Tiffany Haddish was Destined for Fame

Comedian, author and actress, Tiffany Haddish, is kicking ass.

2017 seemed to be the year of Haddish with her breakout starring role in the summer hit, Girls Trip, and her being the first female African-American stand-up comedian to host Saturday Night Live.

Things don’t seem to be slowing down for the self-proclaimed unicorn this year. Earlier this month, Haddish presented at the Oscars alongside Maya Rudolph, which had people talking about what’s next for her. However, before all the fame, she was hosting the “All-Star Comedy” show at the Long Beach Laugh Factory in October of 2014. This is where I first encountered Haddish, and at this time, Haddish was just barely dipping her toes into the Hollywood scene. So many of the attendees, including myself, at the Laugh Factory, were unfamiliar with her and her work. Looking back now, I can see why she is where she is today. At the time she seemed so carefree, yet so driven. When I was speaking with her she was an open book, and she told me all about her struggles growing up with all the tragedies that she endured. She was just so relatable, honest and real with me, and you could tell that this is why people are obsessed with her.

Haddish’s career was destined for big things from the start. Her ability be real and truly authentic with her audience has gained her the support and success that she deserves. Although I only sat down with her for around 30 minutes back in 2014, I could tell that she was larger than life. She commanded the room without even trying, and people seemed to be drawn to her and her straightforward nature.

Her rising fame is not only beneficial to her personally, but to women, particularly Black women, all over. For the longest time, Hollywood and the world, in general, have only accepted a very specific type of Black woman. What I mean by that is, they only allow Black women that they deem “acceptable” in their eyes to become successful in the business. Women like Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry and Beyonce are all very successful Black women because in a way they are kind the “cookie cutter version” of what Black women should look and act like. Black women that are vulgar, out there and in your face typically don’t do well in Hollywood because they aren’t as accepted. However, things are changing and that’s where Tiffany Haddish comes in. Women like Tiffany Haddish, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B are slowly taking over pop culture and Hollywood because the world wants people that are real; and it doesn’t get more real than Haddish. She is raunchy, raw and extremely honest, which allows her the ability to connect with so many people that aren’t typically showed in the media or in Hollywood.

We’ve already started to see a huge shift in Hollywood with the culture trying to be more inclusive to all races, genders, religions and so on. I think people like Haddish are going to make the biggest change to the system because people want to see someone they can relate to. Haddish will continue to her stardom because of her work ethic, genuine personality and for the simple fact that she is all of us.