Tiffany Haddish has had a phenomenal career spike after years of working hard and building her brand. She is now one of the leading comics in the world and has been taking time to reconnect with the important things. This has meant visiting her father’s homeland, giving back to her community, and gearing up to start a family. Let’s take a look back at Tiffany’s journey and hear about her plans to adopt kids sometime soon.
Tiffany Haddish Became A Household Name Despite Difficult Beginnings
Before Tiffany Haddish became a household name, she came from very humble and difficult beginnings. The Los Angeles native was born to Eritrea immigrant Tsihaye Reda Haddish and LA native Leola. Her father left them when Tiffany was only three years old, and her mother later remarried and had four more kids. They also had a cousin living with them as well and being raised as a 5th sibling.
Tiffany’s stepfather was a cruel man who planned on taking the lives of her mother and siblings to collect insurance money. He tampered with Leola’s breaks and caused her to crash. Luckily Leola was alone in the car and did not succumb but suffered severe brain damage believed to have given her schizophrenia. Tiffany had to teach her mother how to walk, talk and eat all over again. Leola struggled with this and developed a short temper, often lashing out and being violent with Tiffany.
At only ten years old, Tiffany had to become responsible for her siblings and became their primary caregiver while her mother struggled with mental illness and physical rehabilitation. “I was basically a 10-year-old mom. I was feeding them and dressing them. I was taking care of everybody.” Eventually, the siblings were separated into foster care when Tiffany was 13, making her life even sadder and scarier. Her grandmother was able to get them all back together when Tiffany was 16.
Being Funny Is How Tiffany Coped With Hard Times
To cope with such difficult circumstances, Haddish began to turn to comedy. She recalls early on how she used to make her mother laugh to avoid getting abused. Tiffany knew that if her mother was in a good mood, she would be easier to navigate. Tiffany took this life skill into high school, where she’d make kids laugh in exchange for them helping her with homework or not bullying her because she did not know how to read correctly. Tiffany recalls how comedy also helped her deal with unfamiliar people and places while in foster care.
However, this did not always keep Tiffany Haddish out of trouble, and eventually, she began to act out in school. Haddish reveals that she was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome, which landed her in the hospital at one point, and that she was also taken advantage of by a police cadet. By 17, Haddish was homeless and living in her car. When given the ultimatum by a social worker to go to a psych ward or join a comedy class, so Haddish choose comedy. In several interviews, Haddish states that this decision saved her life.
Tiffany Haddish Wants To Use Everything She Learned In Foster Care and Pay It Forward
Last year, Tiffany Haddish discussed fostering children with then-boyfriend rapper/actor Common on his podcast Mind Power Mixtape. Haddish recalls her experience in foster care and feels that a key component missing was that no one taught her any life skills. “I just want to bring survival skills, share everything I know with them,” she shared.
Haddish also revealed that she would like to start fostering or adopting kids eventually. She admits that she would need them to already know how to speak and be able to use the bathroom on their own first. “I definitely want to either foster kids or adopt and get them at seven. They can communicate.”
Haddish feels that foster kids do not get a lot of encouragement or people actually looking to teach them, which is something she would want to do. “You can mold their mind,” she said. Just this month, Tiffany Haddish published her first children’s book, “Layla the Last Black Unicorn.” The picture book is meant to inspire children to stand out and be proud of their differences. It is inspired by Tiffany’s biography “The Last Black Unicorn,” which tells the story of her trying childhood.
