Niecy Nash-Betts was born Carol Denise Ensley on February 23, 1970, in Palmdale, California, and grew up in South Central Los Angeles. She was inspired to pursue entertainment at the age of five after watching actress Lola Falana on television. She studied drama at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and began her career with small television roles in the mid-1990s.

Nash rose to wider recognition with her breakout role on Comedy Central’s Reno 911!. Around the same time, she hosted the Style Network’s Clean House, for which she earned a Daytime Emmy Award. She continued to build her dramatic résumé with roles in HBO’s Getting On and Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, both earning Primetime Emmy nominations.

In 2022, Nash launched Fox’s revival of the game show Don’t Forget the Lyrics!, now in its third season. That same year, she starred in Netflix’s Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story as Glenda Cleveland. She currently stars in Ryan Murphy’s All’s Fair (2025–present) while continuing to host Don’t Forget the Lyrics!. Additionally, she has guest-hosted various TV programs such as The Masked Singer and served as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race.