Tiffany Haddish's SNL Debut Reminded Us Why We All Want to See Her Win
I think most black women collectively did the Nae Nae with Tiffany Haddish, after her Saturday Night Live guest appearance this past Saturday.
The Girls Trip breakout star made history last night as the first black woman stand-up comic to host the show in its 43 seasons. And in 43 seasons, she is only the twelfth black woman to host the live sketch-comedy show. Her monologue was definitely on point, and it also made me cheer for her a little bit harder.
Tiffany has never been shy about revealing that she was the child of a woman with mental illness issues, or that she grew up in the foster system. So when a few minutes into her set, she gave thanks to tax payers, it made me laugh, and choke up a little:
Before I was in Girls Trip, I was in foster care. And I wanna say thank you to anyone who paid their taxes between 1990 amd 1999, because if you wouldn't have paid your taxes, I wouldn't be standing here today. So thank you.
I lived in a lot of group homes, and my favorite show growing up was SNL. That's my favorite show. And you don't have no idea how difficult it is to get a bunch of black and Hispanic kids to watch SNL over In Living Color, okay? Trying to convince them that Dana Carvey was just as funny as Damon Wayans was a problem. I got stabbed twice y'all! In a bunk bed!
Tiffany has come a long way, and you could tell that in that moment, she was truly thankful. She also reminded us that she's still new money, by wearing the same dress she wore to the premiere of her breakout film Girls Trip. She explained since she paid over $4000 for the McQueen dress, she will be wearing it everywhere -- including a casual Sunday brunch, a Bar Mitzvah, and her funeral.
I feel like I should be able to wear what I want, when I want, however many times I want, as long as I Febreze it.
Another highlight of her monologue was addressing what the fellas needed to hear about sexual harassment.
Listen fellas, if you got your thang-thang out and she got all her clothes on, you’re wrong! You're in the wrong! Wait till she got all her clothes off, and then pull your thang thang out. Okay?
She was given plenty of funny sketches that held true to her personality, which was pretty refreshing. She did a spot-on impressions of Mary J Blige and Cardi B auditioning for the roles in the live action "The Lion King Screen Test" sketch.
She also played Boo Boo Jeffries - a character in a Mortal Kombat-like game who hates violence; an Instagram butt model-turned movie critic, starring opposite Leslie Jones; and a touchy-feely, sneak dissing co-organizer of a cat giveaway, opposite Kate McKinnon.
But her best sketch was the too honest, rare black unicorn sketch, where she starred opposite Leslie Jones.
In the sketch, three travelers set off on a journey to find the last black unicorn. When they find one (Tiffany Haddish), the unicorn tells them about her futures, and it's all bad for them.
What I loved about the sketch, was that it may have been a bit of a reference to her actual book, The Last Black Unicorn, that's set to drop this December. Just like in her book, the hilarious sketch conveyed that life is what you make it, and even though bad things happen to you, you're not obligated to complain about it or allow it to bring you down.
She and Leslie nailed it.
Did you see Tiffany's guest appearance on SNL? What was your favorite sketch?
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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ItGirl In Motion: DonYé Taylor Asked Herself This Question When Creating Her Brainchild
"Being an 'ItGirl' is all about being yourself and taking all of the elements that make you who you are and displaying them at your highest capability," creative brainiac DonYé Taylor says in the introduction of the limited video series, "ItGirl In Motion."
In partnership with Hyundai, xoNecole has unveiled the limited series in conjunction with our inaugural ItGirl 100 list. The list boasts 100 Black women who not only innovate and take up space when it comes to putting on for their cities, but also as the driving force behind brands that create impact for the culture. ItGirl DonYé Taylor is one of the 100 featured ladies who put her purpose into action.
ITGIRL IN MOTION with DONYE TAYLORwww.youtube.com
As a marketing consultant, content creator, and CEO, a driving force behind DonYé's ambitions has been to show others how she sees the world by "creating art and doing things that shift perspective." In founding her brainchild, Nüclei, which is coincidentally also home to the ever-so-chic chrome brain piggybank, DonYé briefly touched on the inspiration behind the brand. "I was like, 'What would it look like if I were to be of service to myself?' And that's what made me create Nuclei," she said.
Watch the video above to take a peek into the life of the LA-based ItGirl, the importance of Black women receiving our "flowers" while we're here, and the three things she believes are absolutely essential to any ItGirl.
See our ItGirl 100 list in full here. Click through the gallery below for some BTS moments of DonYé and our partnership with Hyundai.
CREDITS
Director: Mikkoh @mikkoh
Production Company: @30inthemorning
AD/Gimbal Op: @jeffreyrattanong
DP: @jucelandrin_
Editor: @30inthemorning
1st AC: Bonnie Delgado @bonniebellevue
2nd AC: Liz Robles @lizfatimarobles
FPV Drone Op: Kai Kevin Goh @kaivertigoh
Gaffer: Nelson Nguyen @nelson_ftw
Key Grip: Ames Hoang @mangothemaker
SLT: Jamon Tolbert @jamon.tolbert
Sound Mixer: Deyo Forteza @introducingdeyo
PA: Breyona Holt @exquisite_eye
PA: Aminah Muhammad @aminahmuhamm
BTS: Marika Belamarich @marikarosegold
Featured image by Marika Belamarich for xoNecole