There’s something astonishingly attractive about Tiffany Haddish. Perhaps, it’s her infectious comic timing that never fails to crack ‘em up or the raw honesty that she upholds with pride. Haddish’s distinctive charm, if anything, is impossible to ignore…
As the popular adage goes, “success is like the tip of the iceberg.” From a rough childhood, violence, homelessness, abject poverty, sexual violence, and more—Haddish had seen it all. Her meteoric rise in Hollywood came after a long, arduous journey of pain and struggles that not many know of.
But behind the Girls Trip star’s imposing presence lies a woman who’s suffered and fallen multiple times, only to be picked up by some good men (and women) through the years; back in time.
“A Demonized Mumma…”
In a heartbreaking interview with David Letterman on his Netflix show “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” Haddish bared her heart out about her early childhood days.
“When I was 8, about to be 9, she (Haddish’s mother) had a car accident and her head went through a windshield. By the grace of God, she lived, but she had to learn how to walk, talk, eat everything all over again,” Haddish had stated, as reported by USA Today.
Except something had changed—her mother had become schizophrenic.
“I didn’t want to be with my mom no more,” Haddish had revealed in the episode. “She had become very violent and abusive. You never knew who she was going to be. Every day was like a different day. I used to think she was demonized. I thought like maybe someone else jumped inside her body, like ‘Where’s my mommy?’ she’s gone,” Haddish told Letterman.
In her book, The Last Black Unicorn, Haddish had divulged how it was her step-father who had meddled with the brakes of her mother Leola’s car that led to the debilitating brain injuries. In the face of growing physical and verbal abuse, soon enough, Haddish, along with her siblings entered foster care.
Notwithstanding the turbulent childhood, Haddish found comfort in films. One particular film was the 1986-released Jumpin’ Jack Flash and the actress Whoopi Goldberg; who became Haddish’s imaginary, ideal mother. “When I saw that movie, I was like ‘I want her to be my momma, I want to learn from her, I want her to tell me what’s right and what’s wrong,” Haddish told Goldberg on The View; as part of Haddish’s film Nobody’s Fool promotion, the ABC News reported.
”I would pray on it all the time! Like, one day I will work with her, one day we’re going to be friends, one day we’re going to know each other and then, God answered my dreams. She supported me for a long time and didn’t even know it,” Haddish let out while explaining how she was inspired by Goldberg’s performance in the film.
“Homeless, Hungry, Scared And Hurt…”
Adulthood dawned upon Haddish, but the road to showbiz success was uphill and gruelling. Up until that time, Haddish had already experienced tremendous hardships in her personal life. As Eonline reported, the comedian faced molestation after entering foster care, struggled with learning challenges until grade nine, married once, and remarried the same person - an abuser who was later arrested, miscarried without even knowing she was pregnant...the battles she fought were punishing.
But her belief in self never wavered and Haddish found solace in comedy.
“I always try to find the bright side of anything dark going on, and anything hard to deal with,” Haddish elucidated on the Good Morning America show. “Some things you just can’t find anything funny about it, but it’s happening to you for a reason and probably to help others. That’s how I feel...share the story, share the experience, and maybe, it’ll help somebody else in their journey."
On April 25th, last year, Haddish uploaded a picture on Instagram that shed light on her past—a phase she (thankfully) outgrew to reach where she is today. She wrote, “I remember that night. She was homeless, hungry, scared, and hurt. I promised her if she kept faith in God and herself, we will get to a place where we will be housed, overfed, less hurt, and feel free.”
Another person Haddish has acknowledged as a source of strength when things looked gloomy at her end, is Kevin Hart. “He (Hart) gave me $300 and told me I shouldn’t be sleeping in my car,” Haddish had disclosed in an interview with Vanity Fair in January 2018. “He was asking me where I was sleeping and I told him ‘Beverly Hills.’ If imma be homeless, I’m gonna be homeless in the best area.’ I would park my car in Beverly Hills and I would sleep over there, and the police would come every morning and make me move. That was my wake-up call,” she had stated further.
Looking back at her journey, Haddish has admitted that everything she has experienced, shaped her path to greatness in the future. Apart from Goldberg and Hart, Haddish emphasized on how important community support is. Additionally, Haddish credits a bevy of black female comedians in the entertainment and comedy industry who gave her hope when she had none. “It feels amazing. You always wonder, ‘do my sisters care? Am I out here on my own struggling’ They do care! You’re not by yourself!”
Kudos to you, Tiffany!
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