During a deep sit-down conversation with rapper-entrepreneur Jeezy, actress Nia Long gave insight into her breakup with former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka.
Long and Jeezy held a therapy-stylized interview session where the two explained each other’s traumas and discussed the recent high-profile breakups they went through.
A Little Nia Long Therapy
“I had to come to a place where loving myself was bigger and more important than saving anybody,” Long said during the interview.
“Somedays I’m, like, totally good, and then other days I’m like, ‘Ugh, God, this feels like so much work!’ ” Long continued in the interview. “Then, other days, it feels like women shouldn’t have to be this strong. I don’t want to be this strong sometimes.”
Jeezy also was forthcoming — with how he was recovering amid his pending divorce from television personality Jeannie Mai. The conversation, released on Tuesday, connected with promoting Jeezy’s new album, I Might Forgive… But I Don’t Forget.
Jeezy discussed deep topics like how he is coping with being molested as a child by a babysitter, his “toxic” relationship with her mother, and how he is learning to forgive his parents for the issues that affected their relationship.
Long and Udoka have an 11-year-old son named Kez, and the actress said that the split was “a wakeup call” for her when it comes to parenting when she realized that, “You’re gonna do this on your own, and you’re gonna be fine!'”
Black Excellence
As Long looked back on how her breakup played out under the scrutiny of the public eye, she “was not embarrassed” but instead was surprised by the way the culture supported her, especially Black women, as the news of Udoka’s affair with a Boston Celtics employee created the potential for shame.
“The way that Black people stood up for me, and the way that Black women were like ‘Oh no; you don’t do that to her,’ ” Long continued, “I was shocked because I didn’t realize that what I had done in my career has so much impact.”
Both Nia Long and Jeezy took a very healthy way to tell their truths, and if this is the new way to promote a project, the fans are certainly in for a mental health treat.
