Movies Niecy Nash celebrates real cousins Danielle Brooks and Sterling K. Brown Oscar nominations "I'm so proud of my fam," the Emmy award-winning actress wrote on Instagram. By Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis is a news writer at Entertainment Weekly with over five years of experience covering the latest in entertainment. A proud Kingston University alum, Emlyn has written about music, fandom, film, television, and awards for multiple outlets including MTV News, Teen Vogue, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Paper Magazine, Dazed, and NME. She joined EW in August 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Updated on January 23, 2024 05:09PM EST Niecy Nash-Betts is sharing the sweet reason why she’s over the moon for Sterling K. Brown and Danielle Brooks’ Oscar nominations this morning. The Emmy award-winning actress, 53, revealed that Brown, 47, and Brooks, 34, are actually her real-life cousins in an Instagram post that featured a snapshot of the extended family happily posing together at the Academy Museum Gala last month. "Both of my COUSINS are OSCAR NOMINATED,” Nash-Betts captioned the image. “Yes! We are blood related! REAL cousins! I’m so proud of my fam! @thedaniellebrooks @sterlingkbrown I’m rooting for you!” Niecy Nash-Betts, Sterling K. Brown, and Danielle Brooks. Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images; Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images Both Brown and Brooks are first-time Oscar nominees for their work in the comedy-drama American Fiction and The Color Purple, respectively. Brooks’ nomination is the only nod that the movie musical received, while American Fiction is also nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Actor for Jeffrey Wright’s performance in the film. While Brooks simply re-posted a snapshot of the Best Supporting Actress category on her Instagram Story, Brown marveled over his nomination in an Instagram video. “I didn’t know how else to respond to share my gratitude,” he said in part. “I want [to say] thank you to the Academy. For somebody who’s been watching the Oscars their whole life, I’ve never been. I’ve had a few things that have been in contention or whatnot, but this will be my first time actually going to the party and it’s an honor to get the invite.” Nash-Betts was previously on hand to celebrate and present Brown with a Screen Actors Guild Award when he made history by becoming the first Black actor to win Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama category for his performance on This Is Us in 2018. The 96th Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 10, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC. See the full list of 2024 Oscar nominations. Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best films, TV, and music. Related content: Stars react to their 2024 Oscar nominations This Is Us cast celebrates Sterling K. Brown's first Oscar nomination: 'You deserve it all' Danielle Brooks is latest actor to land Oscar and Tony nominations for the same role