Tiffany Haddish opens up about how comedian Kevin Hart helped her get off the streets when she was homeless.
Tiffany Haddish is reflecting on the significant way comedian Kevin Hart impacted her life before she became a household name. During a recent appearance on SiriusXM's This Life of Mine with James Corden, the 44-year-old opened up about how her Night School co-star helped her during their early comedy days.
"We were doing these sketch shows at the Laugh Factory and Kevin was coming up there. It was like every Wednesday night, I would show up late. I didn't want nobody to see my car," Haddish tells Corden when asked about the history of her friendship with Hart.
She continues, "I would park a little further away or I would pull up and let the valet take the car, but I would pull up late so nobody would see it. One day I pulled up and Kevin pulled up just in front of me and I was like, 'Damn. Maybe I should pull up,' and he's like looking at me. He's like, 'Haddish, what's all this stuff in your car? What's going on? You homeless or something?' I'm like, 'Ah, I'm just in between houses right now.'"
Haddish recalls how Hart demanded they talk about her situation and, although she tried to avoid the conversation, he insisted she explain her home insecurity. "I finally told him what was up and he's like, 'You're a pretty girl. You shouldn't be living in your car. This [is] dangerous,'" she tells Corden, adding that she tried to assure Hart that she was "from these streets" and was aware of "how to live."
But Hart insisted Haddish take $300 and get herself "a place to stay for the month."
"He's like, 'Get yourself a place to stay and then make a list of goals and start doing something towards those goals every day. Make a list. What you wanna do? Where do you wanna be? What are you trying to do here?' So, I went and got me a room at this little ratty ass spot, The Snooty Fox right off of Martin Luther King and Western because I knew you could get a room by the hour," Haddish remembers. "So, I got three hours, took a shower, wrote out my list of goals, and then took a quick little nap and got out of there."
It was hours later that Haddish received a call informing her that Hart had mentioned she was looking for a place to live and a spot nearby was vacant.
"It looked like a crack den. It needed so much work," Haddish confesses. "The walls was yellow. It smelled bad. The carpet was filthy. It was disgusting and I looked around and I was like, 'Wow.' I saw roaches. It was bad. I was like, 'It's perfect. I'll take it. How much is it?' and he was like, 'It's $500 a month.'"
With such a steal, Haddish took the deal and shares that she still has the place. "I still have it. I had to fix it up myself and I still got it," she says.
While Haddish has seen household success, she's also hit a few obstacles on her journey to fame.
In 2022, Haddish and comedian Aries Spears were named defendants in a lawsuit brought forward by an anonymous female plaintiff, Jane Doe, who claimed the comedians groomed her and her brother, an anonymous male plaintiff John Doe, to perform sexually suggestive acts for comedy videos when they were children. The female plaintiff, 22, alleged that she and the male plaintiff, 15, were 14 and 7, respectively, at the time of the alleged sexual abuse.
The case was abruptly dropped not long after it was reported on.
In November, she was cited for driving under the influence for the second time in two years.
The Beverly Hills Police Department told ET that the comedian was cited by police officers on Nov. 24, 2023 after witnesses allegedly observed her stopping in the middle of Beverly Drive, apparently asleep with her car still running.
Law enforcement officers responded to a call and, upon arriving at the scene, proceeded to arrest her for driving under the influence. TMZ was the first to break the news, detailing the incident. Haddish was released several hours after her arrest.
The incident marked Haddish's second DUI arrest, with the first occurring in January 2022. At that time, she was arrested in Atlanta after officers responded to a report of someone sleeping behind the wheel. Haddish faced charges of DUI and improper stopping on a roadway, eventually being released after posting a $1,666 bond.
Soon after her arrest, the Girls Trip star told ET she had spent a long Thanksgiving Day that started with feeding underprivileged people at The Laugh Factory. Haddish delivered a special holiday set at the venue's 43rd annual free feast for locals.
"I'm going to get some help so I can learn balance and boundaries," she noted.
Haddish also said that she's in good spirits following the arrest, and complimented the Beverly Hills Police Department for their professionalism and how they handled the situation.
Haddish ultimately pleaded no contest to a reduced charge, The Los Angeles Times reported. She was sentenced to a year of probation, ordered to complete a driver's education program, the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Victim Impact Program, L.A. County's Hospital and Morgue Program, and 40 hours of community service. She also had to pay fines and fees.
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