The Untold Truth Of Regina Hall
Regina Hall has been working in Hollywood for a long time, nabbing gig after gig following her breakout role in the 2000 comedy "Scary Movie." Yet, it seems that it's only been the past few years that Hall has really gotten to showcase her major star power as an actor and producer. The "Girls Trip" star touched on this when speaking with The New York Times Magazine in 2019, noting that while she's "always had steady work," the pivot "feels like a culmination" and she "didn't always want to be the auxiliary character." She added, "I'm potentially in a position where I could become more of a force."
It seems others are noticing too, considering that she was tapped to host the 2022 Academy Awards, alongside Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. Hall gushed to ET, "It's quite historic, like all of us together." She continued, "I'm kind of excited and nervous and everything!" Yet Hall shouldn't be nervous, having proved over the years that she isn't only capable of making people laugh (hello the "Scary Movie" franchise!), but that she's also a super talented actor. In 2022, she even won the NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the drama "Nine Perfect Strangers."
While it's clear people are aware of what Hall can do on-screen, fans may not know that off-screen she has quite the interesting life, even though she's done a pretty good job at keeping it private. We uncovered some things about Hall that are definitely worth knowing, so let's break them down.
Regina Hall has a master's in journalism
While it seems that Regina Hall was always meant to be an actor, the "Little" star actually started out pursuing journalism. According to The Shadow League, Hall had moved from her native Washington D.C. to New York to attend Fordham University but wasn't sure what to do after graduating. "My mom and dad were like, 'What are you going to do? You been in New York six months...'" she recalled. "So I was like, 'I'll go back to school.' Cause I always loved school, classes and learning."
Hall did just that, attending New York University to get her master's degree in journalism. She chose that particular line of study because it, as she shared with the outlet, "seemed like something powerful." She continued, "I thought most people believe what they read, so the power of someone holding a pen in our culture, especially, was tremendous." She also told Fader in 2018 that she was heavily influenced by the book "Democracy in America," explaining, "It talked about the importance of journalism to democracy."
Her respect for the line of work has only grown. "Now, with everything going on politically," she said in Fader, "I value journalism even more and realize how difficult the job is." Yet, what she learned has impacted her work as an actor. "There's days where I'd be like, 'Ah, I'd want to tell that story; because it's so imperative," she explained. Hall has experience teaching too, having briefly done so at a New Rochelle college. She shared on "Late Night With Seth Meyers," "I thought I was good. I was strict because I was young."
Her father's death inspired her to be an actor
While Regina Hall was studying journalism, it was the death of her father, Obie Hall, that inspired her to pursue acting instead. Regina recalled in The New York Times Magazine, "My father had a stroke during my first trimester and passed away. ... It wasn't so clear cut that I would go into acting then, but I thought, 'Wow, your life could change at any moment.'" She made a similar point in a 2021 Health interview. "It was his passing that really shifted how I looked at life," she said. "That's what led me to acting. The thing about feeling broken is that it forces you to be open — you feel like you don't have much, so you don't overthink everything."
Despite Hall's goals changing, she told The Shadow League, "I know my father would have wanted me to finish school. So I did that." However, while studying, Hall began taking acting classes and auditioning for roles. She dished to MadameNoire, "A friend, she's an actress, introduced me to her manager and I was doing commercials and I actually really did like it."
While Hall believed acting "didn't necessarily feel like a feasible profession," by the looks of her IMDb she went on to find steady acting work ever since graduating from NYU in 1997. When asked about her impressive filmography by MadameNoire, she tipped her cap to her "wonderful agent" and "wonderful manager" before adding, "I think the biggest thing we realized was how important it was to be consistent and to always work on your craftsmanship."
Regina Hall's mother was diagnosed with scleroderma
Regina Hall's mother, Ruby Hall, was diagnosed with the rare disease scleroderma in 2006. As Regina explained to Ability Magazine, "It affects the skin and some other organs, and can take several forms." The "Girls Trip" star credits late actor Bob Saget, whose sister died from the same disease, with helping her and her mother. She told the outlet, "Bob had a group called the Scleroderma Foundation, so I donated to that and my mother went to the doctor Bob had suggested ... He's been great."
These days, Regina Hall doesn't just donate to the Research Foundation but is also part of their Board of Directors. Yet that's not the only volunteering Hall does. After Ruby later had a stroke in 2010, Regina told Ability, "I started volunteering at a convalescent home in Sherman Oaks, twice a week." She continued, "A lot of those patients, the seniors, had had strokes."
On a 2019 episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Regina recalled the time she mistakenly believed Ruby was having another stroke. The actor dished that one night after using marijuana oil together, she took her mother to the hospital because "she couldn't move her mouth." Once the tests showed that Ruby was fine, her daughter's friend realized what had actually happened. Regina explained, "Well, I went to my mother and said, 'Mommy, Dodge thinks we're high,' and my mother and I start cracking up."
Regina Hall's love life
Over the years Regina Hall has been romantically linked to other celebrities, but still manages to keep her love life under wraps. However, her late '90s/early 2000's relationship with Brand Nubian's Sadat X was confirmed by the rapper himself. He shared on "The Leschea Show" that he and Hall had "lived together for like seven years" after meeting when she was in college, and that he regrets not following her to Hollywood, saying, "I probably should have married her."
In 2016, Hall was rumored to be dating rapper Common after they starred in "Barbershop: The Next Cut" together. Yet Common told "The Breakfast Club," "We never was in that space, that's just like somebody I care about as a friend." In 2018, rumors bubbled up about Hall possibly being linked to the late Chadwick Boseman after they were spotted together at an event. They presumably were just friends at the time since Boseman went on to marry Taylor Simone Ledward shortly after.
As for Hall, she won't speak on her love life unless things are serious. She revealed on the "Yes, Girl!" podcast, "I just feel like relationships are sacred until you're in a space where you are really certain and knowing." And while Hall has never been married, she dished to Mademenoire that she doesn't "feel like I'm missing anything" even though there is some "ideal that a woman should be married." She explained, "But what I find is that I ask myself most importantly 'Am I happy?' and I feel like I'm so happy."
The Black Monday actor's net worth
It appears that Regina Hall has made some good financial moves, considering the "Malibu's Most Wanted" star's impressive net worth. Celebrity Net Worth reports that Hall is worth a whopping $6 million, which should come as no surprise since she has had a steady acting career since her start in 1997. She credited her film "Scary Movie" for getting her work from the jump, telling MademeNoire, "It opened up the avenue for comedy and that allowed me to do roles with a lot of comedians and kind of make a name in that arena. That kept me working steadily."
By 2020, Showtime decided they wanted to cash in on Hall's success by signing a "first look deal" with her through her production company RH Negative, according to Deadline. At the same time Hall inked a "six-movie deal with ViacomCBS," per Celebrity Net Worth, proving she's raking in the cash even behind the scenes.
As for how Hall spends her hard-earned money? "I splurge on health products; anything that has the word 'collagen' in it, I buy! It doesn't matter how expensive," she revealed to Page Six. "And I splurge on creams and body scrubs." When Hall isn't buying costly health and beauty products, she seemingly keeps the rest of her spending low key, even her real estate ventures. While she does have a home in Los Angeles, per The Hollywood Reporter, it's unclear if she's made a habit of buying multiple properties like a lot of other rich celebrities.
She's a big Elizabeth Taylor fan
Regina Hall credits a late legendary actor for being an inspiration to her. The "Nine Perfect Strangers" star revealed to Ebony, "I'm actually a big fan of Elizabeth Taylor. ... She was always someone who I felt had the combination of beauty and talent." In a 2014 interview with Madamenoire, Hall said she "read her New York Times best seller" and it cemented her admiration of the silver screen icon. She continued, "She was one of the people who I felt equally possessed the same amount of talent as she did beauty."
Hall remembered watching Taylor on the primetime soap "General Hospital" and shared that the late actor has influenced her work. "Whenever I do red carpet looks one of the things that I like is to always make sure that there's a sense of elegance and class," Hall. "I felt she always exuded that."
With that said, it makes sense that Hall would want to become an ambassador for the fragrance, White Diamonds Lustre by Elizabeth Taylor. She explained she decided to do the partnership because "working with her team seemed natural" to the Ally McBeal actor. She added, "You have to get behind something that is actually kind of true to who you are." It also helped that the deal felt like fate, with Hall telling Hello Beautiful, "I had just read Elizabeth Taylor's autobiography and so it was meant to be."
Regina Hall uses her platform to help others
Regina Hall uses her platform to make a difference, whether it's through the work she does as an actor, or by raising awareness and money for causes she cares about. When it comes to her work, it seems Hall often chooses roles that portray women positively. She dished to Capitol File, "We're in a time of recognizing sisterhood, self-empowerment and female empowerment. It's a great moment of supporting each other and standing up with each other."
Outside of Hollywood, Hall revealed, "I think politics are important. I use my voice with my vote." The "Shaft" actor has also frequently posted about politics on her Instagram, usually encouraging people to vote or about certain elections. Furthermore, she uses social media to bring attention to causes she supports like The Solutions Project or the Scleroderma Research Foundation.
It seems it's important to Hall to help others. She told The Hollywood Reporter, "I've been donating to a lot of causes. One of my neighbors started a [group] where we serve meals to our local hospital ... And then I have a cause in D.C. that we're trying to get help with housing." She continued, "Wherever I see there's a need ... if I can help financially, I tend to do that." She's on the frontlines too though, like when she co-hosted a BET event to raise COVID-relief funds for Black communities. Between that and her volunteering at nursing homes, it's clear Hall has a giving heart.
The Girls Trip actor almost became a nun
Fans may be surprised to hear that Regina Hall actually considered becoming a nun after making it as an actor. The "Girls Trip" star told The New York Times Magazine that while she had "wanted to be a nun when I was a little girl too," in 2011 she seriously looked into leaving show business for the vocation. She admitted, "I had gone through a breakup. I wasn't having sex anyway. I thought being a nun would be peaceful."
While Hall says she wasn't raised Catholic, she explained to Fader, "I was in Catholic school my whole life, and it felt natural." She continued, "Maybe I was a nun in a past life. It felt familiar. I loved the sisters and I loved the priests." As someone who's also very into meditation and prayer, Hall realized being in "a really spiritual place" is where she feels her best.
However, her life as a nun apparently wasn't meant to be since she didn't end up meeting the requirements. Hall revealed, "I was too old. Every sect has different rules and this particular one I was interested in, their idea was that this wasn't a Plan B." She added, "Some of them limit you by the number of partners you've had — but I couldn't join those either." Yet Hall acknowledged it was probably for the best, dishing, "I would've been the nun from 'Scary Movie.'"
Regina Hall has famous friends
Regina Hall may be busy with her successful career, but the "About Last Night" star seems to value spending time with her pals. Hall has close friendships with a few other famous ladies, including her longtime bestie and "Love & Basketball" co-star Sanna Lathan. The two haven't only been friends for over 20 years, but according to Essence, they've dubbed each other "human diaries" since they often confide in each other. Additionally, Hall referred to Lathan as her "real life bestie," in an Instagram post, while Lathan once wrote (via Insider) on hers, "So proud of you Regina you inspire me and so many others," after honoring her at a 2018 event.
Hall is also close with her "Little" co-star Issa Rae. Hall gushed to People that the "Insecure" co-creator is "supportive of everything that you think she stands for in terms of being creative, smart, talented, pro woman and pro Black." Hall also had nothing but good things to say about fellow "Girls Trip" actor Jada Pinkett Smith. "Jada is so amazing," she told the outlet. "She is such a giver and she's so authentic, and she is so incredibly honest."
When Hall isn't singing the praises of her girl squad, she's sticking up for her guy friends. Specifically, she was in Kevin Hart's corner after his homophobic tweets surfaced in 2019. Hall told The New York Times Magazine, "Kevin is not homophobic. He isn't. I don't think anything was malicious." She added, "Knowing Kevin, I know that's not him."
She's an in-demand producer
Regina Hall may be best known for her work on screen, but "The Hate U Give" actor is a powerful force behind the camera as a producer. Hall has been producing since 2019, with her first projects being the feature "Little" and the TV series "Black Monday," two comedies she also starred in. When discussing "Little," Hall told Black Film, "I've always wanted to produce, so this film and the show 'Black Monday' gave me an incredible opportunity."
Hall was given another incredible opportunity from Showtime, the network that aired "Black Monday." Per Forbes, Hall signed a "first-look deal" with them in 2020 to produce multiple TV series under her company RH Negative. After inking the deal, Hall gushed, "One of the things I'm interested in is sharing untold stories," adding, "I certainly look forward to discovering a lot of performers and writers and everything that you need behind the lens." Per Zora, Hall expressed a similar sentiment to her former mentor at an NYU event the year before, saying that showcasing diversity is "why I like getting into producing. It interests me to tell stories that are different."
Since then, Hall has gotten a producing six-picture feature deal with ViacomCBS and has produced two films slated for 2022, the thriller "Master" and the comedy "Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul." Deadline reports that she also hired a well-known executive producer Tom Heller to be the president of her company, saying, "We share a parallel approach to the business and vision for the future."
Regina Hall is into wellness
When Regina Hall isn't taking over Hollywood, it seems the "Think Like a Man" star enjoys taking care of herself. "I love wellness," she told WSJ Magazine. "It made me think of how I wish everyone had access to it. I've been fortunate enough that I've discovered it in my life." She shared with Health that she enjoys "meditating," prayer, and "being in nature."
Like a lot of people, Hall also found new hobbies she enjoyed during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I like to clean!" she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2020. "And my house, I had these floors sparkling, and I was like, 'I don't need a mop. I'm getting on my hands and knees.'" She also dished that she got into yanking weeds out of the ground, noting that the practice is "soothing because they come up gently."
When Hall isn't taking care of her mind, body, house, and garden, then she likes to spend her time with those who are important to her. She dished to Health, "I have really wonderful friends and family that I can talk to, who offer me amazing life insights." With all her success and the positive way she spends her downtime, it's safe to say that Hall has amazing life insights of her own and will hopefully continue to share those with fans through her storytelling.