Queen Latifah Thanks Her 'Love' Eboni, Says Happy Pride at BET Awards

Pride month isn't fully over yet and it looks like Queen Latifah has something to say.

Latifah was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 BET Awards on Sunday, June 27, for her music, acting career, and philanthropic work.

The rapper and actor began her speech by thanking all of her sisters in rap along with God. She also went on to thank her family, friends, BET, and her business partner. But it was how she closed out her acceptance speech that got the feelings going.

"I'm gonna get off this stage, but I thank you so much for all of you, the fans, for supporting every crazy-ass thing I've done through the years. And thank you for making Equalizer number 1. Eboni, my love. Rebel, my love. Peace. Happy Pride!" said Latifah, ending years of speculation both about her relationship with long-rumored girlfriend Eboni Nichols and the son they share.

In the past, Latifah has made it very clear that her private life was off-limits. In a 2008 New York Times interview, Latifah shut down questions about her love life. "I don't have a problem discussing the topic of somebody being gay, but I do have a problem discussing my personal life," she said at the time. "You don't get that part of me. Sorry. We're not discussing it in our meetings. I don't feel like I need to share my personal life, and I don't care if people think I'm gay or not. Assume whatever you want. You do it anyway."

It seemed like Latifah might have been poking her head out of the closet in 2012 while performing at Long Beach, Calif. Pride. The singer said she was proud to be among "her people." However, she quickly walked that back in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "That definitely wasn't the case," she explained. "I've never dealt with the question of my personal life in public. It's just not gonna happen."

While Latifah was rumored to have been dating Nichols since 2013 after the two met on the set of Dancing with the Stars, and that the two had welcomed a baby in 2019, she had never spoke on it publicly until now.