Why we love Tiffany Haddish
The world wants famous people who feel real, and rising star actor Tiffany Haddish, who appeared at the Oscars, fits the bill
We have entered the era of the relatable star. The Meryl Streeps and Beyoncés of this world are all well and good but the rise of rapper Cardi B (and Jennifer Lawrence before her) has shown us that the world is hungry for famous folk who feel like real people. The latest rising star in that mould is comedian Tiffany Haddish, a woman so cheerily infectious that earlier this year Trevor Noah said of her: “I’ve always wondered what the sun would be like as a human being and I think I have finally met that answer.”
If your first introduction to Haddish was watching her and Maya Rudolph take the stage at the Oscars with heels in hand, talking about their bunions, then here is a quick cheat sheet about a woman who could soon become one of the most famous in the world:
HER STORY
Born to an Eritrean-Jewish father and an African-American mother, Haddish, 38, became the primary caregiver to her mother and five siblings at age nine after her stepfather cut the brakes in the family car and the resulting accident triggered Haddish’s mother’s mental illness. Over the course of her life she has been in foster care, homeless, tried to join the Church of Scientology, developed a strong distaste for bunk beds and tried her hand at being a pimp. Basically, hers is the definition of a colourful life and through comedy she has managed to paint it using a bright palette as opposed to the Fifty Shades of Grey that a lot of people who share her experiences are prone to do.
HER CHARM
So far everywhere she has appeared Haddish has left a lovely taste in people’s mouths. The kind of taste one associates with binge eating your grandmother’s signature desserts with your funny cousin when you were kids. Whether playing the funny/crazy friend in last year’s smash hit movie Girls Trip, bursting into tears after being surprised by Oprah on The Ellen DeGeneres Show or hiking up her dress so that she could hop a velvet rope and greet Meryl Streep at the Oscars, Haddish is the definition of relatable. She unashamedly re-wears dresses to awards shows and is not scared to tell people how her dislike of bunk beds led to her being expelled from the Church of Scientology. She generally behaves like the kind of person you could see yourself meeting at a party. In short, everyone has a friend like Tiffany Haddish, wishes they did or is that friend.
WHERE YOU’LL SEE HER
Since Girls Trip, Haddish has been busier than a bee at the Chelsea Flower show. She’s written a book (The Last Black Unicorn), appeared on a whole host of major US latenight television shows (including hosting Saturday Night Live), hosted a game show and signed a content deal with Netflix. All of which means we will be seeing much more of her as the year unfolds. Happy days!