Niecy Nash Joining Cast Of ‘The Mindy Project’ As Mindy Kaling’s Lesbian Rival

Niecy Nash is about to give Mindy Kaling some competition.

The Reno 911! actress was just announced as a new addition to the cast of The Mindy Project, where she will play the nemesis of lead character Mindy Lahiri. Nash’s character will reportedly be a lesbian.

So psyched the hilarious @NiecyNash will be coming to play Shulman & Associates work nemesis on #themindyproject!

— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) August 22, 2014

From E! News:

“Nash will play recurring character Dr. Jean Fishman, who is the new chief of Shulman & Associates’ admitting hospital. She is described as a tough physician from Boston who is a take-no-prisoners type and puts up with no nonsense whatsoever.

“And seeing as how Mindy is 100 percent nonsense (and we mean that in the absolute best possible way), expect these two to butt heads. We seriously cannot wait to watch it all go down.”

Meanwhile, Niecy Nash has been busy with other projects as well. She recently appeared in the third season of TV Land’s The Soul Man, which debuted in the spring. The show, which centers on an R&B singer who finds his calling as a minister and leaves Las Vegas for St. Louis, drew praise from TV Land president Larry W. Jones.

“We’re so proud to have this show in our portfolio of sitcoms,” Jones said of the show. “Fans of ‘The Soul Man’ are the drivers behind the success of the series. Because of their passion, we are able to continuously bring new viewers to the channel.”

In the show Niecy Nash plays Lolli, the minister’s wife. The show has particular appeal among the female African-American crowd, drawing well in that demographic for ages 25-54, and Nash is no small part of that success. These numbers are a boon for TV Land, which focuses on viewers in the 30-50 age bracket.

Those who want to see Niecy Nash take on Mindy Kaling in The Mindy Project can tune in for the Season 3 premiere on September 16 on Fox.