In addition to candles, cake, family, and friends, OUT100 icon Niecy Nash-Betts celebrated her 56th birthday in Mexico with some unwelcome additions: gunfire, street violence, and orders to shelter in place amid a clash between drug cartels and the government.
“😳Went to celebrate my bday with my family, and got caught up in the cartel attacks!” the All's Fair star posted on Instagram.
That part about sheltering in place apparently wasn’t top of mind for Nash-Betts, however.
"We were getting low on food where we stayed," she told Keke Palmer for her Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast.
"We said, 'Oh, well, you know what? There's a W (hotel) that we could get to in the golf cart. Let's go over to this hotel and try to get some rations and bring them back to our spot,'" Nash-Betts told Palmer.
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Nash-Betts is back in Southern California and sharing the story of how the Emmy-award-winning actress, her wife Jessica Betts, their three children, and friends survived their frightening but memorable experience in Puerto Vallarta. She also spoke with People.
“It was scary because I let my kids bring their friends, so I had other people's children. It was scary, but we got out unscathed,” she said. “Thanks to the Most High.”
“That's why you have to take every moment to celebrate joy, celebrate life, all the things,” said Nash-Betts.
The violence in Mexico, triggered by the government’s killing of cartel leader Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes on Feb. 22, has not abated, reportedly prompting warnings to spring breakers to “exercise increased caution,” according to the U.S. State Department.
Nash-Betts's birthday was the next day, Feb. 23, and she told Palmer how a chance encounter at the W hotel bar saved the day.
The pair struck up a conversation with another couple who, they quickly discovered, turned out to be swingers.
"’'Well, what room are y'all in? Where's the party?'" Nash recalled to Palmer. "We get the room number. We order everything that we need to take back to the house to their room because we're not guests. And then we say, 'No, we want to pay for it in cash.' So it wouldn't be on their bill when they checked out.”
"And it was like, 'Oh, you know, maybe next time.' You know, and 'thanks for the food.' And we got out of there, and they were so drunk they didn't even know that we ordered all the stuff to their room."
Fortunately, Nash-Betts and her entourage weren’t stranded in Mexico for long. Two days after her birthday, on Feb. 25, she posted on social media that they had safely returned to Los Angeles to a huge welcome celebration, replete with a joy-filled, airport acapella rendition of “Thank You For Being A Friend.”
And she shared some details of their ordeal with her 3.9 million followers.
“One thing for sure, two things for certain. We. Will. Keep. Our. JOY! In the middle of that packed airport where so many were frustrated over cancelled flights, long lines, and minimal seating, our joy was on full display! 🙌🏽 People stopped, stared, and then clapped along! Moral of the story? Golden Girls had the best theme song! 😂”
As People reported, Betts threw a belated 56th birthday party for her wife in Los Angeles on Friday.
Joining them were Ava DuVernay, Winnie Harlow, Kandi Burruss, Jeannie Mai, Jasmine Crockett, Bozoma Saint John, and Nash’s Oscar-nominated All’s Fair costar, Teyana Taylor.
Since her birthday was on the 23rd, the party was Michael Jordan-themed, from the golden Air Jordans on her cake to her “23”-emblazoned top. The 40 Plus Double Dutch Club was also on hand and gave Nash a turn jumping rope to the cheers of her guests.
