Has Nia Long Changed Her Stance on Never Having a Husband?

Nia Long has been with her boyfriend turned fiancé for just over a decade at the time of this writing. Despite making headlines the world over for her engagement, there has been no news on her marriage yet.

The actress has, however, opened up about her stance regarding marriage and the place it holds in her life. For those asking, "Who is Nia Long married to?," the best answer is no one; the second best would be NBA player Ime Udoka, who she has been engaged to for six years now. 

Nia Long Got Engaged in 2015

Long made headlines back in 2015 when her rep got in touch with several outlets to confirm that she was engaged to her longtime boyfriend. Even before that, speculations were going around that pointed towards them taking the next big step in their relationship. 

Long had proudly flaunted the sparkling promise on her ring finger for a while before putting in the official word about her engagement. 

The couple had been dating since 2010 and even welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Kez, only a year later in 2011. Apart from Kez, Long is a mother to another son, Massai, from a prior relationship. 

Nia Long Loves Her Partner Regardless

More recently, in late 2020, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star took the time to make it to Essence's Yes Girl! podcast, where she candidly opened up about her thoughts regarding marriage. Safe to say, she won't be walking down the aisle anytime soon. 

"Love is complicated, let's just start there," she opened. She then considered the idea of marriage and reinstated that she had never been married her whole life. 

Her reasoning being that she didn't believe that she needed to say "I do," to prove to her significant other that she loved him. She also questioned, 

But also, what does marriage really [mean]… that you own me now and I own you? I don’t get that part.

She added that she understood the religious aspects of marriage, and she was positive that they were beautiful, fantastical, and "every girl's fantasy." However, for her, she was not sure if she needed that assurance to feel like she was in a relationship that was working. 

All Things in Due Time

Well before her sitdown with Essence, during the promotional press for her movie The Best Man Holiday, she admitted to having a few doubts about not getting married. She said. 

I think that women who are extremely driven to success, ambitious, I think they get to a point in their lives where they're like, 'Uh oh. I am 30-something years old, and I don't have a husband and I don't have children yet and what does that mean?'

But she had also found the answers to her doubts. She expounded that relationships, kids, and marriage would happen when it was supposed to happen, if one were to just let life take its course. She believed that everyone had a different timeline when it came to things like these, so there wasn't a point in comparing your story to someone else's. 

Still, Long argued that one had to be open to the possibility of falling in love and welcome it with an open heart when it does come around. And, no matter how firmly she believed that she was fine all on her own, she had learned that everyone needed a partner.