Tiffany Haddish is a talented American comedian, actress, and author. In 2017, her performance in the film Girls Trip brought Haddish widespread and critical acclaim. The movie proved to be her breakthrough. In the same year, she won an Emmy Award for her work as a host on a Saturday Night Live episode.
In 2021, Haddish won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, making her the second African-American woman to win this prize. Her success story, from being homeless to becoming one of the most famous personalities in Hollywood, is truly inspiring.
Early life and struggles:—
Tiffany Haddish was born in Los Angeles, California. When She was 3 years old while Haddish’s father left her family. In 1988, Haddish’s mom suffered intense brain damage in an automobile accident. This triggered her to have schizophrenia, and she became abusive and violent.
When Haddish became 9 years old, she became her mom’s number one caregiver and 5 younger siblings. During that time, she observed her talent for making humans laugh. In an interview, Haddish stated that her stepfather later advised her he had tampered with the brakes on her mom’s car. He intended to kill Haddish and her family. Thankfully, the kids stayed home that day, and her mom survived the accident.
When Haddish was twelve, she and her siblings have been put into foster care and temporarily separated. During her time at foster care, she used comedy to manage and communicate to unfamiliar people. At 15, she was reunited with her siblings. She got into numerous problem in school and couldn’t study properly till high school. In 2018, Haddish said that she was raped at age sixteen by a police cadet.
In 1997, after her social worker gave her an ultimatum to attend either therapy or Comedy Camp, Haddish opted for comedy. Haddish got accepted into NYU but did now no longer move because of debt. During her twenties, she lived in her car and did a string of jobs.
Her career in Hollywood:—
Before her big break, Tiffany Haddish guest-starred in various television shows. In 2017, she starred in the film Girls Trip alongside Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah. The film’s plot follows a group of four friends who go to New Orleans to attend a music festival to reconnect after a long time.
The film received high praises from the critics as well as the movie-goers. A journalist of the Chicago Tribune wrote, “This is Haddish’s movie and will make her a star. It’s clear from the moment she hits the screen.” The movie grossed over $140 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing comedy film of 2017.
On November 11, 2017, Haddish hosted Saturday Night Live and became the first African-American female stand-up comedian to host the show. She also won an Emmy for hosting the show. In 2018, Time Magazine named Haddish as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2021, she won a Grammy for the Best Comedy Album.
Lessons we can learn:—
From being homeless and working several jobs to becoming one of the top stars in Hollywood, Tiffany Haddish’s story is an inspiring one. During tough times, Haddish resorted to comedy and found solace. She did what she loved doing the most.
You need to believe in your abilities, skills and passions to take the leap and follow your dreams. Therefore, if we believe in ourselves and take the correct path, anything is possible. We all experience setbacks or obstacles in our life journeys. Developing a positive mindset can help us emerge from the failures and move forward