Actress Nia Long recently opened up about a surprising encounter with the late music icon Prince that she initially dismissed and later revisited with a smile.
Long recounted the story during her appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, recalling that she was out at a club in Los Angeles when the moment occurred. “I was at Roxbury back in the day and I had on my Kenneth Cole pumps — I remember!” Long said.
“I’m like, ‘I’m from Brooklyn, don’t be grabbing me, touching on me!’” she declared, describing her brash response when a man tried to take her hand.
Her friends stepped in shortly after. “We get outside and my girlfriend was like, ‘Girl, you know that was Prince!’” Long recalled. By the time she and her friend returned to locate him, he had vanished.
A Humbling Reprise with Nia Long and Prince
Long said the encounter weighed on her, but it didn’t end there. Nearly twenty years later, she found herself at a birthday party where Prince showed up. “Oh my gosh, Prince is at my birthday party!” she said.
She said their conversation that night surprised her: Instead of music, he focused on her hair. “He wanted to talk about my hair. I’ll take what I can get — it’s Prince,” she laughed.
Long said the story stuck with her because it blended humor, humility and unexpected celebrity proximity. She noted that even stars like Prince can approach in ordinary moments and slip away just as quietly.
While many celebrities might regret turning down such an icon, Long seems content. Her tone was warm and reflective, not regretful. “Whatever you want — we can buy hair, makeup, skincare, whatever you want,” she joked.
As she continues her career — marked by roles in films and TV series spanning decades — Long has embraced her past with grace. The anecdote adds a uniquely human touch to her public persona: unpretentious, witty and grounded.