Tiffany Haddish was one of 2017's breakout stars, after her memorable and hilarious performance
in Girls Trip put her on the map.
But how much does the average fan know about this rising comedian?
From her devastating childhood to making history on Saturday Night Live, here's the untold
truth of Tiffany Haddish.
Dark family past
Haddish's childhood wasn't easy.
In her memoir, The Last Black Unicorn, the comedian revealed that her mom was involved
in a terrible car accident that left her brain damaged and lashing out at Tiffany.
Haddish wrote,
"I was told every day I'd never be nothing.
Now I look in the mirror and say, 'Tiffany Haddish, I love and approve of you.'
It was all worth it."
She recalled other nasty remarks her mother often made, adding,
"After the accident, oh my God, she would say the worst things to me.
[...] She couldn't get all her words out, so she'd just punch me.
Just full on.
Because of her, I can take a punch like nobody's business."
"She punched me dead in the face, busted my lip and stuff, and pushed the whole dining
room table into my abdomen."
A few years later, Haddish's mom was taken to a hospital where she was diagnosed with
schizophrenia.
It's Haddish's wish to use her newfound fame and money to help her mom return to the person
she used to be.
Foster care
Because of her mom's mental illness, Haddish was forced to grow up quickly, taking care
of her siblings and herself.
Once child services got involved, she ended up in group homes, which she describes as,
quote, "more like prison."
She wrote in her memoir,
"My comedy skills came in real handy.
I thought that if I made these girls laugh they wouldn't beat me up."
It worked, but speaking with the Tampa Bay Times about her harrowing past, Haddish shared,
"When I talk to some of my comedy buddies now they'll say: 'Tiffany, you ain't never
been afraid.'
And I'm thinking to myself: 'Well, you obviously never knew me.'"
A deal's a deal
In an interview with The Breakfast Club, Haddish revealed that she met a policeman on a cruise,
who tracked her down years later after deciding he wanted a date.
At that point, he had become an investigator, and Haddish asked him to find her father.
The man said he would do it under one condition, she'd have to marry him if he was successful.
"I didn't think he would find him.
But he found him...
I'm a woman of my word.
If I say I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it."
They were married for 5 years, and Haddish blamed the demise of their marriage on his
control and jealousy issues.
In her memoir, she revealed that physical abuse took a serious toll on her.
Filling his shoes
A word of caution: Don't cheat on Tiffany Haddish.
No stranger to drama and bad relationships, Haddish found a rather unique way to get back
at one of her cheating ex-boyfriends.
As she shared in The Last Black Unicorn, Haddish decided to, well, poop in her ex's expensive
Jordans.
When he later slipped them on, she shouted:
"All the s--- you put me through, now you walkin' in it, motherf---er! … and I ran
out the house."
Thinking back on the satisfying moment, Haddish told People magazine,
"I know I'm crazy.
[…] I always try to think of ways to get revenge without going to jail."
Making history
At the start of a stellar career, Haddish has already made history.
In November, she became the first black female stand-up comedian to ever host Saturday Night
Live in its 43 seasons.
But as the star shared with The Breakfast Club, working on SNL wasn't all that great,
and she lost seven pounds from the stress of the experience.
Haddish also explained that the production staff dragged their feet on booking the A-list
cameos she had planned to include in the episode.
When asked if she would ever consider returning to the show, she hesitantly agreed, adding
that there would need to be a compromise.
As for her overall experience?
"The writers and the performers were phenomenal … and then everybody else is what they is."
Thank you, bullies
Haddish knows better than anyone that bullies can leave emotional scars.
Luckily for her, she was able to channel that negative energy into something positive.
Haddish credits her childhood bullies for making her rich today.
"As I got older, I'm like, you know what, I'm fixing to take all the mean stuff them
mean bullies used to say about me and I'm going to make money off it."
Between her 2018 stand-up tour and the numerous film projects she has lined up, it looks like
Haddish will be swimming in cash after all.
"Thank you James!
Thank you Terrell!
Keyosha!
All of y'all, thank you."
Thanks for watching!
Click the Nicki Swift icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!