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Happy Woman Crush Wednesday, readers! This week, we’re handing the mic over to a truly inspiring star. While she’s worked her way to the very top, she hasn’t forgotten about those she left behind. Let’s make some noise for Tiffany Haddish!
WHO’S THAT GAL: Tiffany Haddish
WHY WE’RE CRUSHING: After starting out as a struggling performer sometimes living out of her car, Haddish is now the hottest comedian and actress in Hollywood. And she has a new focus: lifting up friends and peers she’s met along the way. In Netflix’s new series, Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready, Haddish, acting as Executive Producer, is sharing her spotlight with six, unique voices, all relatively unknown, who will complete their own half-hour stand-up specials. Taking the tagline “She Ready” from her comedy special with Showtime, Tiffany Haddish: She Ready! From Hood to Hollywood, this actress/comedian is pronouncing that it’s time for some new performers, handpicked by her, to shine.
While stand-up is a space that has often left out marginalized voices, Haddish’s series does anything but. They Ready presents a diverse slate of performers, giving an unprecedented platform to women, those in the LGBTQ+ community, and people of color. Each of the six episodes begins with Haddish telling the story of how she met the featured comedian, and then that person giving a little taste of their life and career up until this point. After a few minutes, Haddish walks onto a stage in front of a live audience – after announcing herself like a boss – and introduces the performer, who commands the stage for the rest of the episode. And while these personal touches at the beginning are heartwarming, the rest of the episode does not disappoint either: every comic that graces that stage is unbelievably hilarious. Come for the uplifting concept, stay for the belly laughs.
Like we alluded to earlier, a big part of this series is driven by Haddish’s desire to “throw back the rope” to those she’s met in her career. Haddish herself is no stranger to this concept. In 2018, Haddish told Vanity Fair that Kevin Hart, who she used to work with at the Laugh Factory, once gave her money for a motel room after he found out that she was living out of her car at the time. The point is she knows what it’s like to have a dream and just need a little help to keep going. Likewise, in the interview segments of They Ready, Haddish and the other comics mention how they promised each other that whoever made it big first would help the other one out. In an interview with the LA Times, Haddish confirms this notion, stating, “I believe in all these people, because all these people have believed in me.” It’s clear that Haddish admires every single one of these performers as people, and that they admire her, too. For this reason, They Ready is authentic, inspiring, and, honestly, just really damn funny.
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WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER BEFORE: Most know Haddish from her breakout role in the 2017 film Girls Trip, where she starred alongside Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Regina Hall as Dina, a free-spirited, often impulsive party animal. Haddish, however, was active in Hollywood for many years before the release of this critically-acclaimed comedy. In the early 2000s, she made guest appearances in numerous popular shows, including That’s So Raven, My Name Is Earl, and New Girl, and her early stand-up credits include Nick Cannon Presents: Short Circuitz, Def Comedy Jam, Chelsea Lately, and The Arsenio Hall Show. In 2013, Haddish landed a recurring role on Real Husbands of Hollywood and in 2015 snagged a part on the NBC sitcom The Carmichael Show.
Some cite the 2016 film Keanu, with Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, as the production that helped Haddish make a bigger name for herself around town. Regardless, we’ve seen Haddish’s career skyrocket in the past few years. In 2017, for instance, she appeared in her own stand-up comedy special, Tiffany Haddish: She Ready! From Hood to Hollywood, on Showtime. In November of the same year, Haddish became the first African American woman stand-up comedian to host Saturday Night Live, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award. She also starred in the TBS sitcom The Last O.G. with Tracy Morgan, the feature film Night School alongside Kevin Hart, Netflix’s adult animated series Tuca & Bertie with fellow female comedian Ali Wong, and, most recently, the crime-drama The Kitchen with Melissa McCarthy.
WHERE YOU’LL SEE HER AGAIN: It’s safe to say that Haddish is having a big moment, and we hope that this will only continue for her. Actually, we know it will because this star already has a whole lot lined up. Not only is there word that Haddish will have another stand-up special of her own, but she’s also landed some other major projects, including the lead role in Paramount’s upcoming comedy, Like a Boss, set to premiere in January 2020, and a part in Netflix’s new series Madam C.J. Walker, starring Octavia Butler. If that wasn’t enough, Haddish was also tapped by ABC to host and produce a revival of Kids Say the Darndest Things. So really, it seems the era of Haddish is only just beginning.
