Comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish is on top of the world.
She is the breakout star in the comedy hit “Girls Trip,” which follows the antics of a group of long-time friends who travel to New Orleans for the Essence music festival. And she will star in a one-woman comedy show on Showtime on August 18.
But life has not always been so sweet for Haddish, 37, who grew up in Los Angeles.
Her mother suffered a brain injury in a car accident, forcing a 9-year-old Haddish to care for her mother and four younger siblings. Later her mother developed a mental illness and Haddish and her siblings were placed in foster care.
Haddish had difficulty fitting in at her new middle school and acted out. A social worker who noticed she was the class clown gave her two options — attend a Laugh Factory Comedy Camp or go into psychiatric therapy.
Haddish chose the first option and soon found out that comedy and acting was where she fit in. In camp she worked with comedians Richard Pryor, Dane Cook, and Charles Fleischer.
“Going to that comedy camp and having all those men tell me, ‘You’re beautiful. You’re smart. You’re talented.’ Like, for somebody to tell me that, even if they didn’t believe it or mean it, it was enough,” she said in an article in People Magazine. “It was enough to light a fire.”
Social workers help people overcome life’s challenges so they can live up to their full potential. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” website.