “Is it because you’re curious? Is it because you’re intrigued? … I mind my business.”
She said that when she faced speculation about her sexuality, she concluded that it would only be to the benefit of others for her to come out.
“This is not for me,” she said. “I told everybody around me, don’t bring that shit to me … I know a lot about a lot of different people, but it’s not really my place for me to share their business necessarily, you know?”
In an interview with Angie Martinez earlier this year, Da Brat expressed a lot of appreciation for Queen Latifah and admitted that she was hesitant to come out as queer until she met her now-wife, Jesseca “Judy” Dupart.
She said that she feels “so happy” seeing Latifah publicly express her affection for Nichols.
“It was against the rules back in the day for a female artist,” Da Brat explained. “You couldn't do that. You couldn't tell that. Remember Ellen DeGeneres lost everything back in the day.”
Latifah is set to host the American Music Awards on Monday (May 25).
