Queen Latifah Just Made A Rare Public Appearance With Her Partner Eboni Nichols

Queen Latifah is fiercely protective of her love life, making it abundantly clear in interviews that it's not something she's comfortable talking about. After the Grammy-winning artist performed at Long Beach Pride in 2012, there was speculation that it was her way of coming out as gay. "That definitely wasn't the case. I've never dealt with the question of my personal life in public," she later told Entertainment Weekly. "It's just not gonna happen."

She'd previously addressed the topic in a 2008 interview with The New York Times, saying, "I don't care if people think I'm gay or not. Assume whatever you want. You do it anyway." But avoiding nosy tabloid reporters and pesky paparazzi is difficult when you live in the public eye, and Latifah has been linked to a few women over the years, according to Who's Dated Who. In 2010, Dirt reported she and one of her rumored girlfriends, personal trainer Jeanette Jenkins, even purchased a home together in Los Angeles.

Latifah and Jenkins allegedly dated for eight years before calling it quits in 2011, per the National Enquirer, and insiders claimed that the woman Latifah was linked to next was one cause of their breakup.

Though they've reportedly been together for over a decade, Queen Latifah and partner Eboni Nichols have rarely stepped out for any public outings. In mid-April, however, the couple seemingly broke tradition. On April 26, 2022, the couple soaked in a performance of the musical "A Strange Loop" at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway, per the Daily Mail. They even smiled for photos while seated in the audience. The ever-so-private Latifah had previously acknowledged Nichols and Rebel, the son they share, at the 2021 BET Awards while accepting her lifetime achievement award, per the New York Post.

According to the National Enquirer, Latifah and Nichols' romantic relationship began in 2011. The women became friends after meeting on the reality competition "Dancing with the Stars" when Latifah performed on the show in 2009, and their closeness purportedly contributed to the breakdown of Latifah and Jeanette Jenkins' relationship. "The two seem inseparable," an insider said after Nichols and Latifah were spotted attending the 2011 U.S. Open together.

Nichols is a professional choreographer and former member of the Laker Girls dance squad, per Emmys. She choreographed Britney Spears' "Toxic" dance routine for the sitcom "Jane the Virgin," and she's worked with other big artists including Demi Lovato and Bebe Rexha, per Bloc Agency. Nichols and Latifah have also been coworkers, as Nichols choreographed one of Latifah's CoverGirl ads and a dance performance on "The Queen Latifah Show."