A LIST ON INFLUENCE
NICOLE KIDMAN, JENNIFER LOPEZ AMONG THOSE ‘TIME’ SELECTED
So Tiffany Haddish is not just a gossip—she’s also influential.
Haddish’s star continues to rise as she takes one of six covers for the annual T100— Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people of 2018.
The 38-year-old comedienne has been acting since 2005 but it wasn’t until her breakout performance in last year’s “Girls Trip” that people suddenly started noticing this loud actress who has a standing deal with Brad Pitt about possibly dating in a year’s time and who knows who bit Beyonce in the face.
Haddish now stands in the same league as Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman and Grammy-nominated Jennifer Lopez, who are also on different Time covers representing artists and icons, respectively. Haddish is considered among the pioneers in the list.
Other influential people on their own cover are Microsoft chief executive officer Satya Nadella, #MeToo founder Tarana Burke and tennis player Roger Federer. Fellow comedian Kevin Hart wrote about Haddish in the magazine. They have known each other for 13 years.
“She was young, raw and funny, almost like she didn’t have a care in the world,” said Hart on the first time he met Haddish. “But when I noticed her car was packed to the brim with her belongings, I asked her if everything was OK.”
Apparently Haddish was homeless.
“Now Tiffany is bringing a whole new level of fresh to the comedy scene. She’s just so authentic and unfiltered... Tiffany is an amazing talent with an even bigger heart. I hope she keeps being herself, because that’s what got her shining. And I want to see her go big and beyond.”
Haddish and Hart will star together in “Night School,” which comes out later this year.
And as if being on the cover of Time magazine is not big enough, Haddish also got to write about the most influential African-American woman in the world: Oprah Winfrey, who is also among the most influential titans, according to Time.
“I’ve been watching Oprah since I was seven. In my eyes, she’s my auntie,” wrote Haddish. “Oprah had the roughest childhood and has gone through all these difficulties. But no matter what, she stays focused on her goals and achieves them. She made her dreams come true. And because I watched her, I did too.”
Other celebrities in the pioneers list with Haddish are comedian and writer Kumail Nanjiani, rapper Cardi B., comedienne and writer Issa Rae and “The Daily Show” host Trevor
Noah. Kidman, who will reprise her role as Celeste Wright in the second season of “Big Little Lies,” received great words from best friend Naomi Watts, who wrote about her in the Time cover story.
“Beyond being an outstanding actor, Nicole has intelligence, compassion, kindness and humor that make her the epitome of a great woman and friend. There is no question that I and audiences the world over will continue to value and admire her for decades to come,” said Watts. Accompanying Kidman in the artists list are fellow Aussie actor Hugh Jackman, Wonder Woman Gal Gadot, “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler, “This is Us” actor Sterling K. Brown, “Stranger Things’” Millie Bobby Brown, come-
dienne Lena Waithe and actress and director Greta Gerwig.
Other influential artists are Roseanne Barr, who successfully made a TV comeback; young singer Shawn Mendes; newly minted Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro; Indian actress Deepika Padukone; talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and actor and new horror director John Krasinski.
“My friend John Krasinski is awesome. He’s very strong. He’s tall and handsome. He’s married to Emily Blunt. So, you know, there’s that. He is a New England Patriots fan… but nobody’s perfect,” Chris
Pratt joked about Krasinski.
“Producing, directing and starring in this film redefines his place in Hollywood, and that place is right at the top,” the “Guardians of the Galaxy” actor concluded.
Brown also had a good friend write about him on Time magazine: Sarah Paulson. The “Ocean’s 8” actress and Brown won Emmys together for their performance in “The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
“Every day was like having a front-row seat in a master class on readiness, a meditation on seizing opportunity, but most unexpectedly, on JOY,” said Paulson on working with Brown.
While some celebrities got their celebrity friends to write about them, 19-year-old crooner Mendes actually got “mentor” John Mayer to write for Time.
Meanwhile, the leaders list also had a dose of celebrities like Prince Harry, his fiancee Meghan Markle, and morning show hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.
“Somewhere among biryani, poutine and endless conversations, I realized just how deeply Meghan Markle cares for the world,” wrote “Quantico’s” Priyanka Chopra of the soon-to-be princess Markle. “With her, what you see is real, and what you get is a relatable young woman with her heart and mind in the right place.”
“This ever-smiling, strong free spirit found her prince, fell in love and in turn made a cynical world believe in fairy tales again. But more than anything else, Meghan is an important influencer in a world that needs strong public figures to respect and look up to. People the world can be inspired by. Meghan, standing shoulder to shoulder with Harry, will be a princess for the people.”
Singer Elton John spoke just
as passionately for Prince Harry: “Prince Harry has that rare ability to walk into a room full of strangers and make everyone feel comfortable and at ease.” Then there are the icons. Joining Lopez in the list are Black Panther Chadwick Boseman, singer Rihanna, transgender author Janet Mock, singer Kesha, novelist Kevin Kwan and Chilean actress Daniela Vega. Every since its debut in February, “Black Panther” has become a box-office sensation and became the highest-grossing superhero film, dethroning “The Avengers.” It is also the fifth highest-grossing film of all time. So it’s no surprise that Boseman is in the list as an icon (Wakanda Forever!).
“It feels like every time Boseman appears onscreen, he’s finding a new way to inspire. His portrayals of African-American heroes have shown how black America has always been able to transform pain into something powerful,” Sean “Diddy” Combs said of Boseman.
It was “Scandal’s” Kerry Washington who wrote the description for Combs’ ex-girlfriend Lopez: “Jennifer Lopez is an iconic performer. She’s the first Latina actor to earn over $1 million for a film and the first woman to have a No. 1 album and a No. 1 movie in the same week. But she’s also a mother, an entrepreneur, an activist, a designer, a beauty icon, a philanthropist and a producer.”
“The Time 100 isn’t a measure of power, though many on the list wield it,” the magazine said of its annual list. “Nor is it a collection of milestones accumulated.”
Instead, the list asks this question: Was this their year?