13 Rare Glimpses Into Queen Latifah and Eboni Nichols’ Private World

Though you’re just beginning to see more of them together, Queen Latifah and partner Eboni Nichols have been by each other’s side for quite some time. It’s been reported that they first met in 2009; others say in 2013. Nichols is a dancer and choreographer, and Latifah has been protective of their partnership and the family they’ve created, including their son Rebel, who reportedly was welcomed in 2019. She’s always been one to keep her business to herself.

“I just feel like, I don’t read all of the blogs and I’m not media hungry like that. I live my life. You write about my life. You write about what you see. I share with the public the things you should share. Let’s share my music. Let’s share films. Let’s share thoughts about positive things. But what happens in my personal, personal life, is my personal business,” she told Larry King in 2010. “It’s become a media frenzy to feed on people’s personal lives and some people put their personal lives out there. They like to share all that with the public. I’m not that person. I’m just happy being La. When I walk out of this studio, I’m just La. I’m just Dana. And I just enjoy being Dana.”

So it was a surprise when the iconic actress and singer publicly acknowledged her family for the first time in 2021, when accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award from BET.

“Eboni, my love. Rebel, my love. Peace,” she said as she wrapped up her speech. “Happy Pride!”

In the early days, you would only see the ladies at sporting events like the U.S. Open. But now, you can catch them a little bit of everywhere, including at the Met Gala, where they stunned in 2024 together.

“Eboni asked me on a date, right, Eb?” Latifah told Vogue.

Nichols responded, “I was like, we’re going to the Met Ball. Make it happen!”

“And I wanted to be a hero in my household,” Latifah added, “and so Thom Browne invited us, and here we are.”

When asked what son Rebel made of their ensembles, Latifah shared that he approved.

“He doesn’t even know. He’s just in his happy life. And then we send him videos and he’s like, ‘Oh you look so amazing!’ She sent a picture, and he’s loving it.”

Thankfully, the glamorous red carpet takeover has only gotten stronger. They were dressed to the nines at the Academy Awards this year, as well as the Vanity Fair Oscar party that followed. Expect to catch them at plenty of sporting events, premieres, parties and awards shows to come. And if you can’t wait for those moments, take a peek at a roundup of images of the two over the years, looking as lovely as can be.