When Tiffany Haddish Crashed Weddings for Free Food, She Always Remembered to Make A Toast
Many people have crashed a wedding in search of some tail — Tiffany Haddish did it for lobster tail.
To call the Los Angeles-born comic’s beginnings “humble” would be like saying that, in 1944, the shores of Omaha Beach were “dicey.” After a childhood marred by abuse and stints in foster care, Haddish found herself homeless at 17, living out of her car and turning to comedy for hope and respite. Today, 43-year-old Haddish is an Emmy-and-Grammy winner and a comedy A-lister by any definition, but, as she revealed to People earlier this week, she still remembers those times when she had to invite herself to strangers’ weddings just to get a meal.
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As a hungry wedding crasher, Haddish didn’t have to sing for her supper, but she would still step up to the mic to toast the happy (and confused) couple.
“I’ve crashed weddings before, given a speech and didn’t know anybody there,” Haddish said to People. “That’s when I was homeless and hungry.” Haddish recalled hanging around a hotel in the Westchester neighborhood of L.A.’s westside, waiting for the power of marital love to fill her with strength and sandwiches.
Once she’d eaten, Haddish would always make sure to thank her unintentional hosts, saying, “I would have two or three drinks, and then I would grab the microphone and be like, ‘I just want to say that you are the most beautiful couple.’” However, much like a tight-five at an open mic, Haddish’s material often fell on deaf ears. “Everybody would be looking at me like, ‘Who is this Black girl at our wedding?’” she said.
Today, Haddish plays sold-out sets across the country with ticket prices running in excess of $100. Booking Haddish to perform at a private event would be even more prohibitively expensive — so all those L.A. couples celebrating their silver anniversary this year should be grateful that Haddish hasn’t sent them an invoice.
