Tiffany Haddish says she used to crash weddings when she was ‘homeless and hungry’

Tiffany Haddish is reflecting on creative ways she found free meals when she was a struggling artist.

The 43-year-old actor and comedian became a household name after her breakout role in the 2017 film “Girls Trip.” But before the world recognized her comedic talents, Haddish lacked enough money for food and a home.

She opened up about that rough time in her life during a recent interview with People published on July 12.

Haddish currently stars on the Apple TV+ show “The Afterparty.” Throughout the second season of her comedy series, which returned on July 12, her character investigates a groom’s murder hours after his nuptials. While chatting about the storyline, Haddish revealed to the publication that she used to sneak into weddings to get free food.

“I’ve crashed weddings before, given a speech and didn’t know anybody there,” Haddish recalled. “That’s when I was homeless and hungry.”

She told People that she would frequently attend weddings at a hotel near Los Angeles’ Westchester neighborhood.

“I would have two or three drinks,” she continued, “And then I would grab the microphone and be like, ‘I just want to say that you are the most beautiful couple.’ Everybody would be looking at me like, ‘Who is this Black girl at our wedding?’”

Haddish, who will also star in the “Haunted Mansion” remake this summer, has spoken before about her humble beginnings and how appearing in “Girls Trip” changed her life.

In 2022, she said in an interview with Cosmpolitan that she has “broke PTSD” and worries about lacking financial stability.

“Now I have a surplus of money, but I’m still afraid of being poor again,” she shared at the time.

After landing roles in shows like Tyler Perry’s “If Loving You Is Wrong” and sitcom “The Carmichael Show,” she said she focused on “creating generational wealth.”

So, she decided to purchase land and a house.

“Every movie I made, I would just buy another piece of land or a house,” she shared.

Haddish used the money she made from playing Dina in “Girls Trip” as “the final check” to pay off her home.

“People told me to spend it in other ways,” she said. “But I used it to pay off the house because I was always afraid of being homeless again.”

However, that fear hasn’t stopped Haddish from knowing her worth.

After enrolling in classes at Harvard and learning about the entertainment business, Haddish said she realized she had “been selling (herself) short all these years.”

“My spirit, my integrity, how I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror every day... I’d rather be flat broke than get money to do something that makes me feel like s---,” she explained.

So, she prioritizes taking roles that she connects with. She also fights for what she deserves.

“Because it’s a battle getting the people that you want, because everybody still looks at you as talent, when they fail to realize I’ve produced things, got nominated for awards, won trophies…I kind of know what I’m doing,” she concluded.

Over the last few years, she has added a producer title to many of her projects. She served as an executive producer on her animated series “Tuca & Bertie,” and will produce and star in the upcoming film “Back on the Strip” with Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com