Niecy Nash on Therapy and Advice She Wishes Her Younger Self Knew (Exclusive)

Niecy Nash only plays a therapist on TV, but that hasn't stopped fans from sliding into her DMs asking for advice. That being said, the Emmy-award winning actress didn't hesitate to dish one piece of advice -- to her younger self.

Speaking to ET's Denny Directo at the Los Angeles premiere of Never Have I Ever, the 53-year-old actress said she would tell the high school version of herself that being thick's where it's at, but she'll need to be patient.

"'Girl, you don't have to be skinny. It's going to be alright,'" says Nash speaking to her younger self. "'You know, my cheerleader's sweater had 'Big Mama' on it because I was always the biggest one. In some circles I still am, but I still have a very great life and, you know, eventually thick is going to be in. Don't worry about it because, see, when I was thick it wasn't in. It wasn't. It wasn't a fad, but hold on. Your time is coming.' That's what I would tell my younger self."

Nash deftly portrays Devi Vishwakumar's (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) therapist, Dr. Jamie Ryan, who for the past three seasons has often served as Devi's soothing presence and moral compass. Nash is part of a diverse cast that made the Netflix show an instant sensation when it premiered in the thick of the pandemic in April 2020. Fast forward to now, senioritis is in full swing, as fans are still grappling with the fact that season 4 (which drops June 8 on Netflix) will be the final season.

With so much interest on the Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher-created show, it's no wonder Nash's social media's been bombarded with high schoolers sliding into her DMs asking for advice. Just don't expect to get comfy on a couch for a sesh.

Getty

Getty

"Oh, let me tell you something, everybody wants it," says Nash of therapy sessions. "They're all in my DMs, asking me what I think. I said, 'Listen, I play a therapist on TV. Everybody relax."

"Here's the thing, I go to therapy so I do have a lot of sound advice," she continues. "But I think, you know, sometimes people think really think I'm the Dr. Ryan of it all, and I'm not!"

Hailed for its representation of the South Asian community (with actors like Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan and Richa Moorjani), Nash says working on the coming-of-age comedy-drama has been an absolute thrill all these years.

"Oh my God. It was like the ultimate melting pot," says Nash, who was accompanied to the Never Have I Ever premiere by her wife of nearly three years, Jessica Betts. "And the good thing about it is that, because the casting was so beautiful, the relationships didn't seem forced. You know what I mean? You believe that this group were really friends and I love that."

Season 4 of Never Have I Ever premieres June 8 on Netflix.

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