Donielle Mikel Nash is carving out her own space in Hollywood, one television role at a time. While she’s known as the daughter of Emmy-winning actress Niecy Nash, this 30-year-old actress has been steadily building her career with recurring roles on hit shows like HBO’s The Sex Lives of College Girls and Netflix’s Never Have I Ever. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Donielle isn’t just riding on her mother’s coattails. She’s proving she’s got the talent and determination to make it on her own terms.
What started with minor guest appearances has evolved into something much bigger. By 2025, Donielle will have landed roles on critically acclaimed series like HBO’s Hacks, working alongside industry heavyweights, and occasionally sharing the screen with her famous mom. But who is Donielle Nash beyond her Hollywood connections? Let’s dive into her story.
Biography
Donielle Mikel Lanae Nash was born on January 9, 1995, in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in a household where faith and entertainment intersected in interesting ways. Her parents, Niecy Nash and Don Nash, met at church, where Don served as a pastor. They married on May 14, 1994, and seemed like the perfect match, blending ministry with showbiz. However, after 13 years of marriage and three children, the couple divorced on June 17, 2007.
That divorce wasn’t just the end of a marriage for young Donielle. Her mother has spoken publicly about how it meant losing not just a husband but also her pastor and church community all at once. Growing up in the aftermath of that split, Donielle and her siblings maintained relationships with both parents as they watched their mother rebuild her life and career.
Donielle is the middle child of three. Her older brother, Dominic Nash, was born on December 12, 1991, and now works as an executive producer in the entertainment industry. Her younger sister, Dia La Ren Nash, was born on September 28, 1999, and is also pursuing an acting career. The three siblings remain close, often appearing in each other’s social media content and taking trips together. In 2022, they travelled to Dubai as a trio.
After her parents’ divorce, Donielle watched her mother navigate two more marriages. Niecy married Jay Tucker in 2011, making Donielle a stepdaughter until that marriage ended in 2020. Currently, Niecy is married to singer Jessica Betts, making history as the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Essence magazine with a same-sex spouse. Donielle and her siblings have publicly supported their mother’s marriage, showing up for family in all its forms.
Standing at 5 feet 6 inches tall, Donielle has become an advocate for body positivity. She embraces her curves and uses her platform, which includes about 86,000 Instagram followers, to promote self-love and acceptance. Her faith remains essential to her, something she references with a cross symbol in her social media bio, alongside her other interests like reading books and building Legos.
Career
Donielle’s acting career started modestly in 2016, but it’s picked up serious momentum in recent years. Her first credited role was playing Daphne in an episode of The Soul Man in 2016. The following year, she appeared as a pregnant juror in Modern Family. These early roles were single-episode appearances, the kind of work many actors do while waiting for their big break.
She continued building her resume with small parts. In 2018, she played the Bloody Nose Woman in Superstore.
Then in 2021, everything started to shift. She landed a recurring role as Sasha on Mindy Kaling’s Netflix series Never Have I Ever, appearing in four episodes. That same year, she booked another recurring role as Jayla on HBO’s The Sex Lives of College Girls, also produced by Kaling.
As Jayla, Donielle plays a friend of Whitney’s who delivers sharp, witty commentary. She’s appeared in seven episodes across multiple seasons through 2025. One of her favourite scenes came in season two when her character drops a truth bomb about wage inequality after discussing a microaggression Whitney experienced. “If I had a dollar for every time that happened, I’d only have 63 cents because Black women make significantly less on the dollar,” Jayla quips.
The year 2022 brought more opportunities. She appeared in Grown-ish as Robin and landed a role in The Rookie: Feds, a show starring her mother. Playing Pamela, the roommate of a murder victim, Donielle had to deliver an emotional performance opposite Niecy. She later described the experience to POPSUGAR as nerve-wracking, like being a contestant on a cooking competition judged by Gordon Ramsay. Despite the pressure, her mother helped her prepare, even coaching her through crying on camera.
Most recently, Donielle appeared in Season 4, Episode 6 of the critically acclaimed HBO series Hacks in May 2025, playing Kathleen. The show’s reputation for quality comedy makes this appearance particularly significant for her career.
She and her sister Dia both independently auditioned for and won roles on Never Have I Ever, where their mother also appears as Dr Jamie Ryan. It marked the first time all three Nash women worked together on a single project, though none of them knew the others would be there until after landing their parts.
Donielle’s ultimate dream? Starring in her own sitcom. She cites Raven-Symoné as a childhood inspiration. “She was so funny, and she dressed cute, and she was Black, and she was a little thick, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to be that,'” Donielle told POPSUGAR. She even wanted to change her name to Raven as a kid. That kind of representation mattered to her then, and now she’s working to provide it for others.
Her most visible commercial work is as a Fashion Nova Curve brand ambassador. She uses her Instagram platform to promote plus-size fashion and body positivity, working with brands that align with her values. She’s also active on TikTok, where she shares lifestyle content and occasionally appears with her sister in videos.
Personal Life
Donielle keeps her romantic life relatively private. Based on available information, she appears to be single and focused on building her career. Sources describe her as an independent, career-oriented woman, though no publicly confirmed relationship exists as of late 2025.
The Nash siblings maintain close bonds despite their busy careers. They travel together, support each other’s projects, and genuinely seem to enjoy each other’s company. That family connection extends to their relationships with both parents, even as family structures have shifted over the years.
The Bottom Line
Donielle Nash is building a respectable acting career on her own merits. Yes, having Niecy Nash as a mother opened certain doors, but Donielle still had to walk through them and prove herself worthy of staying in the room. From single-episode guest spots to recurring roles on prestige television, she’s steadily climbing the ladder.
Her mother’s best advice to her captures what makes Donielle’s journey compelling: “Trust your gift.” In an industry that can make you doubt yourself constantly, especially when you’re being compared to a famous parent, that’s powerful wisdom. Donielle admits she’s an overthinker who second-guesses herself even when everyone else says she nailed a scene. But she’s learning to trust her training, her instincts, and her talent.
With her recent appearance on Hacks and continued work on The Sex Lives of College Girls, Donielle’s career trajectory points upward. She’s 30 now, at an age where many actors start landing their breakthrough roles. If her dream of starring in her own sitcom comes true, don’t be surprised. She’s putting in the work, building the resume, and most importantly, she’s got that gift her mother keeps telling her to trust.