Did Nia Long just do a sub post?
The 54-year-old actress had fans buzzing online this week after she dropped a vague and mysterious post to her Instagram Stories that many interpreted as a pointed shot at cheating men, or one (alleged) cheating man in particular—her ex, Ime Udoka.
“Too much attention from a side chick makes a midlife crisis man think he’s a king. Easy tiger, it’s just a paper hat from the kids’ table,” the “You People” star wrote per Complex.
The post comes almost two years after the “Missing” actress ended her longtime relationship with the current head coach of the Houston Rockets. The pair began dating in 2010 before welcoming their son Kez in 2011. Despite being together for over a decade and getting engaged in 2015, the pair never tied the knot. Their relationship ended in December 2022, when Udoka—then head coach of the Boston Celtics—was suspended for an improper workplace affair with a female Celtics staffer.
The scandal, for which Udoka apologized, made headlines nationwide, forcing “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” alum and her family into an unwanted spotlight. She, who is also mother to son Massai Z. Dorsey, 24, from a previous relationship, later said the breakup was a “wakeup call” during a conversation on Jeezy’s YouTube channel.
“It was a wakeup call for me in the sense of like, ‘OK, you’re going to do this on your own and you’re going to be fine and you’re not going to worry about what anyone thinks and has to say,’” she said.
“The relationship was rocky for a very long time,” she admitted, adding, “I don’t believe another person can break anyone up.”
Overall, she said in terms of healing and progress, “I think I’m exactly where I need to be.”
She added, “Some days, I’m totally good and then, other days, I’m like, ‘Oh God, this feels like so much work.’ And then, other days, it feels like women shouldn’t have to be this strong. I don’t want to be this strong sometimes.”
As she became emotional, she said, “I’m good. I mean, listen, it is what it is.”
Since then, Long and Udoka have endured a somewhat public custody dispute over Kez that ended in her gaining sole physical custody while he maintains reasonable visitation rights and is required to pay Long over $30,000 a month for child support.
