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Queen Latifah is an Oscar-nominated actress, a producer, and a Grammy-winning recording artist who has been in the business for nearly four decades. While so much of her life has played out in the public eye, Latifah has always been more guarded about her private life. So just who is the woman who has been in her life for several years?

Well, in case you’re unaware, her longtime partner is Eboni Nichols, and she is actually in the entertainment business as well. Nichols is an accomplished choreographer, producer, and former professional dancer whose résumé stretches across television, film, and live awards shows.

Nichols was born on May 12, 1978, and raised in Southern California. She studied theater and dance at Chapman University and was previously a Lakers Girl for the Los Angeles basketball team.

Nichols worked on productions for Jane the Virgin, Fresh Off the Boat, and Girls Trip. She has also acted in movies such as the 2006 Miami Vice film and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. In addition, Nichols founded her own production company, E. Nichols Productions, and helped produce other high-profile awards shows and ceremonies, including the Academy Awards, the Grammys, and the Kennedy Center Honors.

Nichols and Latifah crossed paths on Dancing with the Stars in 2009 when Eboni was one of the professional dancers and Queen Latifah was a contestant. However, they reportedly met as early as 2007, as they both appeared in the movie-musical Hairspray. Queen Latifah portrayed Motormouth Maybelle in the film, and Eboni was a background dancer. The two did not begin dating though until 2013.

For years, Latifah and Nichols managed to maintain their privacy with remarkable discipline. In an era of celebrity oversharing, they rarely discussed each other in interviews and made very few public appearances together.

Latifah publicly acknowledged Nichols in 2021 when she accepted the BET Lifetime Achievement Award. At the end of her speech, she thanked “Eboni” and “Rebel” before adding “Happy Pride,” a brief but unmistakable public nod to her family. For many fans, it was the first official acknowledgment of what had long been rumored: Latifah was sharing her life with Nichols, and the couple had a child together.

Their son, Rebel, was born in 2019. True to form, the couple has protected his privacy as fiercely as their own. That decision has earned admiration from fans who see their approach as a rare example of boundaries being maintained in celebrity culture.

In recent years, they walked the red carpet together at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival amfAR Gala, which Queen Latifah hosted, and attended the Met Gala together in 2024. They have also started making outings with their son and are often seen at NBA and WNBA games with Rebel.

In August 2025, Queen Latifah and Rebel snapped a photo with WNBA stars Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Aaliyah Edwards, and Bria Hartley at a game between the Connecticut Suns and New York Liberty. The family was also seen enjoying a day out at Disneyland in December 2025.

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