Nia Long opened up to Yahoo! on January 20 about the rough past few months following the media frenzy following the reveal of her ex-husband Ime Udoka having an affair with a Boston Celtics staff member. Long was holding back tears as she recalled the end of 2022.
“I still have my anonymity, and I appreciate that about my career. I appreciate that…That it’s, it’s the thing that allows me to stay connected to the people and to be human and not try to be this perfect being.”
She continued, “And you know, I’ve had some pretty devastating moments in my life over the last couple of months, and I’ve had just to say, ‘It’s all right. You’ll pick yourself back up….’ Oh my God, I’m about to cry.”
She left her fans with words of advice. “You pick yourself back up, and you keep it moving.”
Nia Long had some thoughtful things to say about her #FreshPrince costar/friend Will Smith: “He’s carried a burden for many years to represent what perfection looks like.”
She also got emotional when that scrutiny reminded her of what she’s been through with her recent breakup. pic.twitter.com/fYS1vLj7gz
— Kevin Polowy (@djkevlar) January 20, 2023
In the past, Long has talked about how complicated it was following the publication of her ex-husband’s cheating scandal. She told Hollywood Reporter, “I think the most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face when the Boston Celtics organization decided to make a very private situation public.”
The gorgeous actress said she even had to pull her son out of school in the craziness. “It was devastating, and it still is. He still has moments where it’s not easy for him. If you’re in the business of protecting women — I’m sorry, no one from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I’m OK, to see if my children are OK. It’s very disappointing.”
“I literally felt like my heart had jumped out of my body. I sometimes think when so much is happening, it takes your breath away and then it’s like you’re holding your breath, and you feel this angst and this panic of constantly being in fight-or-flight survival mode. I think mothers, Black women, we understand that more than anyone.”
