A naturally stunning star, it doesn’t take much to make Nia Long glow. Something that automatically does it for her though, is being in the presence of her sons. ESSENCE has had the opportunity to see the actress in mommy mode, her favorite role, on a few different occasions, including in 2022, when she was celebrated at our annual Black Women in Hollywood event for her work in the industry over the years. There was also the time we got to photograph her and her sons, Massai, and then-newborn Kez, for our August 2012 issue.
“Motherhood is not easy, but it’s natural,” she told us in that issue, which she covered with her sons. “I worked hard to have the career I wanted, but I’ve also been deliberate about my personal life. None of this is a mistake.”
Over the years, she’s opened up about how parenting has changed her, including, in the simplest but most profound way, her outlook. “Baby Kez Sunday has given me a bit of a rebirth and it’s really nice because I’m able to look at life through his eyes,” she said in 2013. “You have to pay attention to the smallest thing from the birds chirping to the dog barking across the street. These are the things that make the world go around today. When you look at life in its simplest form, stress and worry isn’t the cornerstones of your life. Experiencing life through that lens is refreshing.”
Even before she had her sons, she was preparing for life with them. She talked about setting them up for financial success, including establishing a college fund that ended up securing the future she wanted for her oldest son, Massai.
“One of the things is [that] I started saving for my children before I became a mother. I took $3,000 and I just put [it] in this account. I was like, ‘I’m never touching that.’ And it allowed me to get my son through NYU without any student loans,” she said proudly.
“So in four years, anybody in here looking for a young lawyer [or] attorney, he’s going to be a good one,” she added at the time. “He needs a job to pay me back. If he’s anything like me, he has a spirit of abundance… a little bit too much because he’s still in my pocket. I just called him on my way here. I got a bill for his electric bill. I said, ‘Massai, really?’ And see, this is the thing, you can’t spoil them too much because part of what made me do what I’ve done is the hustle. You’ve got to draw the line where you don’t tamper with the hustle because in that hustle is that little bit of gangster that makes us make a difference.”
Overall, Long has said that being a parent has taught her a lot about herself, lessons that she’s grateful for.
“I have old-school ways, and I have new-school ways, and I’m still figuring it out,” she said in 2023 to The Cut. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes as a mother. I’ve learned about myself through my parenting. Do I have regrets? Of course. But they’re not regrets that were life-changing or devastating.”
Scroll down to see some sweet images of the beauty and her boys, starting with Massai and ending with Kez, over the years.
01
01
2004
NEW YORK – MARCH 20: (U.S. TABS AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER OUT) Nia Long with her son Massai Dorsey II at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily Circus party at Madison Square Garden on March 20, 2004 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)
02
02
2005
LOS ANGELES – JANUARY 9: Actress Nia Long and son, Massai pose on the red carpet during the premiere of “Are We There Yet?” at the Mann Village on January 9, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
03
03
2005
Massai Dorsty and Nia Long (Photo by Donato Sardella/WireImage)
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04
04
2007
Nia Long Son, Nia Long and Mom during Martell Presents: Discover Noblige – Los Angeles, A Charitable Cultural Experience Honoring: Holly Robinson Peete, Hill Harper and Nia Long for their Philanthropic Achievements in Beverly Hills, California, United States. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
05
05
2009
WESTWOOD, CA – JUNE 22: Nia Long and Massai Zhivago Dorsey II attend Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Premiere at Mann Village Theatre on June 22, 2009 in Westwood, California. (Photo by ANDREAS BRANCH/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
06
06
2012
HOLLYWOOD, CA – APRIL 21: Mother and son (L-R) Massai Dorsey II and Nia Long attend the 1st ABFF Celebrity Bowling Gala at Lucky Strikes on April 21, 2012 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/WireImage)
07
07
2012
Kweku Alston
08
08
2014
HOLLYWOOD, CA – MARCH 10: Actress Nia Long (R) and her son Massai Zhivago Dorsey II (L) arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club’ held on March 10, 2014 at ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Barry King/FilmMagic)
09
09
2017
CULVER CITY, CA – OCTOBER 29: (L-R) Kez Sunday Udoka and Nia Long attend The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s 28th Annual ‘A Time For Heroes’ Family Festival at Smashbox Studios on October 29, 2017 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/WireImage)
10
10
2019
US actress Nia Long (C) and sons Kez Sunday Udoka (L) and Massai Zhivago Dorsey II arrive for the 32nd Annual Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards at the USC Galen Center on March 23, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Delmas / AFP) (Photo credit should read CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 15: Nia Long and Kez Sunday Udoka attend Brooklyn Nets v Milwaukee Bucks game at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on June 15, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images)
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12
2022
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 24: (L-R) Kez Sunday Udoka , Nia Long, and Massai Z. Dorsey pose during the 2022 15th Annual ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Luncheon at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 24, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
13
13
2023
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 18: (L-R) Nia Long and son Kez Udoka attend Los Angeles Premiere Of Crunchyroll’s “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village” on February 18, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Crunchyroll)