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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Eva Marcille Gets Real About Having To Rediscover Herself Following Divorce: 'I’m Not The Wife Anymore'
Eva Marcille is on the road to rediscovery following her divorce from Michael Sterling. The former couple was married for almost five years and share three children together, including the model’s eldest daughter, Marley Rae, whom Michael helped raise. The divorce has had a profound effect on her, which caused her to lose weight.
She received a lot of criticism for her weight loss following a photo she posted on Instagram, which resulted in her turning off the comments. During her recent appearance on the Tamron Hall Show, Eva spoke about the negative comments and life after divorce.
“I went through a divorce last year. Anyone who’s been through a divorce knows that divorce is hard. It’s like the stomach flu; you will be skinny afterward. If you drop a 200 lb person, you’re gonna drop at least 30 lbs,” she explained. “So, for me, I lost weight just naturally going through life, and I found myself depressed before my divorce, through my divorce, trying to just navigate and rediscover who am I.
“I’m not the wife anymore, not someone’s someone. I’m someone’s mom, but if I took the mom away, if I took Madam (her All The Queen’s Mencharacter) away, if I took Top Model away, like who is Eva? Who am I? And making sure that I prioritize knowing that character and building that.”
While the actress never specified why she ended her marriage to Michael, court documents said their marriage was “irretrievably broken” and “there are no prospects for a reconciliation.” Talking to Tamron, Eva shared that she is still hurting.
“This was my forever. My parents were married for 42 years, my grandparents died two months apart, like marriage forever, all my aunts and uncles, all my brothers are married. I’m like the black sheep,” she said. “It’s just, it was different, and the words hurt. What I can say is though I will be positive, I will find my cup half full always, it still hurts. It does.”
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Feature image by Derek White/Getty Images